Body confidence from the early years

The confidence that Paula Leitón has in her body stems from her childhood. Other members of her family are also tall and similarly built, so that type of physique was “always treated as completely normal”.

Leitón remembers one episode in particular: “I was 10 years old and couldn’t buy clothes in the children’s section. Now I know where to shop, where to find what I need. But back then, I remember telling my mum, ‘I don’t get it. Why can’t I wear that?’ And she would calmly say, ‘They just don’t have what you need here. We’ll find it somewhere else, don’t worry’. She made it feel normal: ‘If not here, then somewhere else. It’s not your fault’. That attitude meant everything.”

While Leitón has learned to embrace her shape since she was a child, the athlete notes that she was not completely immune to all body-related insecurities. If the negative comments she got after Paris 2024 had come 10 years earlier, Leitón said, they would have affected her differently.

It was her family’s support and the extensive mental work she did to become a stronger athlete and individual that have helped her to deal with the body shaming as lightly as she did, but Leitón is well aware other people may need extra support.

Given how important her own childhood was in building the body confidence she has now, it is not surprising that the Olympic champion aspires to work with children when she retires from competitive sport. Leitón is working towards a teaching degree and is in her second year of studies, soon to start a practicum at a school.

“Teaching is my calling after water polo,” she said. “I’d love to work in education, especially in sport, to share how I learned to love it. And I know I can pass on values like teamwork, camaraderie, sacrifice…Everything sport has taught me in the pool, why not pass that on in the classroom too?”

Getting a sneak peek at Paula Leitón the teacher, the Olympic champion offered this advice to young girls: “If you enjoy something and it makes you happy, then keep doing it. That’s the most important thing. Don’t let what others say affect you, just enjoy what you do and make sure you’re doing it for yourself. And if you find something that truly fulfils you, especially in sport, it will be an incredible journey.”

Leitón will next compete at the 2025 World Aquatics Championships in Singapore where she will try to win the last title still missing from her name, that of world champion.

All 330 NCAA wrestling championship qualifiers learned their seed on Wednesday afternoon, eight days before they all take the mat in Philadelphia to compete against one another for championship honors under the bright lights of the Wells Fargo Arena. Here’s what you need to know about leaders of each weight class, their path to success and under-the-radar names to watch next week. 

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125 pounds

Title contenders: No. 1 Luke Lilledahl, No. 2 Matt Ramos, No. 3 Eddie Ventresca, No. 4 Vince Robinson, No. 5 Richie Figueroa
All-American sleeper: No. 27 Tristan Daugherty 

The 125-pound weight class, as usual, is chaos. No athlete enters the NCAA tournament undefeated, and only one athlete — 2023 NCAA finalist and Big Ten bronze medalist Matt Ramos — comes in with just one loss. Ramos is currently seeded No. 2 after falling to Penn State’s No. 1 seed Luke Lilledahl in the Big Ten semifinals. Lilledahl then went on to win the conference tournament over No. 9 Caleb Smith of Nebraska 4-3. Smith and Lilledahl could rematch in the quarterfinals if the first round goes chalk and Smith beats No. 8 Sheldon Seymour of Lehigh. 

Richard Figueroa, last year’s national champion at the weight, comes in as the No. 5 seed following a loss to North Dakota State’s Tristan Daugherty at Big 12s. Meanwhile, Daugherty comes in as the No. 27 seed after posting a 10-14 record on the year. His record may not suggest that he could be in the mix for All-American honors, but his win over Figueroa this point in the season immediately elevates him into this conversation. 

The only other returning All-American in the bracket is South Dakota State’s Tanner Jordan, who will, much like last year, attempt to make the podium from a 20+ seed. This year, he’s seeded No. 23 with a first-round match against in-conference foe Stevo Poulin. Jordan is 0-2 against Poulin, most recently losing to the Northern Colorado star 14-6 in last year’s dual. The winner of Poulin vs. Jordan will take on the winner of No. 7 Troy Spratley of Oklahoma State, who has been ranked as high as No. 2 this year, and No. 26 Keyveon Roller of Virginia. 

