The New York University wrestling team has piled up its share of accolades on the mat in 2011-12, and now the squad has added an honor for its work in the classroom.

NYU was named a recipient of the 2012 National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) Division III Scholar Team Award. In addition, David Rice was selected a Scholar All-American by the NWCA.

NYU not only received the Scholar Team Award but also boasted the ninth-best team GPA in Division III at 3.39. The team GPA figure is calculated as an average of the GPAs of the top ten student-athletes on each team, at least six of whom must have competed in qualifying tournaments for the NCAA Championships. The others must have competed in at least 50% of the team's scheduled contests.

A double major in economics and computer science, Rice was named a Scholar All-American for the first time in his career. Nominees must have had a 3.2 GPA (on a scale of 4.0) for the previous full academic year to receive the honor.

Rice had an outstanding senior season, going 31-2 at 165 pounds while recording five falls. He was not only the University Athletic Association (UAA) Champion at 165, but was also named the UAA's Most Outstanding Wrestler.

Led by Rice, NYU went 12-9 in dual meets in 2011-12 and won the UAA Championship for the first time since 2008.