Junior 197-pounder Gage Linahon became the first Central College wrestler in program history to earn Academic All-America accolades from the College Sports Communicators on Wednesday.

Wrestling does not have its own Academic All-America team, but Linahon was chosen for the second team in the At-Large program alongside athletes from sports like volleyball, lacrosse, wrestling, ice hockey, skiing, golfing and fencing. To be eligible for consideration, a student-athlete must be a starter or key reserve at the varsity level and achieve a 3.50 or better cumulative GPA. Being selected for the Academic All-District team is also a prerequisite.

Linahon finished the season 23-8 and placed second at the Lower Midwest Regional. His placement in the regional earned him a second consecutive trip to the NCAA Division III Championships. While he is the first in program history, Linahon is the 67th Central athlete to make an Academic All-American team.