133 pounds

Title contenders: No. 1 Lucas Byrd, No. 2 Drake Ayala 
All-American sleeper:  No. 26 Kai Orine

For most of the year, the 133-pound weight class was led by Lehigh’s Ryan Crookham, a sophomore who finished third last season and started the 2024-2025 season with a 5-0 record. After Crookham announced his decision not to compete in the postseason due to injury, Iowa’s Drake Ayala slotted into the No. 1 spot, only to be leapfrogged by Illinois’ Lucas Byrd several days later after Byrd topped Ayala in the Big Ten finals by fall. 

Byrd, a two-time All-American for the Illini, now comes into the NCAA tournament as an undefeated No. 1 seed with Ayala sitting at the No. 2 seed. Ayala’s only other loss this year came against No. 13 Tyler Knox who sits on Byrd’s side of the bracket and will take on No. 20 Blake Boarmann of Chattanooga in the first round. This doesn’t mean that the Hawkeye has an easy path back to the finals, though, as his first match will come against Missouri’s No. 31 Kade Moore, who has career wins over All-Americans Evan Frost and Sam Latona. The winner of that match will face the winner of No. 15 Anthony Noto, a former All-American at 125 pounds, vs. No. 18 Julian Farber of Northern Iowa. 

All-Americans Nasir Bailey, Dylan Shawver and Kai Orine and will also be in the mix, seeded No. 3, No. 10 and No. 26 respectively. One first-round match to circle is Orine vs. Ohio State’s No. 7 Nic Bouzakis. Both of these wrestlers are wild and put on a show. There’s nothing predictable about the outcome of that match. 

141 pounds

Title contenders: No. 1 Brock Hardy, No. 2 Beau Bartlett, No. 3 Jesse Mendez, No. 4 Josh Koderhandt, No. 5 Cael Happel, No. 6 Vance Vombaur, No. 7 Tagen Jamison, No. 8 Andrew Alirez
All-American sleeper: No. 14 Sergio Lemley

Nebraska All-American Brock Hardy blew up the 141-pound bracket last weekend when he beat 2024 NCAA champion Jesse Mendez and All-American Vance Vombar in his conference semifinals and finals respectively to win Big Tens and earn the No. 1 seed. Jesse Mendez, who won the NCAA tournament last year in a short-time takedown against Bartlett, meanwhile lost to Bartlett for the second time this year in the consolation finals, to earn the No. 3 seed while Bartlett is at the No. 2. 

The Big 12 conference results created similar disruption in the national seeds, with Oklahoma State’s Tagen Jamison beating 2023 NCAA champion Andrew Alirez, only to fall to Northern Iowa’s Cael Happel in the finals. Happel now leads that group as the No. 5 seed, followed by Jamison at the No. 7 and Alirez at the No. 8 seed. Navy’s Josh Koderhandt, who won the EIWA tournament, comes in at No. 4. Of this group, Jamison, Happel and Koderhandt are all looking for the first All-American honors of their career. Happel and Jamison though could both hit All-Americans in their second matches if the bracket goes chalk, with Happel set to No. 12 Sam Latona of Virginia Tech if Latona beats No. 21 Dylan Chappell, and Jamison likely to wrestle No. 10 CJ Composto if both of these athletes win their first round matches against No. 26 Eligh Rivera of Princeton and No. 23 Josh Edmond, respectively. 

149 pounds

Title contenders: No. 1 Caleb Henson, No. 2 Ridge Lovett, No. 3 Shayne Van Ness, No. 4 Paniro Johnson, No. 5 Kyle Parco
All-American sleeper: No. 11 Sammy Alvarez

Virginia Tech’s Caleb Henson is back to defend his crown. The 2024 NCAA champion junior earned his No. 1 seed with an 18-0 record, including a 2-0 performance at the ACC championships, where he claimed his second title. Now he’ll have the benefit of being the opposite side of the bracket of two Big Ten foes — No. 2 Ridge Lovett and No. 3 Shayne Van Ness — after Lovett, Van Ness and Iowa’s No. 5 Kyle Parco battled each other out at their conference tournament. Henson’s reward for his strong performances thus far this year will be a first-round match against the winner of the pigtail battle between No. 33 Teague Travis and No. 32 Wynton Denkins, the former of whom finished in the Round of 16 last year and was a late addition to the Oklahoma State lineup in place of Carter Young. Lovett, meanwhile, will have No. 31 Sam Cartella of Northwestern. 

Big 12 champion Paniro Johnson will also be a name to watch at the No. 4 seed, as he seems to be hitting his prime here in the heat of the postseason. Johnson will take on No. 29 Jack Gioffe of Virginia in the first round, and, if he wins and the match above him goes chalk, he could see Ohio State All-American No. 23 Dylan D’Emilio in the second round. 

