University of Delaware Places Three on ESPN/CoSIDA District 2 All-Academic Football Team; Devlin, Mackey, Reed Honored
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November 4, 2010
Photos from top to bottom: QB Pat Devlin; WR Mark Mackey; TE Zack Reed (Photos by Mark Campbell)
NEWARK, Del. -- The nationally-ranked University of Delaware football team is not only getting the job done on the field this season, the Blue Hens are also excelling in the classroom as well.
Delaware placed a team-high three student-athletes on the ESPN/College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) District 2 All-Academic first team announced Thursday afternoon as a trio of seniors in quarterback Pat Devlin, wide receiver Mark Mackey, and tight end Zack Reed were honored. Mackey and Devlin were both honored for the second time in their careers.
The three UD scholar-athletes were among 24 players named to the team, which is comprised of NCAA Division I players at both the Football Championship Subdivision and Football Bowl Subdivision. Student-athletes must carry a 3.3 or better grade point index, be a starter or key reserve, and be a sophomore or older. District 2 includes all schools in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Washington, D.C., and West Virginia.
Devlin, Mackey, and Reed will now be placed on the national ballot and will be eligible for CoSIDA Academic All-American honors. The All-American team will be announced in December. This year marks the second straight season that the Hens have placed more than one player on the District 2 first team as last year Mackey and tight end Trevor Mooney were selected. A total of 16 players have been honored on the CoSIDA District team in nine seasons under head coach K.C. Keeler.
Delaware’s total of three selections was matched only by three each from Penn State and Robert Morris while Navy, Pennsylvania, and Bucknell each had two selections. In all, athletes from 15 schools were represented on the team.
The Blue Hens are currently 7-1 and tied for first place in the Colonial Athletic Association standings with a 4-1 mark and are ranked No. 4 in the American Football Coaches Association/FCS Top 25 poll and No. 5 in The Sports Network poll. Delaware will host Towson in a CAA clash Saturday at 3:30 p.m. at Delaware Stadium as part of Homecoming festivities. Tickets are still available at www.bluehens.com.
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Devlin, a co-captain from Downingtown, Pa. (Downingtown East HS), earned his degree in finance from Delaware last spring and is currently enrolled in the UD master’s degree program in finance. He finished his UD undergraduate career with a 3.46 grade point average. He also earned a spot on the CoSIDA District 2 team as a sophomore at Penn State in 2008 before his transfer to Delaware.
An All-American candidate and a finalist for the Walter Payton FCS National Player of the Year Awards and Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Quarterback of the Year Award, Devlin has appeared in seven games this season and completed 104 of 161 passes for 1,295 yards and five touchdowns with just one interception. He currently ranks No. 13 in the nation in passing efficiency with 143.22 rating and is 47th in passing yards per game at 185 yards per game. He has thrown for over 200 yards three times this season, including a 293-yard performance vs. No. 4 William & Mary and 283 yards vs. Maine.
A Dean’s list student and a member of the CAA Academic Honor Roll, Devlin is also a nominee for a National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame National Scholar-Athlete Postgraduate Scholarship and for the NCAA Top VIII Award.
Mackey, a native of Harrisburg, Pa. (Central Dauphin HS) who carries a 3.73 gpa as an economics education major with a minor in mathematics, was named to the team for the second straight year.
A fourth-year regular, Mackey has appeared in seven games with six starts this season and is part of one of the most balanced wide receiver units in the nation. He has caught five passes for 70 yards this year and for his career has hauled in 51 passes for 589 yards and two touchdowns.
He is a Dean's List student, a three-time member of the CAA Academic Honor Roll, a member of the FCS Athletic Directors Academic All-Star team, is an NCAA Post-Graduate Scholarship nominee, and participated in the NCAA Career in Sports Forum last spring. He also is the team representative for the UD Student-Athlete Advisory Council (SAAC), has served as a math, economics, and statistics tutor on campus, and is a recipient of the Rees Scholarship for academic achievement in math at UD.
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Reed, a native of Huntingdon, Pa. (Huntingdon HS), carries a 3.39 gpa as a fitness management major with a minor in strength & conditioning at Delaware and is a first-time award recipient.
A fourth-year regular on special teams, Reed also moved into the No. 2 spot at tight end this fall and has appeared in all eight games with two starts. He has been nearly flawless as a deep snapper on punts and placements for four seasons and has teamed with All-CAA punter Ed Wagner to extend the team’s streak of 252 straight punts without a block since 2005. On placements, Delaware kickers have converted 27 of their last 32 field goal attempts since 2008. Reed has never missed a game during his career and will play in his 47th straight contest this Saturday vs. Towson.
Reed is a Dean's List student and a three-time member of the CAA Academic Honor Roll.
AGATE:
ESPN/CoSIDA District 2 All-Academic 1st team:
Offense: QB - Pat Devlin (Delaware); WR - Mark Mackey (Delaware), Ryan Folsom (Monmouth), Joe Cangilla (Duquesne); RB - Angelo Babbaro (Villanova), Matt Zimmerman (Princeton); TE - Zack Reed (Delaware); OL - John Dowd (Navy), Stefen Wisniewski (Penn State), Eric Jobe (West Virginia), Christopher Buzas (St. Francis, Pa.), Jared Mollenbeck (Penn); K - Joe Buckley (Navy)
Defense: DL - Pete Massaro (Penn State), Yaky Ibia (Towson), Nolan Nearhoof (Robert Morris), Mike Lovely (Robert Morris); LB - Chris Colasanti (Penn State), Brad Banas (Robert Morris), Travis Nissley (Bucknell), Tim Bolte (Bucknell); DB - Brandon Ellis (Lafayette), Josh Powers (Penn); P - Travis Baltz (Maryland).
