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November 30, 2007

PSU Duo Garner ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America® Honors

gorilla logo    PITTSBURG -- Pittsburg State University senior free safety Nick Dellasega and junior tailback Caleb Farabi garnered ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America® honors today (Nov. 30) when the college division football squad was released.
    Dellasega and Farabi, both Pittsburg natives, each were named to the first-team squad. Dellasega has a 3.977 GPA in accounting, while Farabi has a 3.771 GPA in management. The duo become the 41st and 42nd Pitt State student-athletes to earn ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America® honors since the Spring 2000 semester. Their honors help Pitt State retake the lead among the NCAA Division II membership in Academic All-America® placement this decade, moving past MIAA rival Truman State University (41) by one honoree as the Fall 2007 semester winds down.
     Dellasega started all 11 games for the Gorillas, recording a team-leading 82 tackles (39 solo) with five pass breakups. He earned second-team All-MIAA honors. Dellasega also earned second-team Academic All-America honors as a junior in 2006.
    Farabi started all 11 games in the Pitt State backfield, rushing 247 times for 1,370 yards (124.5 ypg) and 20 touchdowns. He earned first-team All-MIAA honors for his efforts. Farabi earned second-team Academic All-District honors as a sophomore in 2006. This is his first placement on the Academic All-America® list.
    The duo’s honors raise the Pitt State football program’s total to 13 Academic All-Americans this decade. PSU leads Division II and trails only the University of Dayton (14) in Academic All-America® placement since January 2000.
    Pittsburg State has 87 all-time Academic All-America® honorees. The Gorilla football program has contributed 29 honorees, by far the highest total among the school’s 13 varsity intercollegiate athletic programs.
    Student-athletes must meet four criteria to earn Academic All-America® honors: 1) must have a cumulative GPA of 3.20 or better, 2) must have at least two terms of attendance at the institution, 3) must be at least a sophomore in athletic eligibility, 4) must be a starter or key reserve in their respective sport.
    This is the third year that ESPN The Magazine has served as title sponsor for the national Academic All-America® program, which is administered by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).