2015 NFF Hampshire Honor Society Inductees

Seven football student-athletes from the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) have been recognized for their academic achievements as new member of the National Football Foundation's Hampshire Honor Society. 

Bridgewater State's Mathieu Araujo and Matthew Lockwood, Massachusetts Maritime's Victor Andrade and Zach Ryan and Plymouth State's Rob Giles, Jake Harris and Kyle Wilson are the newest inductees to the honor society which is comprised of college football players from all divisions of play who each maintained a cumulative 3.2 GPA or better throughout their college career.

A total of 825 players from 280 schools qualified for membership in the society's ninth year, setting a new record for the number of schools represented in the history of the program, which began in 2007. 

A Physical Education major with a concentration in Exercise Science, the Bears Araujo is currently sporting a cumulative 3.74 grade point average. Lockwood has maintained a 3.34 GPA while majoring in Physical Education with a Teacher Certification concentration.

Araujo, who spent time at both cornerback and free safety, appeared in 26 games for the Bears over his last three seasons. The East Freetown, Massachusetts native recorded 31 tackles, including 24 solo stops, to go along with an interception and a pair of pass breakups.

A four-year letter-winner for the Bears, Lockwood appeared in 38 games as a fullback. The Seekonk, Massachusetts product rushed for 89 career yards on 16 carries and caught five passes for 61 yards. He also returned seven kickoffs for 68 yards as he totaled 218 all purpose yards.

Andrade, a native of Yarmouth Port, Mass. and a graduate of Dennis-Yarmouth High School, has posted a 3.226 cumulative GPA as an International Maritime Business major at the Academy.  He earned first team all-Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference honors at outside linebacker, as he led the Buccaneers with 85 total tackles (64 solo), including a team-leading 16 for losses of 49 yards in 2014.  

Ryan, a native of Danvers, Mass. and a graduate of Danvers High School, has also shined in the classroom at Massachusetts Maritime, posting a 3.237 cumulative GPA while majoring in Facilities Engineering.  Ryan served as one of the Buccaneers' co-captains last fall and amassed 30 total tackles (23 solo) from his defensive line position, including five sacks for losses of 25 yards, as he earned all-New England Football Conference Bogan Division honors as a sophomore and finished with 120 career stops.

Giles is a Criminal Justice major and was a two-year starter for PSU, earning First Team All-Conference honors in 2013; Harris is a Business Management major and a four-year veteran who started 17 of his 30 career games on the O-line; and Wilson, a Criminal Justice major, is a four-year veteran and two-year starter who earned Second Team All-Conference honors in 2014.

The National Football Foundation's Hampshire Honor Society capitalizes on the NFF's current National Scholar-Athlete program greatly expanding the number of scholar-athletes the NFF can recognize each year.  The program further strengthens the organization's leadership role in encouraging academic performance by the student-athletes who play football at the 722 college and universities with football programs nationwide. The initiative has honored 5,744 student-athletes since its inception, and the program has experienced growth every year in either members or school participation since its launch in 2007.

Jon F. Hanson, the chairman and founder of The Hampshire Companies, provided the endowment to launch the NFF Hampshire Honor Society in 2007. He made the contribution as part of his legacy to the organization after serving as NFF chairman from 1994-2006. He currently serves the organization as a chairman emeritus. Each player awarded with membership in this year's Honor Society will receive a certificate commemorating their achievement.

"We have honored nearly 6,000 student-athletes in the last nine years thanks to Jon Hanson's generosity," said National Football Foundation Chairman Archie Manning, "We are grateful for his passionate belief in the scholar-athlete ideal, and the Hampshire Honor Society allows us to showcase the names of tomorrow's leaders while inspiring future generations to follow in their footsteps."

Portions of this release courtesy of the NFF, Bridgewater State, Massachusetts Maritime and Plymouth State Sports Information