Ripley, Sjoquist Named First-Team CoSIDA Academic All-District

From Sports Information Director, November 4, 2010 | Football
by Dan Lukes, dan.lukes@snc.edu, (920) 403-4077

DE PERE - St. Norbert College senior defensive lineman Kyle Ripley and junior defensive back Dan Sjoquist have been named to the first team of the 2010 College Division Academic All-District V football team as sponsored by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) and ESPN.

Ripley, a senior from Pulaski and a Pulaski High School graduate, holds a 3.79 grade point average with a major in business administration. Ripley has 31 tackles this year including 5.5 tackles-for-loss, two quarterback sacks and one fumble recovered for a touchdown. Ripley, a three-team Academic All-Midwest Conference selection, was an honorable mention All-MWC choice on the defensive line in 2009.

Sjoquist, a junior from Kingsford, Mich., and a Kingsford High School graduate, owns a 3.88 grade point average while majoring in biology. Sjoquist, a two-time Academic All-Midwest Conference honoree, is fourth on the team in tackles with 44, including 3.5 for a loss, and has three interceptions. Sjoquist has blocked two kicks and leads the team in kickoff return average at 22.8 yards per return.

St. Norbert enters Saturday's game with Lake Forest College with a 6-3 record and a 6-2 mark to reside in first place in the Midwest Conference.

As first-team All-District selections, both Ripley and Sjoquist advance to the ballot for Academic All-America consideration. District V's College Division encompasses Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana and Minnesota schools belonging to NCAA Division II, III or NAIA affiliations.

To be eligible for national or regional selection, a student-athlete must be a varsity starter or key reserve, maintain a cumulative grade point average of 3.30 on a scale of 4.0, have reached sophomore athletic and academic standing at his current institution and be nominated by his sports information director. The Academic All-America team, which will be announced later in November, is selected after All-District teams are picked from eight geographic regions nationally.