Thursday, November 4, 2010

MORAVIAN’S HERSCH, McCLARIN & PETROS NAMED TO ESPN ACADEMIC ALL-DISTRICT FOOTBALL TEAMS

BETHLEHEM, PA --- Senior defensive linemen Michael McClarin (Bethlehem, PA/Liberty HS) and Allen Petros (Bethlehem, PA/Liberty HS) have been named to the 2010 ESPN Academic All-District II College Division Football First Team selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America while senior wide receiver Alex Hersch (Macungie, PA/Emmaus HS) earned a spot on the Second Team.

By making the All-District First Team, McClarin and Petros are now forwarded onto the national ballot to try for ESPN Academic All-American® accolades, which will be announced on Tuesday, November 23rd.  Moravian has had 34 ESPN Academic All-Americans including 29 in the last 17 years, and three former football players, Jeff Pollack in 1987, Jud Frank in 1993 and Mike Paciulli in 1994, have earned Academic All-America honors.

To be eligible for ESPN Academic All-America® accolades, a student-athlete must maintain at least a 3.30 grade-point average, be a sophomore, junior or senior and be a starter or significant reserve. The College Division is made up of all the NCAA Division II and III schools in the nation as well as all NAIA schools.  Student-athletes from NCAA Division I schools are named to the University Division Teams.  District II is made up of schools from Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and West Virginia.

McClarin, pictured at left, had a total of 30 tackles this season with 12 solo stops, and he has contributed one and a half tackles for loss, half a sack and two pass break-ups.  McClarin, who began his career at NCAA Division I The United States Naval Academy, before transferring to Moravian to begin the 2008 season, has posted 94 career tackles with ten tackles for loss, four pass break-ups and three fumble recoveries in 30 career games.  McClarin will be a two-time member of the Centennial Conference Fall Academic Honor Roll in 2010.  McClarin is majoring in mathematics/secondary education.

Petros, who was on the ESPN Academic All-District First Team in 2009, leads Moravian’s defensive linemen this season with 44 tackles this season.  He also has team highs of 12 tackles for loss and five and a half sacks to go with two pass break-ups, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery, and Petros, , pictured at right, began his career at NCAA Division II Bloomsburg University before transferring to Moravian to being the 2008 season.  Petros, who will be a two-time member of the Centennial Conference Fall Academic Honor Roll, has seen action in 27 games at Moravian with 121 tackles including 37 and a half tackles for loss, which is second in school history, 16 sacks, five pass break-ups, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries.  Petros, who made the All-Centennial Conference Honorable Mention squad in 2009, is majoring in biology/pre-med.

McClarin and Petros are two of eight Centennial Conference players on the Academic All-District First Team, and two of three first team selections on the defensive line.  A total of 14 Centennial Conference players were honored on the two All-District squads.

Hersch is in his fourth season with the Greyhounds and is second on the squad in receiving in 2010 with 28 catches for 441 yards and three touchdowns.  He has also returned 22 punts this fall for 183 yards and six kickoffs for 119 yards.  Hersch is just 58 yards shy of 1,000 career receiving yards with 942 yards on 62 receptions with six touchdowns, and he is second in school history with 49 punt returns for 328 yards.  Hersch, who will be a three-time member of the Centennial Conference Fall Academic Honor Roll, is majoring in accounting.

Moravian, which is 5-4 overall and 5-3 in its fourth season in the Centennial Conference, closes out the 2010 season on Saturday, November 13th with a 1:05 p.m. kickoff versus rival Muhlenberg College in Centennial Conference action at Rocco Calvo Field in Bethlehem.