Hempstead, NY – Hofstra All-American wrestler Justin Accordino has been granted a sixth year of eligibility by the National Collegiate Athletic Association and will wrestle for the Pride in 2012-13, it was announced Friday.

A native of Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, Accordino placed sixth at 149 pounds to earn his first All-American honor at the 2012 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships in St. Louis last March. It was the second NCAA Championship appearance of his Hofstra career.

Accordino, who posted a career-best 26-14 record in 2011-12 including a 12-3 mark in duals and a 5-1 slate in the Colonial Athletic Association, placed second in the CAA last season after bouncing back from season-ending knee injuries the previous two seasons. He was granted medical hardship waivers for both the 2009-10 and 2010-11 seasons.

“We are happy that the NCAA has granted Justin a sixth year of eligibility,” Hofstra Head Wrestling Coach Rob Anspach said. “He has worked very hard to get back to the team after the two knee surgeries and that effort was repaid last March with his All-America honor. He was a key member of our 12-3 team last season and I believe he has better things ahead next season. We are extremely excited to be able to return both of our All-Americans (senior Steve Bonanno and Accordino) for the 2012-13 season.”

After red-shirting as a true freshman in 2007-08, Accordino tallied a 25-13 record, was ranked as high as 16th, and placed third at 141 pounds in the CAA to earn his first bid to the NCAA Championships in 2008-09. He was 2-2 and advanced to the fifth round of the wrestlebacks at the national championships in St. Louis.

In 2009-10, Accordino was 3-1 in the second competition of the year at the North Carolina State Open when he suffered a season-ending knee injury. He underwent surgery and returned for the 2010-11 season. Accordino posted a 9-6 mark before suffering a second knee injury at the Southern Scuffle. Last year, he opened the year 7-7 before winning 19 of the next 26 matches after the new year for a 26-14 record.

Accordino, who earned his bachelor’s degree in fine arts last month, will begin course work toward a master’s degree in September while completing his athletic eligibility.