BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Holy Cross senior running back Peter Oliver was named the Patriot League Football Scholar-Athlete of the Year in addition to being selected to the 16-member academic All-Patriot League Team for the third time when the League announced honors on Wednesday.
The Patriot League Football Scholar-Athlete of the Year and Academic All-Patriot League Teams honors student-athletes who excel on and off the field. The awards are nominated and voted on by the Patriot League football sports information directors. To be eligible for the Scholar-Athlete of the Year Award and the Academic All-Patriot League Team, a student-athlete must have at least a 3.20 cumulative grade point average and be a starter or key player in his/her sport. Freshman or student-athletes in their first academic year at their school are not eligible for the honor.
2021 Patriot League Football Scholar-Athlete of the Year
Peter Oliver, Holy Cross, Sr., RB, Auburn, Mass./St. John’s
*Oliver is a two-time All-Patriot League selection, earning first-team honors this year after leading the League in rushing (72.6 yds/gm.) while averaging 5.4 yards per carry and scoring four touchdowns.
*He is a chemistry and Spanish double major carrying a 3.95 cumulative GPA.
*He is one of 14 three-time Academic All-Patriot League selections (’19, 20-21, 21) in League history.
*The Auburn, Mass. native is a three-time CoSIDA Academic All-District selection and a 2021 William V. Campbell Trophy semifinalist.
Five Join Elite Three-Time Academic All-League Club
Oliver is joined by Fordham senior linebacker Ryan Greenhagen (business administration, 3.834 GPA), senior offensive lineman Nick Zakelj (finance/media management, 3.656/3.390 GPA), Georgetown graduate student defensive back Ahmad Wilson (finance, operation & information management, 3.61/3.88 GPA) and Lafayette fifth-year linebacker Major Jordan (engineering, 3.63 GPA) in the exclusive 14-member group of Patriot League football student-athletes to earn the honor three times. Bucknell’s Rick Mottram and Alex Pechin, Fordham’s Josh Cerra and Dan Light, Holy Cross’s Sam Jones, John Macomber and Jake Wieczorek, Lafayette’s Mark Ross and Lehigh’s Pete Haffner have all been named to the Academic All-Patriot League squad three times.
Two More Multi-Time Academic All-Patriot League Honorees Selected
In addition to the five student-athletes who garnered Academic All-Patriot League honors for the third time, two more made their second academic squad. Colgate senior defensive back/return specialist Will Gruber (psychology, 3.64 GPA) and Lehigh senior wide receiver Austin Dambach (finance, 3.95 GPA) made the academic All-League team for the second-consecutive season.
Eight First-Team, Two Second-Team All-Patriot League Honorees Make Academic Team
Eight First Team All-Patriot League honorees were named to the Academic All-Patriot League Team, including Holy Cross junior linebacker Jacob Dobbs (economics, 3.68 GPA), the League’s defensive player of the year. Oliver, who led the League in rushing yards, was also a first-team honoree, along with Gruber, who earned first-team honors as a defensive back and a return specialist. Fordham’s Zakelj and Georgetown’s Wilson were first-teamers, as both are four-time All-League selections and three-time academic All-League honorees. Holy Cross senior linebacker Liam Anderson (economics, 3.33 GPA) and Lafayette junior linebacker Marco Olivas (integrative engineering, 3.66 GPA) made the 2021 All-Patriot League First Team in addition to earning a spot on the academic team.
Lafayette’s Jordan and senior offensive lineman Gavin Barclay (biology, 3.48 GPA) make the academic All-League squad after being named to the All-Patriot League Second Team.
Nine Make Academic All-Patriot League Team for the First Time
Bucknell placed a pair of first-time academic honorees on the squad with junior safety Brent Jackson (finance, 3.73 GPA) and senior wide receiver Dominic Lyles (international relations, 3.61 GPA). Fordham graduate student Deondre Carter (visual arts/media management, 3.393/4.00 GPA) and Lehigh senior running back RaShawn Allen (electrical engineering, 3.75 GPA) earned a spot on the academic team for the first time, along with Anderson, Barclay, Braasch, Dobbs and Olivas.
21 Patriot League Male and Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year
The Patriot League Scholar-Athlete of the Year for each sport comprises the pool of nominees for the Patriot League Male and Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year awards, given after the academic year. One male and one female are selected for this honor.
2021 Patriot League Football Scholar-Athlete of the Year – Peter Oliver, Holy Cross, Sr., RB
2021 Football Academic All-Patriot League Team*
Brent Jackson, Bucknell, Jr., S
Dominic Lyles, Bucknell, Sr., WR
Milton Braasch II, Colgate, Sr., LB
Will Gruber, Colgate, Sr., DB/RS
Deondre Carter, Fordham, Gr., DL
Ryan Greenhagen, Fordham, Sr., LB
Nick Zakelj, Fordham, Sr., OL
Ahmad Wilson, Georgetown, Gr., DB
Liam Anderson, Holy Cross, Sr., LB
Peter Oliver, Holy Cross, Sr., RB
Jacob Dobbs, Holy Cross, Jr., LB
Gavin Barclay, Lafayette, Sr., OL
Marco Olivas, Lafayette, Jr., LB
Major Jordan, Lafayette, 5th, LB
RaShawn Allen, Lehigh, Sr., RB
Austin Dambach, Lehigh, Sr., WR
*Additional members selected to the team due to ties in the voting
ABOUT THE PATRIOT LEAGUE
The Patriot League is in its fourth decade of academic and athletic achievement, continually demonstrating that student-athlete can excel at both academics and athletics without sacrificing high standards. The Patriot League’s athletic success is achieved while its member institutions remain committed to its founding principle of admitting and graduating student-athletes that are academically representative of their class. Participation in athletics at Patriot League institutions is viewed as an important component of a well-rounded education.