Ball State University Athletics
Six Football Cardinals Honored on Academic All-MAC Team
December 15, 2015 | Football
MUNCIE, Ind. – The Mid-American Conference announced its 2015 Academic All-MAC football team Tuesday morning and Ball State had six student-athletes honored, including four-time selection Jacob Richard.
A total of 126 student-athletes were named to this team, but Richard, Akron's Robert Stein and Bowling Green's Tyler Tate were the only four-time honorees.
Richard earned his bachelor's degree in marketing this past spring with a GPA of 3.642. He is currently taking classes towards an MBA. On the football field, Richard was a 2015 team captain and second team All-MAC honoree. The native of Weston, Connecticut started the final 37 games of his collegiate career at the center position.
The other Ball State football academic honorees were junior offensive lineman Steven Bell, junior tight end Sam Brunner, junior offensive lineman Drake Miller, sophomore offensive lineman Vinnie Palazeti and junior defensive lineman Carlutorbantu Zaramo. Bell, Brunner, Miller and Palazeti earned a spot on the Academic All-MAC team for a second consecutive year.
Bell started four games on the offensive line this fall and carries a 3.26 GPA in elementary education teaching. Brunner played in every game with three starts at tight end. Brunner has a 3.46 GPA and is majoring in social studies teaching. Miller started all 12 games on the offensive line and holds a 3.449 GPA in physical education/health.
Palazeti missed four games due to injury this season, but still earned six starts on the offensive line. He has a 3.42 GPA in business administration. Finally, Zaramo carries a 3.72 GPA in computer science. The defensive lineman picked up one sack in eight games for the Cardinals.
The Academic All-MAC honor is for a student who has excelled in athletics and academics. To qualify, a student must have at least a 3.20 cumulative GPA and have participated in at least 50 percent of the contests for that particular sport. First-year students and junior college transfers in their first year of residence are not eligible for the award.
For the most up-to-date news on the football team, please follow @BallStateSports, @BallStateFB and @Pete_Lembo.