157 pounds

Title contenders: No. 1 Tyler Kasak, No. 2 Meyer Shapiro 
All-American sleeper: No. 22 Ed Scott

Injuries have defined the 157-pound weight class this year, but, as the athletes head into the final two weeks of the season, it’s Penn State’s Tyler Kasak, who emerges as the No. 1 seed. Kasak is 18-1 on the year, with his lone loss coming during his injury default match against Maryland’s Ethen Miller. Meanwhile, Miller, who earned the No. 1 seed at Big Tens, secured the No. 10 seed, giving him a first-round matchup with in-conference foe No. 23 Chase Saldate. Miller beat Saldate 4-2 in their last meeting. 

On the opposite side of the bracket is No. 2 Meyer Shapiro of Cornell, who has had his fair share of injuries but will now look to string together five winning matches and compete for his first NCAA title. Shapiro finished third last year at 157 pounds, while Kasak took third at 149 pounds. Shapiro could have a tough second-round match on this side of the bracket, though. If he beats first-round opponent No. 31 Noah Castillo, he’ll face the winner of No. 15 Johnny Lovett and No. 18 Jacori Teemer. Iowa’s Teemer finished second at the weight class last year but has taken four losses this year after battling injuries most of the season. 

The parity at this weight produced a number of elite first-round matches, including No. 19 Cobe Siebrecht vs. No. 14 Jude Swisher and No. 11 Matty Bianchi vs. No. 22 Ed Scott. Ohio State’s Brannon Cannon at the No. 5 seed will also be a name to watch as Cannon built a name for himself in his first Big Ten tournament by making the finals and will now chase his first All-American honors in Philly. His first round match will be No. 28 Chris Hamblin of Oregon State, with the winner facing the victor in the bout between No. 12 Caleb Fish and No. 21 Logan Rozynski of Lehigh. 

165 pounds

Title contenders: No. 1 Mitchell Mesenbrink, No. 2 Peyton Hall, No. 3 Mikey Caliendo
All-American sleeper: No. 26 Paddy Gallagher

Heading into the Big Ten championships last weekend, Penn State’s No. 1 Mitchell Mesenbrink was the runaway favorite to win this weight class after finishing as a runner-up last year to Iowa State’s David Carr. Mesenbrink is still the top seed and the most likely title contender, but Iowa’s No. 3 Mikey Caliendo closed the gap and gave Mesenbrink a 4-1 match after being teched earlier in the season. For Caliendo to get another shot at Mesenbrink in the NCAA finals this year, though, he’ll need to go through No. 2 Peyton Hall of West Virginia, who won Big 12s last weekend and enters NCAAs with a 30-1 record, his lone loss coming against Terrell Barraclough earlier in the year. Barraclough is the No. 4 seed and in a position to earn All-American honors for the first time in his career for Utah Valley after spending the first four years of his career as a backup for Penn State. 

The big problem for everyone in this bracket will be No. 5 Julian Ramirez, who won the Ivy League championships last weekend and already has wins over two NCAA champions in his career: David Carr and Shane Griffith. Michigan’s Beau Mantanona will also be a problem, as he’s a pinner and can put almost anyone on their back. Mantanona will have Tyler Lillard of Indiana first, an athlete he beat 8-5 earlier this year. 

174 pounds

Title contenders: No. 1 Keegan O’Toole, No. 2 Levi Haines, No. 3 Dean Hamiti
All-American sleeper: No. 16 Lorenzo Norman 

The top three in this weight could all win NCAAs on any given day. Missouri’s two-time NCAA champ Keegan O’Toole paces the group after earning sudden victory wins over No. 2 Levi Haines and No. 3 Dean Hamiti earlier this year. Haines won Big Tens and NCAAs last year at 157 pounds and just claimed another Big Ten title this year up at 174 pounds against No. 8 Lenny Pinto. His win, and his subsequent No. 2 seed, puts him in a good spot in the bracket, opposite Pinto, No. 24 All-American Lennox Wolak, No. 9 All-American Carson Kharchla, No. 13 All-American Cade DeVos and Cliff Keen runner-up No. 16 Lorenzo Norman. 

