One of the greatest competitors in Ohio State history will add another accolade to his long list of honors this January. Kyle Snyder, three-time NCAA champion and three-time world champion wrestler, will be recognized by the NCAA with the 2019 Today's Top 10 Award at the organization's annual convention.
The award recognizes former student-athletes for their successes on the field, in the classroom and in the community. Recipients completed their athletics eligibility during the 2017-18 academic year and will be recognized at the Honors Celebration on Wednesday, Jan. 23, in Orlando, Florida.
The honorees are selected by the NCAA Honors Committee, composed of representatives of NCAA member schools, conferences and distinguished citizens, including past awardees.
Other recipients of the Today's Top 10 Award include fellow Olympian Keturah Orji, of Georgia's track and field team, and former West Virginia basketball star Jevon Carter.
Snyder's career at Ohio State was filled with titles, championships and honors. He captured both the Big Ten and NCAA heavyweight wrestling titles in 2016, 2017 and 2018, reaching the NCAA finals in all four of his collegiate seasons, coming up short only once.
He helped the Buckeyes claim the 2015 NCAA team championship, and to runner-up finishes in 2017 and 2018; his teams won the Big Ten tournament in three of his four years on the roster. The four-time All American was named the Most Outstanding Wrestler at the 2016 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships.
His success as a collegian has been surpassed only by his prowess on the international freestyle circuit. In 2016 he brought home Olympic gold from Rio de Janeiro, leading to his selection as the 2017 U.S. Olympic Committee’s Male Athlete of the Year. He won three world titles in as many years while still in college, becoming the youngest Olympic and world champion in U.S. wrestling history.
Snyder’s academic success earned him the Big Ten Medal of Honor in 2018. He earned all-academic honors from the National Wrestling Coaches Association four years in a row, and earned Academic All-America honors from the College Sports Information Directors of America in 2017.
"Captain America," as he's affectionately known by fans, earned the silver medal at the 2018 World Freestyle Championships, and continues to train at the Ohio Regional Training Center in Columbus with an eye toward the 2019 World Championships and 2020 Olympic Games.
