NORTHFIELD, Vt. - Three members of the Norwich University football team earned recognition for their excellence on the field and in the classroom, as
Maddox Reed (Spring Hill, Tenn.),
Shayne Leddy (Spring Lake, N.J.), and
Lucas Reasons (Chatham, N.J.) were named to the College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District Team, as announced by the CSC (formerly CoSIDA) on Tuesday afternoon.
Reed, a junior defensive lineman, racked up a total of 27 total tackles this past season for the Cadets, including 17 solo and 10 assists. He tallied two fumble recoveries while also finishing the year with two QB hurries. The Tennessee native led all Cadet defenders in sacks with five, for a loss of 19 yards, while also recording six tackles for loss of 20 yards. A criminal justice major, Reed maintained a 3.92 cumulative GPA at the time of nomination.
The leader on the team in tackles with 93, Leddy, a linebacker, posted 61 solo tackles and 32 assists, all the while picking off one pass this year. He forced two fumbles and recovered one, posted one quarterback hurry, three broken up passes, and 13.5 tackles for loss of 32 yards. His 61 solo tackles led the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC), while recording the most solo tackles in a season by any Cadet since 2008 and the fourth highest number of career total tackles during that span. Last December, Leddy was named the Charlotte Touchdown Club's Defender of the Nation, becoming the first Div. III football player ever to receive the prestigious award. Like Reed, Leddy also studies criminal justice, and carried a 3.71 cumulative GPA as of December.
Reasons was a crucial part of Norwich's offensive line throughout his career, and has distinguished himself at Norwich outside of athletics, including receiving the Reserve Organization of America Medal (ROA) at last season's Joint Service Awards. The honor is bestowed to a cadet in the freshman, sophomore, and junior levels who demonstrate outstanding qualities of leadership, moral character, and a high aptitude for military service. At the time of nomination, Reasons maintained a 3.77 cumulative GPA, while studying accounting at Norwich.
In order to be eligible for CSC Academic All-District distinction, a football player must be a sophomore athletically or higher, hold a 3.50 cumulative grade point average (GPA) or higher, and must have competed in 90 percent of the institution's games or must have started in at least 66 percent of games.
The trio become first-time recipients of CSC Academic All-District laurels, and become the fifth, sixth, and seventh honorees in program history to be tapped to the CSC Academic All-District Team. The Norwich football program is no stranger to receiving recognition from the national organization, as
Gary Fry (1970),
Drew Banuskevich (2012), and
Derek Lotito (2016) were all named CoSIDA Academic All-Americans throughout their playing careers.
Leddy was denoted as a CSC Academic All-America finalist, and will now advance to the national ballot to be voted on by CSC members. Voting for the Academic All-America Football teams began on Jan. 7, and will close on Tuesday, Jan. 14. The Academic All-America Team will subsequently be released at noon ET on Tuesday, Jan. 28.
The 2024 Academic All-District® Football teams, selected by College Sports Communicators, recognize 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 football honorees in four divisions — NCAA Division I, NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III and NAIA.
