BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Fordham graduate student linebacker Ryan Greenhagen was named the Patriot League Football Scholar-Athlete of the Year and was selected to the 15-member Academic All-Patriot League Team for the fourth time when honors were announced on Wednesday.
Greenhagen (business analytics, 3.96 GPA) and Holy Cross senior running back Peter Oliver (chemistry/Spanish, 3.95 GPA), last year’s football scholar-athlete of the year, became the first two Patriot League football student-athletes to receive Academic All-Patriot League honors for the fourth time. Greenhagen and Oliver are also finalists for the William V. Campbell Trophy, presented annually to college football’s premier scholar-athlete.
Bucknell, Colgate and Holy Cross received three All-Academic team honorees apiece, while Fordham and Georgetown each placed two student-athletes on the team. Lafayette and Lehigh had one honoree apiece.
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 Patriot League football sports information directors nominated and voted on the awards. 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 their sport. Freshmen or student-athletes in their first academic year at their school are not eligible for the honor.
2022 Patriot League Football Scholar-Athlete of the Year
Ryan Greenhagen, Fordham, Gr., LB, Sparta, N.J./Pope John XXIII
*Greenhagen is a four-time All-Patriot League selection, earning first-team recognition this season after finishing third in the League in tackles per game (9.4) and one of three players to eclipse 100 tackles this season.
*He is pursuing his master’s degree in business analytics with a cumulative GPA of 3.96. He graduated from Fordham last May with his bachelor’s degree in business administration with a cumulative GPA of 3.85.
*The Sparta, N.J. became Fordham’s career leader in tackles (414) and is currently fourth in Patriot League history, 12 shy of breaking the League’s career record.
*The two-time CoSIDA All-American is a finalist for the 2022 William V. Campbell Trophy, annually awarded to college football’s premier student-athlete.
Three Receive Academic Honors for the Second Time
Bucknell senior safety Brent Jackson (finance, 3.76 GPA), Holy Cross fifth-year linebacker Liam Anderson (economics, 3.40 GPA) and Lafayette senior linebacker Marco Olivas (integrative engineering, 3.68 GPA) all made the Academic All-Patriot League Team for the second time.
Five First-Team, Six Second-Team All-Patriot League Honorees Make Academic Team
Anderson, Greenhagen, Olivas and Oliver are joined by Fordham sophomore linebacker James Conway (undeclared, 3.55 GPA) as First Team All-Patriot League honorees to make the academic All-League squad. Jackson highlights a list of six second-team selections to earn academic recognition. Bucknell junior offensive lineman Ethan Pitzel (finance, 4.0 GPA), Colgate senior linebacker Tyler Flick (political science, 3.44 GPA), Georgetown graduate student linebacker Justin Fonteneaux (project management, 3.4 GPA), Georgetown graduate student offensive lineman Mac Hollensteiner (management, 3.52) and Holy Cross sophomore running back Jordan Fuller (economics, 3.63 GPA) received academic honors after making the All-League second-team.
Ten Make Academic Squad for the First Time
Ten Patriot League football student-athletes were recognized on the Academic All-League team for the first time. Conway, Flick, Fonteneaux, Fuller, Hollensteiner and Pitzel were all first-time honorees. Bucknell junior running back Coleman Bennett (sociology, 3.72 GPA), Colgate senior defensive lineman Zach Pelland (neuroscience, 3.97 GPA), senior defensive back Jackson Price (sociology and educational studies, 3.73 GPA) and Lehigh senior wide receiver Jalen Burbage (architecture, 3.39 GPA) also made the academic team for the first time.
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.
2022 Patriot League Football Scholar-Athlete of the Year – Ryan Greenhagen, Fordham, Gr., LB
2022 Football Academic All-Patriot League Team*
Coleman Bennett, Bucknell, Jr., RB
Brent Jackson, Bucknell, Sr., S
Ethan Pitzel, Bucknell, Jr., OL
Tyler Flick, Colgate, Sr., LB
Zach Pelland, Colgate, Sr., DL
Jackson Price, Colgate, Sr., DB
James Conway, Fordham, So., LB
Ryan Greenhagen, Fordham, Gr., LB
Justin Fonteneaux, Georgetown, Gr., LB
Mac Hollensteiner, Georgetown, Gr., OL
Liam Anderson, Holy Cross, 5th, LB
Jordan Fuller, Holy Cross, So., RB
Peter Oliver, Holy Cross, Sr., RB
Marco Olivas, Lafayette, Sr., LB
Jalen Burbage, Lehigh, Sr., WR
*An additional member was selected to the Academic All-League 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.