Lucas Byrd and Zac Braunagel: Scholar-Athletes of the Week

I'm late with a couple of Scholar-Athlete of the Week awards for ILLINI wrestlers. This is why these young men are at the University of ILLINOIS in the first place. Oh, and the girls in the Chi Omega house. 

Here's the write-up for the Brawlnagel's award for the week of December 13-17 from FightingILLINI.com:

The Illinois wrestling team opened its dual season with a pair of wins over UT-Chattanooga and SIU-Edwardsville. The Illini won an exciting come-from-behind meet against UT-Chattanooga, 19-12, and dominated over SIUE, 35-6. Zac Braunagel competed on the mat for the very first time since his off-season shoulder surgery in March, collecting two wins over the weekend in including a major decision victory at 184.

Braunagel is a member of the Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC). He is a native of Belleville, Ill., and is majoring in marketing in the Gies College of Business.

And here's the write-up for Lucas Byrd's Award for the week of January 17-21 provided by FightingILLINI.com:

University of Illinois redshirt freshman wrestler Lucas Byrd, ranked No. 6 nationally, improved to 12-1 on the season with a pair of victories at 133 pounds with wins at Rutgers and vs. Iowa. In the match vs. the Scarlet Knights, Byrd notched his second major decision of the year, and followed that performance by earning his fourth dual win of the season - and 12th win overall - in a 5-0 decision vs. the Hawkeyes. 

Byrd, from Cincinnati, Ohio, is majoring in Recreation, Sport & Tourism with a concentration in Sports from the College of Applied Health Sciences.