INDIANAPOLIS – Maryville wrestling redshirt-senior Cole Ritter earned the 2026 Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) Richard F. Scharf Paragon Award co-male athlete of the year, the Conference office announced Tuesday.

The awards are bestowed annually by the GLVC to one male and one female student-athlete who display academic excellence, athletic ability and achievement, character, and leadership. This year, for the fourth time in league history, there was a tie in voting for the men's award. The accolade is named in honor of the former GLVC Commissioner, as well as coach and director of athletics at Saint Joseph's College.

Ritter finished in a tie with Indianapolis Ryne Buttz, marking the fourth time in GLVC history there has been a tie for the award.

The honor for Ritter marks the second male student-athlete from Maryville to garner the GLVC's premier accolade, joining fellow wrestler Nate Rodriguez who won in 2016-17.

A four-year starter for the Maryville men's wrestling team, Ritter claimed the Division II 174-lb national title in 2025 and earned All-America honors thrice. He secured All-GLVC honors four times while helping the Saints to a GLVC title in 2024 and ninth-place finish at DII Nationals in 2025. The Adrian, Missouri product completed his career with a 108-44 record, highlighted by his 35-7 campaign in 2025 that included 21 victories with bonus points. Ritter also served as team captain for two years.
 
While pursuing his bachelor's and master's degree in business administration, Ritter was named to the Academic All-GLVC and National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) Academic All-America teams four times (2023-26). He carried a 3.867 GPA into his final semester in the MBA program. Outside the classroom, Ritter has volunteered multiple times at the Jackie Joyner-Kersee Foundation, along with attending the Athletic Prevention Programming and Leadership Education (APPLE) conference – the premier national conference designed to prevent substance misuse and promote health within college athletics.

Maryville faculty athletics representative Michael Kiener said, "Mr. Ritter is a person who leads by example and is a perfect representation of an NCAA Division II student-athlete. He is well-liked by his peers and has tremendous dedication to his academics and his sport."