Football Academic All-America

UMass Dartmouth defensive back Jacob Burkhead and Western Connecticut State University offensive lineman Andrew Schimanski earned Academic All-America® honors from the College Sports Information Directors of America on Wednesday afternoon. This is the second straight year Burkhead was recognized and the first for Schimanski.

A native of Plymouth, Mass. and a graduate of Plymouth North High School, Burkhead has achieved a perfect 4.00 cumulative grade point average as a Political Science major at the University.  Jacob became the first male Academic All-America® honoree in school history in 2018 and joins former women's cross country and track & field standout Deanna Bealby '08 as the only two Corsairs to be recognized as Academic All-Americans.

A two-time first-team all-Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference selection, Burkhead earned that distinction once again this fall after recording 61 total tackles (40 solo) that included 6 ½ tackles for loss along with six pass breakups.  The 2017 MASCAC Defensive Rookie of the Year and a team tri-captain this season, Jacob was one of 59 Division III student-athletes nominated for last year's Cliff Harris Award as the nation's top small college defensive player, as he has registered 191 career tackles (133 solo) along with four interceptions and 15 pass breakups in 30 games played.

A four-time Chancellor's List honoree, Burkhead has also been tabbed to the MASCAC Fall All-Academic team for his performance in the classroom, and he is an active member of the University community who serves on the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.  Jacob helped lead Head Coach Mark Robichaud's squad to its highest single-season win total in 15 years with an overall mark of 7-3 in 2019, including a 5-3 slate in MASCAC play.

Schimanski, a Political Science major is the only student-athlete in District 2 of NCAA Division III to have a perfect 4.0 grade-point average.

During the Spring of 2019, Schimanski spent a semester studying abroad in Germany, with a concentration in advanced topics in Political Science and Sociology.

Schimanski primarily lines up as the right tackles for WestConn.  The WestConn offense averaged 30.5 points and 393.9 total offensive yards through 11 games.  The Colonials were among the league's best with 268.4 passing and 125.5 rushing yards per contest this season.

The Colonials finished the 2019 season with an 8-3 overall record and were 6-2 in the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference.  They made their first-ever appearance in the New England Cup Series this past fall.

The Division III 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 2019-20 Division III Academic All-America® teams.

Release courtesy of UMass Dartmouth and Western Connecticut State University Sports Information