  Delaware's Ben Cross, Chris Mooney Selected
to ESPN The Magazine/CoSIDA Academic All-American
Team
DATE: December 2, 2004
WALTHAM, MA -- University of
Delaware senior defensive linemen Ben Cross (above left) and
Chris Mooney (above right) have been selected to the 2004 ESPN
The Magazine Academic All-American Football team as selected
by the College Sports Information Directors of America
(CoSIDA).
A native of Hamilton, VA (Loudoun
Valley HS), Cross was named to the first team while Mooney, a
native of Huntington, NY (Huntington HS), was selected to the
second team. Cross earned Academic All-American honors for the
second straight year after being named to the second team in
2003.
Delaware joined Pittsburgh,
Northwestern, Nebraska, Penn State, Northern Colorado, Western
Illinois, and North Dakota State as the only schools to have
two or more players selected to the two teams. The team
includes all players at the NCAA I-A and I-AA levels. To be
eligible, student-athletes must carry a 3.2 or better grade
point index, have at least sophomore class standing, and be a
starter or key reserve.
Cross, a three-time member of the
CoSIDA District 2 All-Academic team, becomes just the third UD
football player to earn first team Academic All-American
honors, joining offensive tackle Yancy Phillips in 1970 and
defensive end Bob Depew in 1971 and 1972. Mooney, a three-time
member of the CoSIDA District 2 team, becomes the seventh
Delaware player to earn Academic All-American second team
honors.
Cross has appeared in all 12 games
this season with two starts and has registered 20 tackles this
season, including 15 solo stops. He has posted 5.5 tackles for
losses of 22 yards and has one sack and one fumble recovery.
He has played in 46 career games and posted eight tackles for
loss. A three-time member of the Atlantic 10 Academic Honor
Roll and the 2004 Atlantic 10 Scholar-Athlete of the Year,
Cross is a civil engineering major with a 3.947 grade point
index.
Mooney, who earned first team
All-Atlantic 10 honors this season after being named to the
second team in both 2002 and 2003, ranks among the top
defensive linemen in the country. He has started all 12 games
this season and ranks ninth on the team with 41 tackles,
including 25 solo stops. He is second on the team with 6.5
sacks and 11 tackles for loss this season and also has two
fumble recoveries and three pass breakups. He is the team's
active career leader in both categories with 16 sacks and 31.5
tackles for loss in 50 career games played. A three-time
member of the Atlantic 10 Academic Honor Roll, he carries a
3.509 gpa as an accounting major.
Cross and Mooney have led the Blue
Hens to a 9-3 record, a share of the Atlantic 10 Conference
title, and a berth in the NCAA I-AA playoffs for the second
straight year. After capturing the I-AA title in 2003, the
Blue Hens face William & Mary in the quarterfinals this
Saturday in Williamsburg, VA.
Utah junior quarterback Alex Smith
was named the Academic All-America of the Year. Mooney and
Cross were the only students from the Atlantic 10 Conference
named to either team.
AGATE:
CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine
Academic All-American 1st team: Offense - QB - Alex Smith
(Utah); WR - Kevin Knutson (Valparaiso), Lance Moore (Toledo);
TE - Billy Bajema (Oklahoma State); RB - Evan Harney (San
Diego), Nick Hartigan (Brown); OL - Stephen Bono (Lafayette),
Trenton Franz (Wyoming), Brandon Mason (Elon), Rudy Niswanger
(LSU), Matt Tarullo (Syracuse); K - Justin Langan (Western
Illinois)
Defense - DL - Luis
Castillo (Northwestern), Vince Crochunis (Pittsburgh), Ben
Cross (Delaware), Dan Stephens (Pittsburgh); LB - Jonathan
LeDonne (Robert Morris), Rob Robertson (Mississippi), Chad
Sievers (Nebraska); DB - Jeff Backes (Northwestern), Andrew
Guman (Penn State), Jim Leonhard (Wisconsin), Morgan Scalley
(Utah); P - Cody Ridgeway (Mississippi).
CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine
Academic All-American 2nd team: Offense - QB - Tony Stauss
(North Dakota State); WR - Vincent Jackson (Northern
Colorado), Jason Wood (Arkansas State); TE - Jay Cline
(Liberty); RB - Nick Chournos (Weber State), Steve Verhoff
(Dayton); OL - John Bechdol (Harvard), Jeff Berk (West
Virginia), Perry Cox (Western Illinois), Greg Eslinger
(Minnesota), Justin Gibson (Bucknell); K - Justin Zaitz
(Northern Colorado);
Defense - DL - Ryan Carter
(Air Force), Chris Jones (UC Davis), Chris Mooney (Delaware),
Ben Whitney (Wofford); LB - Joey King (Portland State), Jayd
Kittelson (North Dakota State), Craig Unger (Morehead State);
DB - Reed Doughty (Northern Colorado), Jared Essler (North
Dakota State), Kellen Huston (Dayton); P - Adam Finley
(Michigan).
- DDD -
Copyright, © 2004, University
of Delaware. All rights reserved.
Please direct Athletics
questions to the Athletics Media Relations office.
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