Norwich University

Senior Derek Lotito (Swanzey, N.H.) of the Norwich University football team was selected to the 2016 CoSIDA Academic All-America Division III Football Team, the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) announced Tuesday afternoon. 

Lotito, who earned CoSIDA Academic All-District merits earlier this month, becomes only the third student-athlete in the history of the Norwich football team to earn the nation's highest academic honor for student-athletes that compete in collegiate sport. 

One of only 19 members of the 49-member list to earn a 3.90 grade-point average or better, Lotito has posted a 3.99 cumulative grade-point average to date as he pursues a degree in Biochemistry with a minor in Biology. A nominee for the Allstate/AFCA Good Works Team earlier in the year, he is a two-time Eastern Collegiate Football Conference All-Academic Team selection. 

Off the field, Lotito serves as a Second Lieutenant in the Norwich Corps of Cadets while volunteering his time with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and the Special Olympics. Academically, Lotito was a finalist for the Rhodes Scholarship and, most recently, conducted a six-week fellowship where he developed mathematical models based upon biochemical data. 

On the football field, Lotito finished a four-year career with exactly 100 tackles, posting 65 solo tackles while assisting on 35 others. He has also posted 13 total tackles for a loss of 45 yards while recovering one fumble, hauling in one interception and breaking up six passes across 35 career contests. 

Lotito is the University's first Academic All-America selection since Braeden Ostepchuk '18 of the men's ice hockey program and is the football team's first representative since Andrew Banuskevich '14 in 2012.