Five Jackrabbits earn Academic All-District honors

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Led by repeat selections Jake Wieneke and Brady Mengarelli, South Dakota State placed five players on the CoSIDA Academic All-District 6 Football Team, which was announced Thursday. The Jackrabbits’ five selections were the most within the district and will advance to the national ballot for Academic All-America consideration.

Wieneke, a senior wide receiver from Maple Grove, Minn., has compiled a 3.62 cumulative grade-point average while majoring in physical education/teacher education. A three-time academic all-district selection, Wieneke was a first-team Academic All-America selection in 2016, after earning second-team recognition in 2015.

On the field, Wieneke leads the Jackrabbits in touchdown receptions this season with 11, while ranking second on the squad with 44 total catches for 590 yards. The career totals for the three-time All-American include 267 receptions, 4,782 receiving yards and 54 touchdowns - all of which are school records. His receiving yard and touchdown totals are both Missouri Valley Football Conference records and rank third all-time within the Football Championship Subdivision.

Earlier this fall, Wieneke was selected as a finalist for the Campbell Trophy, which is awarded to the top scholar-athlete in college football. He also was named to the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team for his community service efforts.

A senior running back from Prescott, Ariz., Mengarelli earned academic all-district honors for the second year in a row, posting a 3.60 GPA in exercise science. Mengarelli was the Jackrabbits’ leading rusher each of the previous two seasons and again leads the team with 653 rushing yards through 10 games in 2017.

First-time selections to the Academic All-District 6 Team from SDSU were linebacker Dalton Cox, safety Nick Farina and offensive lineman Wes Genant.

Cox, a junior from Aberdeen, has turned in a perfect 4.0 GPA as an economics/entrepreneurial studies major. He has started five games this season at the outside linebacker positions and ranks in a tie for fourth on the squad with 39 tackles.

Farina earned a spot on the team with a 3.62 GPA while majoring in exercise science. The senior from Phoenix has started all nine of the games in which he has played, recording 37 tackles and a fumble recovery. He ranks sixth on the team in tackles.

A sophomore from Parkston, Genant has started all 10 games at right guard for a Jackrabbit offense that is averaging 38.1 points and 455.4 yards of total offense per game. Genant was honored with a 3.97 GPA as a biochemistry major.

Selections to the Academic All-District 6 Football Team were based upon a vote of sports information directors in Arkansas, Iowa, Louisiana, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wisconsin. Candidates must be at least a sophomore in athletic and academic standing, a starter or key reserve on his team and carry at least a 3.3 GPA. Team members, from both Football Bowl Subdivision and Football Championship Subdivision programs, are selected by position with a total of 25 players from 13 different institutions named to the honor squad.

Photo from www.gojacks.com.