Parts of this article courtesy of institutional Sports Information Departments
GREENWOOD, Ind. – Three Eastern Collegiate Football Conference (ECFC) student-athletes were named to the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Academic All-District for their work on the field and in the classroom.
Luis Rivera (New Britain, Conn.) of Husson University, John Hamme (Lebanon, Maine) of Castleton University and Jacob Shinnick (Pleasanton, Calif.) of SUNY Maritime were all recognized as honorees.
The CoSIDA Academic All-District Teams recognize the nation's top student-athletes for their excellence on the field and in the classroom. The District Teams are divided into eight geographic locations and further delineated by Division I, II & III.
Rivera is the first Husson football player to be recognized in program history. Rivera anchored Husson's offensive line as the Eagles led the ECFC with 2,732 rushing yards and scored a league-high 39 touchdowns on the ground. Husson also topped 1,500 passing yards (1,740) for the third straight season and led the conference with 41.3 points per game and 4,472 yards of total offense. Off the field, Rivera is a Business Management major who was named to the 2015 and 2016 ECFC All-Academic Team.
This is the sixth straight year that at least one Castleton football player has received Academic All-District recognition. Hamme was voted onto the all-district team as a special teams player, as he is the long snapper for Castleton on punts, extra point attempts, and field goal attempts. In addition, he served as a backup tight end during the season, primarily coming in as part of multiple tight end sets when the Spartans were looking for an extra blocker to execute a successful running play. A member of the 2016 ECFC All-Academic Team, Hamme is majoring in athletic training and health science. He has assisted the Castleton athletic training department as a student trainer during past winter and spring seasons.
2017 marks the seventh consecutive season that Maritime has had at least one selection to the Academic All-District team. Shinnick played in all 11 games as a senior and had nine receptions for 95 yards, including a season-high four grabs on the road at Mass. Maritime. For his career he played in 39 career games and had 12 receptions for 149 yards, while also rushing the ball for 52 yards on 20 career attempts. He currently boasts one of the highest GPAs amongst Maritime's student-athletes with a 3.54 grade point average as a Marine Transportation Major, while also progressing towards his U.S. Coast Guard Deck License. Shinnick has also received a pair of ECFC All-Academic honors, and looks to add his third in January.
All three honorees move on to the Academic All-America ballot, with the results scheduled to be announced on Wednesday, December 13. For a full list of recipients of the CoSIDA Academic All-District Award click here.