Gloucester’s Toppan named D3 Scholar All-American
Gloucester High 2024 graduate Jayden Toppan has been named an NCAA Division 3 Men’s Scholar All-American, as recently announced by the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA). In order to qualify for the honor, the outstanding collegiate student-athletes must have demonstrated excellence both on the mat and in the classroom, meeting one of the following academic and athletic criteria:
For wrestling, must accomplish at least one of the two: 1. Place in top 8 in the regional tournament, or 2., wrestle at least 15 matches and have a win percentage greater than 66 percent. Matches with teammates will count only if they happened in a tournament, while matches set up between teammates will not count.
For academics, must accomplish at least one of the two: 1. Must have an average GPA of 3.2 over the last two semesters or quarters or last three trimesters, or 2., must have a cumulative GPA of 3.2.
A freshman at Roger Williams University, Toppan, alongside his twin brother Michael, played a key role in helping the Hawks to a 16-9 overall record and a seventh place finish (out of 18 teams) at the NCAA Division 3 Regional Championships. Jayden Toppan competed at 285 pounds and sported an impressive 27-11 record in his debut collegiate campaign. As a senior at Gloucester High last winter, he went 51-5 in the 215-pound weight class, finishing fourth at the All-State meet after winning it as a junior.
Gloucester’s Zindle commits to Ohio
Zak Zindle, a Gloucester native who attended The Hill School in Pennsylvania, has committed to Division 1 Ohio University to continue his wrestling career. Zindle will join fellow grappler Dominic Serio in joining the Bobcats elite program next season.
“This will not be a large recruiting class, but it will be a class with highly talented individuals. We will not lose much for next year so this class is about building for the future,” Ohio wrestling coach Joel Greenlee said in a press release. “Both of these guys will elevate the talent level in our room.”
Zindle, who grew up wrestling on Cape Ann, amassed a 45-18 record at The Hill School. He is a two-time National Prep qualifier and earned fourth place at the NHSCA meet. He was also a Pap Prep finalist and My House Trojan Wars medalist.
“Zindle is one of those diamond-in-the-rough type guys,” added Greenlee. “He had last season cut short by injury, so not a lot of people know about him. He is a very talented and explosive wrestler.”
Rockport’s Webb wraps up strong year at Suffolk
St. John’s Prep graduate Ryan Webb, a Rockport resident, recently wrapped up his junior ice hockey campaign at Suffolk University. The 5-foot-11 forward appeared in a career-high 27 games for the Rams, netting five goals and dishing out five assists while finishing an impressive +6 in the plus/minus. He helped Suffolk to a competitive season in the Conference of New England, with the team going 13-11-3 overall before falling to eventual league champion Curry, 4-2, in the CNE semifinals.