TOWSON, Md. – For the first time in school history the Gallaudet University athletics department has its first College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Academic All-America first-team honoree. Senior defensive lineman Adham Talaat (Springfield, Va.) was named to the 2013 Capital One Academic All-America Division III football first team on Tuesday.
Talaat, a physical education major with a 3.90 grade point average, will graduate from Gallaudet this December. Talaat is the first player in Gallaudet history to be named to an Academic All-America first team, first to earn multiple Academic All-America honors and first to earn consecutive Academic All-America honors. He was named to the 2012 Capital One Academic All-America Division III football second team last season.
Talaat is also Gallaudet's first finalist for the Gagliardi Trophy, given to the most outstanding football player in NCAA Division III. He is only one of two Gagliardi finalists to be named to the Academic All-America first team, one of three finalists to be named to the first or second teams. Talaat is the only player in the Eastern Collegiate Football Conference (ECFC) to earn Academic All-America honors this year.
Talaat was a leader on the Gallaudet squad that finished 9-2 on the season, winning the school's first ECFC title and earning a berth in the NCAA Division III national playoffs for the first time in school history. The NCAA tournament appearance was the first for any Gallaudet men's team sport. The co-captain recorded 46 tackles, including 9.5 tackles for a loss of 50 yards, five sacks for a loss of 42 yards, six quarterback hurries, three pass breakups and one forced fumble this season.
Talaat has been recognized numerous times this season as he was selected to the all-conference first team defense and earned his second consecutive CoSIDA Football Academic All-District first-team honors (District 2).
To be eligible for CoSIDA Academic honors, a student-athlete must be a varsity starter or key reserve, maintain a cumulative grade point average of 3.30 on a scale of 4.00, have reached sophomore athletic and academic standings at his/her current institution and be nominated by his/her sports information director (SID).
Read the rest of the release here
http://www.gallaudetathletics.com/sports/fball/2013-14/releases/talaatacademicaa
