Football | 2/12/2015 11:32:00 AM
Moon Township, Pa. – Senior offensive lineman
Nick Faraci of the
Robert Morris University football team was honored by the Northeast Conference (NEC) for his achievements on the field and in the classroom, as he was named 2014 NEC Football Co-Scholar-Athlete of the Year in an announcement by the league office Thursday afternoon.
While this is the first such award of Faraci's career, it is the fourth time in five years that a Colonial has earned this distinction.
To be eligible for the NEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year in a sport, a student-athlete must have earned a minimum of 60 semester hours at their institution, maintained a minimum cumulative grade-point-average of 3.20 and participated with distinction as a member of a varsity team.
Faraci carries a 3.93 grade point average as a nursing major.
Faraci has started 33 consecutive games at center, the longest active streak on the Colonial offense. He has served as a captain in multiple games and, as the center, serves as an organizer of his teammates on the line in regard to pre-snap calls. Faraci helped RMU rush for at least 160 yards in three games in 2014, including a 214-yard effort against a team ranked among the top five nationally in rushing defense. Faraci also recovered a fumble in a game earlier this season, the second straight year that he recovered a bouncing pigskin.
This prestigious honor is the latest, but not the first, for Faraci that recognizes his athletic and academic skill set. He earned his first Academic All-America honor in December when he shared a spot on the Second Team with starters from Alabama, Baylor and Ohio State. He was also selected to the Football Championship Subdivision Athletics Directors Association (FCS ADA) Academic All-Star Team in January.
In addition to the honor for Faraci, a total of 75 student-athletes from Robert Morris covering five fall sports, including 35 male student-athletes, were named to the 2014 NEC Fall Academic Honor Roll. To be eligible for the honor roll, student-athletes must have posted a cumulative GPA of 3.20 and be an active member of an officially recognized varsity team. Freshmen are eligible for the honor roll.
Of RMU's 75 student-athletes to be named to the 2014 NEC Fall Academic Honor Roll, 25 were named to the NEC Fall Commissioner's Honor Roll. To garner the honor, a student-athlete must maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.75, and freshmen are eligible for the honor roll.
To view the entire list of Robert Morris student-athletes that competed in a fall sport named to either the 2014 NEC Academic Honor Roll or the 2014 NEC Commissioner's Honor Roll, please click on the respective links associated with this article.
