2022 CSC Academic All-District Football Teams
The Hillsdale College football team has a long tradition of success in the classroom as well as the playing field, and that tradition carried on in 2022 and with Team 130.
Five Chargers with an outstanding balance of academic and athletic success earned a prestigious honor on Tuesday after noon, as College Sports Communicators (formerly CoSIDA) announced its 2022 Academic All-District football team for NCAA Division II.
The CSC Academic All-America® program began in 1952 and has awarded teams since then, seeking out student athletes with an impressive blend of academic and athletic success. Being named to an All-District team is the first step in the process, and requires an athlete holds a 3.5 or better GPA and is an important contributor on the football field. Receiving the honor for Hillsdale in 2022 are seniors Julius Graber and Nate LaFree, juniors Michael Harding and Zach Urda, and sophomore Riley Tolsma.
Graber stepped into a starting safety role for the Chargers in 2022 and put together an impressive season, finishing third on the team in tackles with 72, and leading not only Hillsdale but the entire G-MAC with three forced fumbles. The Middlebury, Indiana native also returned a fumble for a touchdown against Michigan Tech, and sealed Hillsdale's 35-31 win over Lake Erie with an interception in the end zone with under 10 seconds to play.
Off the field, Graber is on track to graduate with honors this spring with a degree in Economics. He's made the dean's list in six of seven semesters so far at Hillsdale, and is the recipient of the prestigious Horatio Alger Foundation Mark and Mary Davis Scholarship.
LaFree is in his third season as a starter for the Chargers as the team's primary H-back, a tight end/fullback hybrid position. An unsung hero for Hillsdale as a blocker up front, LaFree helped pave the way for Hillsdale's best rushing performance in three years this season, while also contributing to multiple special teams units. He was also one of four captains on this season's squad.
Off the field, LaFree is a Biochemistry major on track to graduate with honors in December. LaFree is a recipient of the Hillsdale College President's Scholar-Athlete Award for maintaining a cumulative GPA of 3.8 or higher during his time at Hillsdale, and received funding for research in Analytical Chemistry through the LAUREATES program, completing an honors thesis and presenting his research this fall.
Harding is a three-time All-G-MAC honoree at tight end for the Chargers, earning second team honors this year. The junior is a critical blocker up front for Hillsdale, and also one of the team's top receiving threats, finishing third on the year in catches (21) and second in receiving touchdowns (3) for the season.
Off the field, he's one of the program's top students, a financial management major who has also earned the President's Scholar-Athlete Award at Hillsdale for maintaining a 3.8 or better GPA, while also making the dean's list every semester of college so far.
Urda was a key part of Hillsdale's linebacker rotation in 2022 and figures to move into the starting lineup full-time next fall. Urda made plays whenever he was on the field, finishing with 42 tackles, the sixth-most of any Charger in 2022, while also chipping in three tackles for loss and a forced fumble that led to a touchdown.
Off the field, Urda's made his mark as a biochemistry major, earning membership in the Tri-Beta honors biology society and making the Dean's List every year of college, while also pursuing research into DH5-alpha cell mutations as a part of his studies.
Tolsma had a breakout campaign in his first season on the defensive line, earning a starting spot midseason and becoming the team's most disruptive pass rusher, leading Hillsdale in both sacks (7.5) and tackles for loss (11) while also recovering a fumble and intercepting a pass.
Off the field, he's off to an impressive start to his academic career at Hillsdale, recording a 3.95 GPA in financial management classes and making the Dean's List every semester so far.
As part of being selected to the All-District team, all five players are now eligible for Academic All-American honors through CSC. Members will vote through December 6 with the three Academic All-American teams slated to be announced of Tuesday, Dec. 20 at noon.
Photos by Anthony Lupi and McKenna Eichholz