Program Record 6 Cal Poly Wrestlers Named Scholar All-Americans
4/1/2026 3:00:00 PM | Wrestling
SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. — A program record six Cal Poly wrestlers earned Division I Men's Scholar All-American honors from the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) on Wednesday for their dedication and excellence in the classroom and on the mat this season.
Anthony Berg, Ceasar Garza, Andre Gonzales, Koda Holeman, Cole Jackson and Trevor Tinker all received the Scholar All-American distinction. The six Mustangs were among 390 exceptional student-athletes across 73 Division I schools that garnered praise.
This is the third time Tinker and Garza have earned the award, the second time Holeman has secured honors and the first time Berg, Gonzales and Jackson have grabbed Scholar All-American status.
Berg is a sophomore in the classroom currently pursuing his bachelor’s in civil engineering. During his redshirt freshman season on the mat, Berg compiled a 16-9 overall record, took sixth at 165 pounds at the Midlands Championships and placed second in his weight class at the Pac-12 Championships, earning a thrilling upset victory over No. 5-ranked Matty Bianchi from Little Rock in the semifinals.
Garza, who transferred to Cal Poly from Michigan State this year, is a senior currently pursuing his bachelor’s in interdisciplinary studies. The Oakdale, Calif. native had an incredible first season as a Mustang, racking up an impressive 18-4 record and capturing the 184-pound title at the Pac-12 Championships to punch his ticket to the NCAA Championships for the first time. He is the second Mustang ever and the first since Ryan Halsey in 2003 to win a Pac-12 title at 184. Garza earned Scholar All-American honors at Michigan State in 2023 and 2025.
In his lone season as a Mustang, Gonzales certainly made his mark on the mat, placing second at 149 pounds at the Pac-12 Championships, upsetting No. 24-ranked Noah Tolentino from Oregon State in the semifinals to book his ticket to NCAAs for the first time. He finished with a 17-13 record and placed fourth at the Midlands Championships. Gonzales, who transferred to Cal Poly after spending four years at Ohio State, is pursuing his master’s in agricultural education at Cal Poly.
Holeman is a senior business administration major who is receiving Scholar All-American status for the second straight year. The Clovis, Calif. native punched his ticket to the NCAA Championships for the second consecutive season this spring by capturing the Pac-12 title at 125 pounds, defeating No. 8-ranked Maximo Renteria from Oregon State to become the third Mustang ever to win a Pac-12 title at 125 pounds and the first since Chad Mendes in 2006. He secured third at the Midlands Championships and a fifth-place finish at the Cliff Keen Invitational, finishing the year with a 19-7 mark.
Jackson is a graduate student in the fire protection engineering program at Cal Poly. The Redmond, Oregon native placed third at 197 pounds at this year’s Pac-12 Championships, compiling a 13-14 record.
The 10th four-time NCAA qualifier in Division I program history, Tinker is currently pursuing his master’s in fire protection engineering. The St. Louis, Missouri native won his second straight Pac-12 title at heavyweight, becoming the first Mustang to repeat as a Pac-12 champion in their weight class since Chase Pami in 2008-09 (157 pounds) and the first two-time heavyweight champion in Cal Poly history. He placed fifth at this year’s Cliff Keen Invitational and sixth at the Midlands Championships, finishing his career with a 73-40 overall record.
To qualify for NWCA Scholar All-American status, nominees had to meet one of the following criteria based on academic records and results obtained from TrackWrestling:
- Top 8 at NCAAs and a 3.0 GPA
- National qualifier and a 3.2 GPA
- Conference qualifier and a 3.5 GPA
- 15 matches with a 60 percent win percentage and a 3.5 GPA