Haines will still have a tough road, as he’ll be expected to meet No. 3 Dean Hamiti in the semifinals if both of them can survive their first three matches. Just to demonstrate the depth of the weight, Hamiti’s first-round match will come against All-American Jackson Turley of Rutgers. The winner will get the victor between No. 19 Jared Simma and No. 14 Matty Singleton. 

184 pounds

Title contenders: No. 1 Carter Starocci, No. 2 Parker Keckeisen, No. 3 Max McEnelly 
All-American sleeper: No. 15 Dylan Fishback

Not only does 184 pounds have two former NCAA champions in No. 1 Carter Starocci vs. No. 2 Parker Keckeisen, but Minnesota freshman Max McEnelly also inserted himself into the title conversation when he earned a takedown against four-time NCAA champion Starocci in the Big Ten finals. Starocci ended up beating McEnelly 8-5 in the conference finals, but McEnelly’s performance put the country on notice. He’ll be expected to meet Parker Keckeisen — who won his fifth Big 12 title — in the semifinals. 

Starocci has a reasonably smooth path to the semifinals, though he does have three All-Americans that he could clash with, including No. 4 Dustin Plott of Oklahoma State, No. 5 Bennett Berge of South Dakota State and No. 17 Gavin Kane of North Carolina. On the other side, McEnelly could see All-American No. 6 Chris Foca in the quarterfinals, while Keckeisen could meet with All-American Edmond Ruth of Illinois at No. 10. 

This is Starocci’s weight until proven otherwise, but Keckeisen is in peak form, and McEnelly proved he can compete with the champ. Buckle up. The 184-pound bracket is full of storylines. 

197 pounds

Title contenders: No. 1 Jacob Cardenas, No. 2 Stephen Buchanan, No. 3 AJ Ferrari, No. 4 Josh Barr
All-American sleepers: No. 14 Zach Glazier

Michigan graduate student Jacob Cardenas secured the No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament with his first Big Tens on Sunday night. Iowa’s Stephen Buchanan, who lost to Cardenas in the finals, earned the No. 2 seed, while 2021 NCAA champion AJ Ferrari picked up the No. 3 seed. Buchanan losing the No. 1 seed to Cardenas sets up a potential rematch with Ferrari in the semifinals, and Ferrari has the last win over the Hawkeye back in 2022.

Cardenas doesn’t have an easy draw on his side either, though, as he’ll be expected to rematch No. 4 Josh Barr in the semifinals, an athlete he has split matches with thus far this year. All-Americans Trey Munoz and Stephen Little at the No. 13 and No. 12 spots, respectively, on Cardenas’ side of the bracket are also notable. 

285 pounds

Title contenders: No. 1 Gable Steveson, No. 2 Wyatt Hendrickson, No. 3 Greg Kerkvliet 
Under-the-radar names to watch: No. 14 Gavin Hoffman

Heading into the season, two big questions surrounded 285 pounds: 1.) Can reigning NCAA champion Greg Kerkvliet challenge 2021 Olympic gold medalist Gable Steveson? 2.) What kind of jumps can All-American Wyatt Hendrickson make up new head coach David Taylor? The first question was answered at Big Tens, as Steveson beat Kerkvliet three takedowns to none with a score of 10-3 to claim his fourth Big Ten title. Steveson earned the No. 1 seed with that win, putting Kerkvliet at the No. 3. Big 12 champion Wyatt Hendrickson survived four-time All-American Cohlton Schultz to win his conference title, remain undefeated and position himself opposite to No. 1 Steveson at the bracket at the No. 2. 

Both Schultz and All-American Yaraslau Slavikouski could await Steveson in the second and third rounds of the tournament. Meanwhile, EIWA champion Owen Trephan sits at the No. 4 seed while Iowa’s Ben Kueter’s third-place Big Ten finish earned him the No. 5, an excellent position for the rookie big man. Kueter could have a rematch against All-American Nick Feldman in the second round, though Kueter has shown he can win that match. 

One fun potential second-round match to watch is No. 7 Isaac Trumble vs. No. 10 Dayton Pitzer. Pitzer beat Trumble at ACCs, forcing Trumble to need a wildcard to make it into this tournament. A healthy Trumble is a dangerous thing for the weight, but Pitzer also made it clear that he’s not afraid to compete (and win) against the U23 gold medalist Wolfpack veteran. 

