The Connecticut chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame has awarded $500 scholarships to two deserving athletes who will be continuing their education in college this fall.

Kevin McDonald of Chase Collegiate School in Waterbury has been awarded the Scholar Athlete award while Tolland High’s Michael Angers was awarded the Career Achievement award.

The Connecticut Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame offers three scholarships to those wrestlers who apply for it. The Executive Committee of the chapter makes the final decision on awards.

• Scholar Athlete: Awarded to senior, four-year wrestler with GPA of at least 3.2.

• Career Achievement: Awarded to a senior, four-year wrestler. Must have been a CIAC divisional champion at least once and a top three finisher at the State Open at least once.

• Erin Weihenmayer: Awarded to a senior, three-year wrestler who has demonstrated the ability to overcome exceptional adversity.

Chase Collegiate’s Kevin McDonald

McDonald has a 3.7 average at Chase Collegiate, where he has wrestled four years, earning 78 wins with 54 pins. He earned All-Western New England honors four times and twice earned All-New England honors at the New England Independent School Wrestling Association (NEISWA) tournament.

He played three years of varsity lacrosse and ran cross country. Off the field, McDonald participated in the Andover Bread Loaf initiative, which has high school students working with local elementary school students. The high school students host writing workshops that include guidance about writing, art, the community and social justice. He was also a member of the Life is Delicious club that helps at a local shelter in Waterbury.

McDonald will be studying Administration of Justice at Salve Regina University in Newport, R.I., in the fall.

Tolland High’s Michael Angers

Tolland High School doesn’t have a wrestling team so Angers has spent the last four years working out in South Windsor with the Bobcat wrestling team.

Angers, who has a career record of 163-17, won two Class M championships in 2018 and 2019 and captured the State Open title in 2019 at 160 pounds. He was a three-time State Open finalist. Twice, Angers finished third in New England at 160 in 2018 and 2019.

A member of the National Honor Society at Tolland High, Angers was captain of the varsity soccer team and earned All-Conference honors. He served a youth soccer official and youth wrestling official throughout his high school years.

Angers was selected to participate in the Connecticut Boys State program following his junior season. The program, sponsored by the American Legion, is a week-long program that has participants learn about the mechanics of the federal government by role playing as Senators and Representatives.

Angers will be studying at Castleton University in Vermont.

It’s the ninth year that the Connecticut chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame has awarded scholarships to deserving athletes. The chapter has awarded $10,000 in scholarships to students over the last eight years.

Since the Connecticut Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame was holding its induction banquet this year, Angers and McDonald were invited to the banquet to receive their scholarship awards.

Published June 6, 2019 by the Connecticut Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame