BURNSVILLE, MN – After becoming an NCAA Division II National Champion at 133 pounds in his first collegiate season, Jacob Strausbaugh was named NSIC Rookie of the Year. He becomes the third UMary athlete to earn this honor, joining Reece Barnhardt and Phillip Springsteen.

Strausbaugh entered the NCAA tournament as the seventh seed and defeated Grand Valley State's Jake Keller by an 18-0 tech fall. He followed up by taking down Gannon's #2 Jeremiah Echevarria by a 5-0 decision.

Strausbaugh then pinned Central Oklahoma's #3 Jason Henschel after 3:45 of action in the semifinals. The freshman from Soldotna, AK, would claim gold by defeating Lander's #5 James Joplin by a 5-3 decision.

He scored 22.5 team points at the NCAA Championships, which was the third most in the tournament. Strausbaugh finished the season with a 25-2 record overall and a 19-1 record against DII competition. He would post a 72% bonus percentage across his matches.

Strausbaugh would help lead the Marauders to an eighth-place finish at Nationals, earning a program-best 52 team points.

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