CoSIDA All-District Team

Williamsburg, KY – After playing key roles in Cumberlands recording their fifth straight winning season, a trio of Patriots were recognized for their success on the field as well as in the classroom as they were named to the CoSIDA Academic All-District team, CoSIDA officials announce Thursday.  Nick Buzzell, Adam Caudle, and Myles Simon were CoSIDA Academic All-District® First Team selections for the first time in their careers.

The CoSIDA Academic All-District® team recognizes the nation's top student-athletes for their combined performances athletically and in the classroom. Cumberlands is in District 2, which features schools from Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Tennessee. To be eligible for this award a student-athlete must be a sophomore or higher with a minimum GPA of 3.30.  They also have played in at least 50% of its team's games as well as be a contributor on the field.

Buzzell started all ten games for the Patriots at right guard.  The Springboro, OH native helped the Patriots score 34.30 points per game this season.  He was also a critical component in UC's run game that totaled 1965 yards, which ranks 16^th in the NAIA, averaging 196.5 yards on the ground per game.  Buzzell is a sophomore that is majoring in Mathematics. 

Caudle was a critical part of the Patriot defense leading the team with 74.0.  The Ooltewah, TN native closed out the season strong notched at least double-digit tackles in each of the final three games, including a career-high 14 tackles against top-ranked Lindsey Wilson.  He also made 12 tackles and 0.5 tackle for loss in Cumberlands come-from-behind win over Pikeville, where the UC erased a 24-point deficit to win.  His 74 tackles ranks sixth in the Mid-South Conference as he averaged 7.4 tackles per game.  Caudle added two sacks and three tackles for loss on the season.  The freshman is majoring in Exercise and Sport Science.

Simon was another standout for UC's defense that started all ten games this season.  Simon had a breakout season with a career-high 38 tackles, seven tackles for loss, and 2.5 sacks.  He ranked third on the team in tackles for loss and sixth in total tackles as he notched 14 solo tackles.  The Augusta, GA native tied his career-high with seven tackles, including 3.5 tackles for loss, in the win over Pikeville.  The junior also recorded a sack in back-to-back games against Pikeville and Georgetown.  Simon was a key part of the Patriots defense line that closed out the season with 25 sacks and kept opposing offenses on their heels.  Simon is pursuing a double major in Business Administration and Accounting.

Since Buzzell, Caudle, and Simon earned First Team Academic All-District honors they advance to the CoSIDA Academic All-America® Team ballot, where first-, second- and third-team All-America honorees will be announced in mid-December.  It marks the fifth straight year that Cumberlands has placed at least one student-athlete on this team and the third time that UC has multiple honorees.

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