Academic Honors
26 Big Ten student-athletes were named to the Academic All-District teams presented by ESPN The Magazine, including 18 first-team selections: Illinois' Jon Asamoah, Indiana's Brandon Bugg, Trea Burgess and Ben Chappell, Michigan's Zoltan Mesko, Michigan State's Blair White, Minnesota's Eric Decker and Jeff Tow-Arnett, Northwestern's Doug Bartels, Stefan Demos and Zeke Markshausen, Penn State's Jeremy Boone, Josh Hull, Andrew Pitz and Stefen Wisniewski, Purdue's Joe Holland and Ryan Kerrigan and Wisconsin's Brad Nortman. The Nittany Lions were one of only six schools nationwide with four or more first-team selections. Second-team picks included the Hawkeyes' Julian Vandervelde, the Wolverines' Jon Conover, the Spartans' Adam Decker and Andrew Hawken and the Buckeyes' Bryant Browning, Todd Denlinger, Andrew Moses and Marcus Williams. To be eligible for the award, a player must be in at least his second year of athletic eligibility, be a first-team or key performer and carry a cumulative 3.30 grade point average. First-team selections will be added to the national ballot and are eligible for Academic All-America honors to be announced on November 24. Penn State's Hull and Pitz are looking to earn Academic All-America accolades for the second straight year.
For the fifth consecutive season the Big Ten had more (8) student-athletes named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America first or second teams in football than any other conference whether they be a member of the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) or the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS). The Big Ten also had six of the fifteen first-team selections, which led the nation. FCS' Missouri Valley Conference was second with five first or second team selections and the FBS' Big 12 Conference had four honorees. Only the Big 12 and Southeastern Conference had two first team selections. The Academic All-America first-team honorees from the Big Ten include Zoltan Mesko, Blair White, Zeke Markshausen, Josh Hull, Andrew Pitz and Stefen Wisniewski. Second-team honors went to Northwestern's Stefan Demos and Purdue's Ryan Kerrigan. Hull and Pitz were repeat first-team selections. The Big Ten conference also recognized 193 football players as fall term 2009-10 Academic All-Conference honorees, including Purdue's Joe Holland who has maintained a 4.0 Grade Point Average. The student-athletes honorees were letterwinners in at least their second academic year at their institution and who carry a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or higher.
Read more about this topic: 2009 Big Ten Conference Football Season
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