Clarion’s Fareri, Penn State’s McSorley and Gillikin Named CoSIDA Academic All-District

| November 16, 2018


AUSTIN, Texas – Clarion’s Sam Fareri and Penn State’s Trace McSorley and Blake Gillikin were all named Google Cloud CoSIDA Academic All-District in their respective divisions Thursday.

(Photo courtesy of Clarion University Athletics)

All three will now appear on the national ballot for Academic All-American.

Fareri is the first Golden Eagle to garner the award since the pair of Kevin Genevro and Jacob Craig during the 2016 season. The Golden Eagles have been represented on the list in six of the last eight years.

Fareri (3.73, Rehab Science) posted one of the best seasons in his Clarion career, finishing the year with team highs in interceptions (4) and forced fumbles (2). Both of those were tied for best on the team this year. At the end of his third season, Fareri was a major factor in creating turnovers. Heading into the 2018 season he had two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and five interceptions, including four picks last season. In 2018 Fareri ranked second on the team with 64 total tackles and also added 2.5 tackles for loss.

Fareri was named the PSAC West Defensive Athlete of the Week for Sept. 10, coming on the heels of a performance where the junior safety forced three turnovers in a Golden Eagle victory. In the win Fareri picked off two passes and forced another fumble in a 30-21 win at Lock Haven.

Gillikin collects all-district accolades for the second-straight season, while this is the first time McSorley has earned the award.

Gillikin has a perfect 4.0 cumulative GPA as a kinesiology major. He received the President’s Award for freshmen in 2016 and was presented with The Evan Pugh Scholar Award, given to those juniors and seniors who are in the upper 0.5 percent of their respective classes, in May 2018. Gillikin is a two-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree.

The Smyrna, Ga., native ranks tied for third on Penn State’s career punting average chart with a 42.9 career average. His 42.7 average this season is No. 4 in the Big Ten and No. 37 in FBS. Gillikin has been a game-changer for the Nittany Lions, pinning opponents inside their own 10-yard line 34 times in his career, including nine times this year. Against Michigan, Gillikin booted a career-long 74-yard punt, which is tied for the fourth-longest punt in program history with Anthony Fera (2010 vs. Iowa).

McSorley graduated in May with a 3.31 grade-point average (GPA) in accounting. He is working toward his second undergraduate degree in journalism. He is a four-time Academic All-Big Ten selection. He spent the summer of 2017 interning for Merrill Lynch and Bank of America in State College.

The native of Ashburn, Va., is a National Football Foundation (NFF) Scholar-Athlete, a finalist for the Ninth Annual Pop Warner National College Football Award and the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award® Presented by A.O. Smith, and a semifinalist for the Maxwell Award for the Collegiate Player of the Year, Walter Camp Player of the Year Award and the Jason Witten Man of the Year.

McSorley owns the Penn State career records for: passing yards (9,240), passing touchdowns (72), total offense (10,759), rushing touchdowns by a quarterback (27), touchdowns responsible for (99), 300-yard passing games (10) and 200-yard passing games (26). He is also the school season record holder for: passing yards (3,614; 2016), completions (284; 2017), passing touchdowns (29; 2016), rushing touchdowns by a quarterback (11; 2017), total offense (4,061; 2017), touchdowns responsible for (37; 2017), 300-yard passing games (5; 2016, 2017) and is tied for the top spot in 200-yard passing games (11; 2016, 2017). McSorley threw at least one touchdown pass in 34-straight games, from the 2016 TaxSlayer Bowl until the Indiana game in 2018, a Penn State record and the fifth-longest in FBS Power Five history.


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