South Dakota State quarterback Mark Gronowski and defensive lineman Ryan Van Marel were honored Tuesday as members of the Academic All-America Second Team as selected by the College Sports Communicators. The NCAA Division I squad is made up of 51 student-athletes from both the bowl and championship subdivisions.
A junior from Naperville, Illinois, Gronowski has compiled a 3.71 grade-point average while majoring in mechanical engineering. On the field, he helped lead the Jackrabbits to their second consecutive Football Championship Subdivision national title after posting an FCS-best 182.72 passing efficiency rating. Gronowski completed 209-of-307 passes (68.1 percent) for 3,058 yards and 29 touchdowns against only five interceptions. He also ran for 402 yards and eight scores.
In addition, Gronowski was honored during the 2023 season as the winner of the Walter Payton Award as the top offensive player in the FCS, as well as the FCS Athletics Directors Associations Offensive Player of the Year.
Van Marel, a native of Sheldon, Iowa, turned in a 3.85 GPA as a graduate student in mechanical engineering. A two-year starter at defensive tackle, Van Marel registered 24 total tackles in 2023, including seven tackles for loss and two sacks for a Jackrabbit unit that led the FCS ranks in both scoring defense (9.3 points per game) and total defense (257.2 yards per game). He also recovered a pair of fumbles and blocked two kicks.
South Dakota State football student-athletes have been honored on CoSIDA Academic All-America teams 46 times since 1974. The Jackrabbits have placed at least one player on the squad in 17 of the last 19 seasons, including multiple selections 14 times.
The Academic All-America program, sponsored by the College Sports Communicators (formerly CoSIDA), recognizes the nations top student-athletes for their combined performances on the field and in the classroom. Candidates, who are first nominated and honored at the district level, must be at least a sophomore in athletic and academic standing, a starter or key reserve on his team and carry at least a 3.5 GPA.
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