Story Links Springfield, Mass. – January 9, 2025 – Eight student-athletes from the Springfield College Football program were recently named to the 2024 College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District Team for their efforts on the field and in the classroom this year. Barcello, a Physical Therapy major with a cumulative grade point average of 3.78, […]
Springfield, Mass. – January 9, 2025 – Eight student-athletes from the Springfield College Football program were recently named to the 2024 College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District Team for their efforts on the field and in the classroom this year.
Barcello, a Physical Therapy major with a cumulative grade point average of 3.78, aided the Springfield offensive attack with 7 catches for 187 yards and 2 touchdowns. The junior also returned 5 kicks for 239 yards, highlighted by a 98 yard return against Cortland on Dec. 7 in the NCAA Championship Tournament Third Round. Barcello was also named to the NEWMAC Academic All-Conference Team.
In order to be eligible, a student-athlete must have a grade point average of 3.50 or higher, compete in 90-percent of the team’s games played OR start in at least 66-percent of the team’s games over the course of the season.
This year’s Springfield College football recipients included Grady Roadman (Shrewsbury, Mass.), Joseph Cannizarro (Lincoln Park, N.J.), Bradley Barcello (Weston, Conn.), Will McKay (Tewksbury, Mass.), Joe Maurer (Wilbraham, Mass.), Billy Carr (Southington, Conn.), Craig Connell (Goshen, N.Y.) and Arsen Shtefan (West Hartford, Conn.).
Cannizarro, a Business Administration graduate student with a cumulative grade point average of 3.82, played a vital role for the Springfield offense carrying the ball 136 times for 761 yards on the ground, and scoring seven touchdowns this year. The graduate student finishes his career with 2,100 total rushing yards with a career average of 5.7 yards per carry. Cannizarro was also named to the NEWMAC Academic All-Conference team.
The 2024 Academic All-District® Football Team, selected by College Sports Communicators, recognizes the nation’s top student-athletes for their combined performances on the field and in the classroom. The CSC Academic All-America® program separately recognizes honorees in four divisions — NCAA Division I, NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III and NAIA.
Roadman, an Education/History major with a cumulative grade point average of 3.98, and Connell, a Physical Therapy major who currently owns a 3.64 GPA, played key roles on the offensive line helping Springfield rush for 427.5 rushing yards per game. The duo also helped the Springfield offense total 5,557 rushing yards, the most in the history of Division III and a new program record, while the Pride’s 583 points scored and 808 rushing attempts were the most ever in the 134-year history of the program. The Pride also ranked second nationally in Division III in third down conversions, succeeding at a 51.9% clip. Roadman was also named to the 2024 D3football.com All-Region I First Team and NEWMAC All-Conference Second Team. Connell was also named to the D3football.com All-America Third Team, D3football.com All-Region I First Team, New England Football Writers Association All-New England team and to the NEWMAC All-Conference First Team.
Shtefan, a Business Administration graduate student with a cumulative grade point average of 3.64, powered the Springfield offense and led all of Division III with 1,716 yards on the ground. Shtefan also ranked third in the nation in rushing touchdowns with 21 and fifth in the country with 132 rushing yards per game. The fullback was named to the Associated Press Division III All-America First Team, D3football.com All-America Second Team, D3footbal.com All-Region I First Team, Gridiron Club of Greater Boston New England Co-Offensive Player of the Year, New England Football Writers Association College Division 2024 Season Gold Helmet Award and NEWMAC Offensive Athlete of the Year as well as the NEWMAC All-Conference First Team.
Maurer, a Sports Management major with a current grade point average of 3.65, returned 13 kickoffs for 376 yards and a touchdown which was highlighted by a 95-yard return for a touchdown against Western New England on Sept. 6 in the season opener. Maurer has averaged 28.92 yards per kickoff return and 15.55 yards per punt return on the season. Defensively, Maurer has also led Springfield with four interceptions – three of which came against Salve Regina on Oct. 26 and one against UMass Dartmouth on Nov. 30 – in addition to 40 total tackles this year. Maurer was also recognized as the NEWMAC Special Teams Athlete of the Year, placed on the 2024 D3football.com All-Region I Third Team and NEWMAC All-Conference First Team.
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Carr, a Health Science major with a cumulative grade point average of 3.64, played a pivotal role leading Springfield’s defensive unit. The senior linebacker’s play led to recognition on the D3football.com All-America fourth team, D3football.com All-Region I First Team, New England Football Writers Association All-New England team, NEWMAC All-Conference First Team and being named NEWMAC Defensive Athlete of the Year. Carr has registered 79 total tackles (46 solo, 33 assist), 9.5 tackles for a loss and 2.5 sacks. The senior linebacker also forced a fumble, recovered a fumble and broke up a pair of passes. McKay, an Exercise Science major who currently owns a 3.68 GPA, aided the Springfield defense with 55 total tackles, 8.5 of them for a loss. The linebacker added five sacks, increasing his career total to 11.5 in this category. McKay was also named to the NEWMAC All-Conference First Team and NEWMAC Academic All-Conference Team.