SIOUX FALLS — Less than a month remains until pole vaulters Chris Nilsen and Emily Grove will compete among the best in the nation, and for them, the focus has been on honing their best selves.

The pair of University of South Dakota graduates are utilizing the many resources available to them at the Sanford Fieldhouse in preparation for the USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, which will take place July 31 – Aug. 3 in Eugene, Oregon. The primary objective for both athletes is the same — they hope to qualify for September’s World Athletics Championships in Tokyo.

A silver medalist at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Nilsen has spent the 2025 season working through a pair of injuries, while Grove’s confidence has steadily been building since the start of the new year as the 32-year-old attempts to qualify for the World Championships for the first time in eight years.

Both Nilsen and Grove know that time and its inherent impact on their bodies continues to creep closer and closer to the forefront of their pole vaulting endeavors, but with their age also comes maturity, patience and understanding.

Over the years, the Sanford Fieldhouse has established a reputation of luring in professional, collegiate and high school athletes from all walks of life during the summer months. Most of those athletes have some sort of local tie. Some use it to simply remain in shape, while others use it to train far more intensively.

Nilsen and Grove, both of whom are currently in season, fall into the latter camp.

“It’s a good mix for our athletes that are doing their summer training and prepping for the school year that’s coming up,” said Jesse Haines, who has worked for Sanford for more than two decades and currently serves as manager of Sanford Sports Performance. “It’s great for them to see people who are professionals and are dedicated and the discipline they possess in their workouts.

“I’m happy to have those athletes here so they can set the standard for the rest of the athletes and individuals in our building.”

Trent Singer / Sioux Falls Live

Despite the many years they’ve spent in Vermillion, Nilsen and Grove are still relatively new to living in the Sioux Falls area — Nilsen moved to the city in the fall of 2023, while Grove settled in just several weeks ago — but the Fieldhouse has provided a vital hub for both athletes.

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, Grove occasionally utilized the facility. She was impressed by the variety of equipment that was available, as well as the length of the indoor track, which allows her to build speed and endurance in her training.

“They have plenty of Olympic platforms and machines if I need to use them on my day off, and they have a high bar. So we can use that for core type of stuff,” Grove said. “They really have everything we need, so it’s very well equipped. And it’s nice. It’s organized. The environment is great.

“Everybody is super friendly. I was a little intimidated walking in and realizing how motivated everyone is. … It’s just really cool to see everyone work hard to try and reach their goals.”

Meanwhile, Nilsen has been a regular at the Fieldhouse for about a year.

After moving to Sioux Falls nearly two years ago, he initially struggled to find a place to train that could meet the specificity of his needs as a pole vaulter. Eventually, though, he connected with Haines, a former multi-sport athlete at USD who offered Nilsen an opportunity to train at the Fieldhouse for free.

Chock full of athletic trainers and physical therapists, the Sanford Sports Performance team has provided Nilsen with a wealth of resources as he prepares for his trip to Eugene.

“I came in and was astonished at how awesome it is,” Nilsen said. “This isn’t the kind of facility you see in a smaller city like Sioux Falls, South Dakota. They have absolutely everything I need.”

Trent Singer / Sioux Falls Live

Nilsen and Grove’s workouts are pre-planned by their longtime coach, Derek Miles, who has built USD’s vault program into a nationally recognized entity.

A three-time Olympian and 2008 Olympic bronze medalist, Miles currently serves as associate director of track and field/jumps at USD, his alma mater. He has helped pave the way for more than 30 All-America honors at the Division I level, as well as much of Nilsen and Grove’s successes at the international level.

Last fall, Grove felt as if she began progressing in the right direction while working closely with Miles on her ground strike.

“I feel like it’s finally paying off because everything feels really natural and easy down the runway,” said Grove, a native of Pontiac, Illinois. “The hard part is just the timing, so I feel like I’m physically ready to go for a PR.

“Now, it’s just about putting the pieces together, which I think has been huge, and that’s helped my consistency in the meets I’ve been going to this year.”

Dan Musilek / Summit League

A six-time All-American and four-time Summit League champion, Grove has been competing internationally since 2017 when she graduated from USD, and in 2022, she cleared her personal best of 4.75 meters (15 feet, 7 inches).

Grove cleared 4.63 meters twice at overseas meets in May (Doha, Qatar) and June (Paris). She is currently ranked No. 14 in the latest women’s pole vault world rankings, which is the fourth highest among her fellow American competitors.

