Three Sooners Named Academic All-Big 12

NORMAN — University of Oklahoma wrestlers Clark Glass, Zach Merrill and Ross Larson were among the 12 student-athletes named to the 2015 Academic All-Big 12 Team, the conference announced Wednesday.

Glass and Merrill were named to the first team (includes student-athletes who recorded a 3.20 or better GPA), while Larson was placed on the second team (3.00-3.19 GPA). The honor is the second for Glass, who also received first-team recognition last season, and the first for Merrill and Larson.

Glass, a redshirt sophomore, is a biology major from Brandon, Fla. He competed in all 16 of OU's dual competitions this season at 165 pounds and holds an overall record of 17-12. Currently, he sits at No. 25 in the NCAA RPI rankings.

Also a redshirt sophomore, Larson is a sociology major from Ankeny, Iowa. Larson, ranked No. 12 in RPI at heavyweight, is 22-6 overall this season. Seventeen of his wins have come via fall, the fourth-most in OU single-season history.

In his final season as a Sooner, Merrill has a 15-1 overall record at heavyweight. Merrill, an A&S planned program major from Bermuda Dunes, Calif., was one of three student-athletes on the Academic All-Big 12 team with a 4.0 GPA.

To qualify student-athletes must maintain a 3.00 GPA or higher either cumulative or the two previous semesters and must have participated in 60 percent of their team's scheduled contests. Freshmen and transfers are not eligible in their first year of academic residence. Senior student-athletes who have participated for a minimum of two years and meet all the criteria except percent of participation are also eligible.

The Sooners are in action this weekend as they travel to Ames, Iowa, for the Big 12 Championship inside Hilton Coliseum. Semifinal matches are scheduled to begin at 11 a.m., with third-place matches at 12:30 p.m. and championship matches at 6 p.m.