On the mat, wrestling senior Daniel Mitchell is one of the best athletes in the nation. But he’s also one of the top students at AU with a 3.95 GPA.
“I have never gotten a B,” Mitchell said about his final grades, dating his straight-A streak back to middle school.
America’s No. 13 197-pound wrestler brought home the Elite 89 award in 2012, which recognizes the athlete with the highest GPA in the respective sport.
“I think it (academics) ties in with the sport of wrestling,” Mitchell said about his drive academically. “It comes down to self-discipline in all aspects of your life and wrestling more than any sport teaches that.”
This season Mitchell stands second on the team with 19 wins and leading with seven falls, The Eagle previously reported.
Balancing grades and pins
For Mitchell, academics have always been a priority, and sometimes by his own accord, more so than his wrestling.
“I’d love to go to school to be a student, not a student-athlete,” Mitchell said.
Mitchell completed his bachelor’s in business administration with a focus in finance at AU two years ago. He is currently enrolled in AU’s graduate finance program at the Kogod School of Business. However, his athletic standing is listed as a senior.
Mitchell originally enrolled in AU with intent to study Arabic and international studies.
“I got waitlisted for the Arabic class and as life would have it, I took an intro finance course, and loved the material and loved the professor,” he said.
Once he finishes graduate school in May, Mitchell hopes to get his Ph.D in finance or economics. But before becoming an adjunct professor, he hopes to get some real world experience.
Pinning excellence in the classroom
Mitchell is one of the more active and vocal participants in class, frequently bringing up salient points during class discussion, Kogod professor Sally Fowler said.
“He spoke when he had something to say, and when he did, it always contributed to the class,” Fowler said. “When you’re a professor, you appreciate that.”
Mitchell now works as a teaching assistant in Kogod, tutoring students enrolled in introductory level finance courses.
“Actually, he does not simply help them, he challenges students to really understand the material beyond solving a numerical exercise,” finance professor Valentina Bruno said in an email. “I always hear good things about his tutoring from students.”
Despite his busy schedule, Mitchell said he doesn’t feel any pressure to adjust his academic workload for wrestling. In fact, he credits AU’s environment for helping him achieve balance
“I don’t know how well I could have balanced athletics and academics if I were at [school in] Oklahoma or Iowa,” Mitchell said, suggesting it would be harder to balance at a traditional wrestling powerhouse.
For the Colorado native, academic success has always been present throughout his career. Not only did Mitchell win a state title in high school, but he was also valedictorian.
A team of success
Mitchell is not the first Eagle wrestler to achieve high academic success. At least one AU wrestler has been placed on the NWCA All-Academic team every year since the 2004-2005 season.
In addition, wrestling head coach Teague Moore estimates his current squad of AU wrestlers will have an average GPA of 3.30, which is well above the NCAA-mandated 2.50 GPA.
Mitchell and Moore credit the team’s strong academic performance to a competition among each class to obtain the highest GPA.
For all the success that Mitchell has found in academics, his record on the mat is equally impressive.
“He’s the type of athlete you don’t have to try to encourage to train or workout,” Moore said.
Regardless of his future, Mitchell said he plans to enjoy his final wrestling season at AU.
“I need to make sure I enjoy it and really live these last two months,” he said.
esaltzman@theeagleonline.com
