Posted: Nov 15, 2018
ANGOLA, IND. -- Trine University football players, Elijah Klepper (Mendon, Mich./Mendon), Lucas Garza (Syracuse, Ind./Wawasee) and Mason McFarland (Berrien Springs, Mich./Berrien Springs) have been named to the Google Cloud Academic All-District Team as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).
[2018 Google Cloud Academic All-District Teams]
The 2018 Google Cloud Academic All-District® Football Team, selected by CoSIDA, recognizes the nation's top student-athletes for their combined performances on the field and in the classroom. The Google Cloud Academic All-America® program separately recognizes football honorees in four divisions — NCAA Division I, NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III and NAIA. To be eligible for nomination, student-athletes must maintain at least a 3.30 grade point average.
Klepper, who earned his second-straight first-team All-Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association recognition earlier this week, has caught 12 passes for 152 yards as a tight end and is tied for the team lead in touchdowns with four. He has been averaging 12.7 yards per catch with a season-best 40-yard effort on two catches against Olivet in which both of his receptions were for a touchdown. Klepper is part of an offense line that has helped lead Trine to being one of the top offenses in the country. In rushing alone, the Thunder rank in the top-five nationally with 322.0 yards per game on the ground. Trine has accumulated 400 yards or more of total offense in seven of the 10 games this season, including three games of 500 or more yards and a season-high 670 yards against Lakeland which was the third highest total in a single-game in program history.
Garza is currently second on the team in scoring with 62 total points having been successful on 59-of-62 extra point attempts to go along with one made field goal. During the season, he became the program's all-time leader in PAT kicks made (163) and attempts (176) in only his third season. He also connected on a string of 40-straight PATs against MIAA opponents, setting a conference record where he surpassed former Trine place kicker Jeremy Howard '10 who made 31 straight attempts in 2010. Garza currently sits in sixth place on the all-time scoring list with 193 points (163 PAT, 10 FG).
McFarland has tallied 39 tackles as a defensive lineman (17 solo and 22 assists) with three tackles for loss and 1.5 tackles for loss. So far this season, he has had four games of four or more tackles with a season-high seven tackles against Olivet. McFarland has been part of a defense that ranks third in the MIAA in passing yards allowed per game (189.3).
Klepper, Garza and McFarland are all now eligible for the Google Cloud Academic All-America® ballot which will be announced in early December.
The Thunder will make its fifth overall appearance in the NCAA Division III National Tournament and will host St. Norbert (Wis.) College on Saturday, Nov. 17 at Fred Zollner Athletic Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for noon.