Twelve Tiger Football Players Named to SCIAC All-Academic Team
LOS ANGELES, Calif. (March 19, 2009) – Occidental College finished the 2008 season ranked No. 15 in the Nation and along with the athletic success that the Tigers enjoyed, 12 players also earned recognition for their performance in the classroom.
The Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference announced the 2008 Football All-Academic Team today. Among the 87 student-athletes from the seven SCIAC institutions sponsoring football, 12 don the black and orange from Occidental College.
Of the 12 Tigers two earned All-Academic honors for the fourth time, a pair are now three-time recipients, three are two-time honorees and five received his first recognition.
Tom Gonzalez, an offensive lineman, and J.D. Ciasulli, a defensive back, have each been recognized in each of his four seasons on the football team.
Gonzalez was named to the First Team All-SCIAC while fellow lineman Brett Henderson earned his third consecutive SCIAC All-Academic recognition after being named as an Honorable Mention. Another three-time SCIAC All-Academic was junior linebacker Patrick Sarkissian.
The 2008 SCIAC Player of the Year, Justin Goltz, was named to the All-Academic team for the second consecutive season.
Junior defensive lineman Alex Wertheimer earned All-Academic accolades for the second time after being named to the First Team All-SCIAC. defensive back Trace Wallace (JR) also earned his second All-Academic recognition.
Also representing the sophomore class were Brandon Ortega (Tight End), Zachary Perkins (Linebacker) and Nick Saraceni (Defensive Back), and who was named SCIAC Honorable Mention. Christopher Jackson, a junior offensive lineman, also landed on the All-Academic team for the first time as did freshman defensive back Nate Sullivan.
Occidental finished the season with a 9-1 record, going undefeated during the regular season, with a 6-0 SCIAC mark. The Tigers claimed their fourth conference title in five years.
To be eligible for recognition on the All-Academic team, a student-athlete must have an overall GPA of 3.2 or better and have played a significant role on the team.
