AUSTIN, Texas - On Wednesday, Olivet's Matthew Ellis (So., RB, Grand Rapids, Mich.), Trine's Mason McFarland (Sr., DL, Berrien Springs, Mich.) and Trine's Elijah Klepper (Sr., TE, Mendon, Mich.) garnered national honors for both athletic and academic success with their selection to the Google Cloud Academic All-America® teams for NCAA Division III football, as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).
McFarland was named a First-Team Academic All-American®, while Ellis and Klepper garnered Second Team honors.
McFarland boasts a 4.00 grade-point average towards a degree in finance. On the field, McFarland totalled 43 tackles, including 20 solo efforts, with four tackles for loss; McFarland aided the Thunder in posting an 11th-ranked passing defense (147.5 yards per game allowed).
Ellis saw action in all 10 games for Olivet, where he finished the season with 160 carries for 1,075 yards and 12 touchdowns, and caught 17 passes for 228 yards and two touchdowns. A Second-Team All-MIAA selection, Ellis is an exercise science major wth a 3.84 grade-point average.
Klepper, an exercise science major with a 3.89 grade-point average, caught 12 passes for 152 yards with four touchdown receptions. As part of the offensive line as a tight end, Klepper helped Trine rank fourth nationally in rushing yards per game (304.8).
The Division III Google Cloud Academic All-America® program is financially supported by the NCAA Division III national governance structure to assist CoSIDA with handling the awards fulfillment aspects for the 2018-19 Division III Academic All-America® teams. Student-athletes must have sophomore academic standing at their institutions and have a cumulative grade-point average at 3.30 or higher and been a First-Team Academic All-District® selection to move onto the national ballot.
MIAA Student-Athletes Honored by CoSIDA
Olivet: Matthew Ellis (2nd) - Olivet link
Trine: Mason McFarland (1st), Elijah Klepper (2nd) - Trine link
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