LANCASTER, Pa. -- The National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) announced All-Academic wrestling team and its annual Division I All-Academic Top 30 Team listing for the 2008-09 season. For the third time in as many years, Franklin & Marshall 174-pound wrestler, Justin Herbert, was named to the team. EIWA rival, Harvard, coached by Franklin & Marshall alumnus, Jay Weiss '90, posted the nation's second best team grade point average.

Herbert was one of 51 NCAA Championship qualifiers to land a spot on the All-Academic team. To qualify, wrestlers must have at least a 3.2 cumulative grade point average, been an NCAA qualifier, or won 60 percent of his total schedule having competed in at least 60 percent of the team's scheduled competitions. An NCAA All-American with 3.0 cumulative GPA is also eligible.

Herbert served as captain of the wrestling team for the third consecutive season. He finished the season with a 23-13 record and was one of 52 wrestlers selected for an at-large bid to the NCAA Championship Tournament. He was F&M's first NCAA Qualifier in 11 years.

He wrapped his career with an overall record of 82-39. He also finished with a school record of 35 pins, eclipsing a record that stood for 75 years. He ranks fifth on the F&M career wins list, one victory ahead of Mike Parziale '06 and one behind Vic Bernardino '94. That helped Herbert to the Garrigues Award, a medal given annually to the graduating male senior with the most outstanding athletic record at F&M.

In addition to his accolades on the mat, Herbert has accumulated a handful of academic honors. He won the Structural Geology prize in 2008, the Geology Prize in 2009, and has been accepted to post doctoral programs at five prestigious universities on the east coast.

The 2008-09 All-Academic individual team features 17 NCAA All-Americans, 8 NCAA Finalist and 5 NCAA Champions. In total, 73 individuals representing 45 schools were named to the All-Academic Team.

The American University Eagles led the Division I teams with GPA of 3.284.  AU tied Duke University for the top team GPA in 2008. American was closely followed by Harvard University this year. The Crimson recorded their highest team finish.

All eleven conferences were represented in the top 30 teams with the EIWA leading the way with six teams. Franklin & Marshall competes in the EIWA, the nation's oldest and most prestigious wrestling conference.

For teams to be eligible for consideration, the team GPA is comprised of 12 student athletes, including the 10 wrestlers that were the entries in the NCAA tournament conference qualifier. If teams had less than 10 entries for their respective qualifier, they may fill those spots with wrestlers that competed in at least one varsity dual during the season.