“I think the biggest part is I’m having fun with it,” Grove said. “I do feel confident. I’m running faster. I’m a little bit stronger, so right now, I’m just enjoying what I’m doing. I don’t have to pole vault anymore. I’m doing it because I want to, and to see my consistency has been a little bit of a relief because normally I’m not very consistent. This year, I feel like it’s been a huge success so far, and we’re not even into USAs yet, which is exciting to me.

“Whether or not I make the team, I feel like this season has been fun for the sheer fact of the consistency.”

Trent Singer / Sioux Falls Live

Nilsen says the 2025 season hasn’t differed much from his others at the international level, but injuries have certainly stymied him.

The 27-year-old native of Kansas City broke his hand in February at the USA Indoor Track and Field Championships before getting surgery in early March to repair it. Then, just last month, he sustained a tear in his hip adductor muscles while training.

Following the muscle tear, Nilsen visited with Dr. Marc J. Philippon at The Steadman Clinic in Vail, Colorado, where he was given platelet-rich plasma (PRP) and anti-inflammatory injections in his hip.

With the trip to Eugene on the horizon, Nilsen is training as much as his pain will allow it. His current workout regimen consists of light jogging, light plyometrics and a heavy dose of physical therapy.

While the setback has been an annoyance, Nilsen feels as if he’s recovering more with each day that passes. He hopes that trajectory continues until Aug. 2, when he’s slated to jump in Eugene.

“I still come to Sanford every day,” said Nilsen, who’s ranked eighth in the latest men’s pole vault world rankings (second highest among Americans). “I train and do whatever I am able to do because I’d rather do that than just sit home and do nothing. It’s a part of the process.

“I’ve been very blessed with not really having any injuries throughout my entire career. This being the first and second one, it just happened to be in the same year. It’s a learning lesson, but there’s not much else you can do besides prepare and hope for the best.”

Kai Pfaffenbach / Reuters

Nilsen set an indoor North American record on March 5, 2022, with a clearance of 6.05 meters (19-10 1/4) at the Perche Elite Tour in Rouen, France, and went on to claim a silver medal that year at the World Championships in Eugene. However, two years later, he came up short of reaching the final at the 2024 Olympics in Paris, settling for 26th place.

“It’s the first time I haven’t done well at an international championship, so I didn’t really know how to handle it. I just kind of stared at the wall for a few days,” said Nilsen, who is a four-time medalist on the world stage and was a seven-time All-American with the Coyotes. “With age, though, comes patience and the learning lessons, and I realized it was just a lot of external forces that were both being caused by me and by other external forces.

“You can’t go back and change the clock or change anything in the past, so you’ve just got to kind of learn from it. I feel like I have learned from it. It’s just my body is not letting me learn from it in that sort of way, so I’m glad that year is over. Now, we’re just focusing on trying to get back on the horse.”

For Grove, in-season training has consisted of light volume and high intensity. She spends her Mondays at the Fieldhouse working on fast and explosive short-distance sprints, while Tuesdays are devoted to core and recovery. On Wednesdays, she jumps with Miles before taking off the following day to compete on the weekends.

Grove and Nilsen both also help out as volunteer coaches in Vermillion, where Miles continues to elevate the next generation of USD vaulters.

“I had to work really hard to get myself to do a lot of these things, and I think learning through that process helps me to be able to coach the younger kids, too,” Grove said. “If they can’t quite get it, I understand. You have to try it a thousand more times before you can get your body to do what you’re trying to get it to do.”

A member of the Cowboy golf team, Fang was named a second-team selection. The rising junior is pursuing a degree in sports management and currently carries a 3.80 grade point average.

The honor caps an impressive season for Fang, who joined the OSU program this past year after competing as a freshman at California. The Plano, Texas native was tabbed as a first-team All-American and the Big 12 Newcomer of the Year after helping OSU to its 12^th national title.

Fang finished the year with nine top-10 showings and tied for 15^th place at the NCAA Championship.

 

He represented the United States earlier this summer at the Arnold Palmer Cup and most recently became the first Cowboy since 1967 to win The Amateur Championship.

With his selection, Fang became the fifth Cowboy to claim CSC Academic All-America honors, joining two-time selections Zack Robinson (2005, 2006 — First Team) and Pablo Martin (2006 — Second Team, 2007 — First Team).