EAST STROUDSBURG - East Stroudsburg University senior Tony Vorndran has been recognized as the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference's “Champion Scholar” for the 2012-13 Wrestling Championships, the conference announced Saturday at Kutztown.

Vorndran (Millville, N.J./Millville), a History major, has a 4.0 grade-point average in his academic career, which began at SUNY Morrisville for two seasons.

Vorndran was the Warriors' entry at 174 pounds, filling in for returning NCAA Division II national qualifier Brendan McKeown, who suffered an injury in ESU's dual at Pitt-Johnstown on Tuesday.

Vorndran was also ESU's primary starter at 174 last year as McKeown missed two months due to injury. He had dual wins over Ohio Valley and Seton Hill.

He is ESU's second “Champion Scholar”, joining Lisa Lower, who was recognized at the 2011 PSAC Cross Country Championships last fall.

The PSAC Champion Scholar Awards are modeled after the NCAA's Elite 88 award and honors the student-athlete with the top GPA who is competing at the site of each of the PSAC's 23 championship finals.

The selection criteria for the Champion Scholar Awards is identical to that of the NCAA Elite 88 awards, which honor the student-athlete with the top GPA at each of the championship finals sites of the 88 NCAA championships across all three divisions - I, II and III.

The 2012-13 academic year marks the second year of the Champion Scholar Awards.