NEW ORLEANS – Scott Gibbons, a senior wrestler from Rummel High School, has been selected as the Greater New Orleans Amateur Athlete of the Month for February. Gibbons was selected from a very competitive group in balloting by the Greater New Orleans Sports Selection Committee, sponsored by the Allstate Sugar Bowl.

Gibbons captured his third individual state title at the Louisiana High School Wrestling Championships at the Ponchartrain Center on Feb. 12. Wrestling up from his regular weight class of 182 pounds in an effort to help his team in its attempt to defend their state title, Gibbons defeated defending state champion Gerard Breaud of Brother Martin, 8-3, in the title match at 195 pounds.

The Raider star, who finished the season 40-0 in the state of Louisiana, established himself as one of the most accomplished wrestlers in state history by capturing the Greco-Roman National Championship in Fargo, N.D., the first Louisiana wrestler to win a national title. He also finished third in the National Freestyle competition this past season.

Gibbons, who did not lose a match in the state of Louisiana in his career, has a 4.6 GPA and a 31 ACT score and has been offered a full scholarship to Princeton University.

In addition to Gibbons, there were multiple strong candidates for the February honor. Louisiana Tech track star Chelsea Hayes (from Abramson High School) was the Western Athletic Conference Field Athlete of the Year after winning three events at the WAC Indoor Track & Field Championships; Jesuit soccer star Charles Mansour netted two goals in the final five minutes of regulation to lift the Blue Jays to a 3-2 comeback victory over St. Paul's in the Division I State Soccer Championship; Whitney Gathright led the John Curtis girls' basketball team to the Class 2A Louisiana State title; and January Athlete of the Month honoree Keiva Council from Loyola University continued to roll, averaging 22.9 points per game for the Wolfpack.

The Greater New Orleans Sports Selection Committee has been selecting an Amateur Athlete of the Month each month since 1958. The athlete must be a native of the greater New Orleans area or must compete for a team in the metropolitan region in order to be eligible. Each of the monthly award winners will be honored in the summer at the Greater New Orleans Sports Hall of Fame Induction and Awards Ceremony, hosted by the Allstate Sugar Bowl.