PLYMOUTH, N.H. – Four members of the Plymouth State University football program were honored by College Sports Communicators for their academic excellence on Tuesday, as the CSC Academic All-District Teams were announced.
 
Junior Mitchell Cripps (Dracut, Mass.) and sophomores Jonah Bassett, Jr. (Rutland, Vt.), Jack Claeys (Melrose, Mass.) and Khari Whitehead (Manchester, N.H.) were all recognized.
 
Academic All-District honorees are considered for advancement to the CSC Academic All-America ballot, where First-, second- and third-team Academic All-America honorees will be announced at the end of the month.
 
To be eligible for Academic All-District recognition, a student-athlete must be at least a sophomore academically and athletically and must maintain at least a 3.50 cumulative grade point average. Student-athletes must compete in 90 percent of the institution's matches or must start in at least 66 percent of the contests.
 
Under the direction of 22-year veteran head coach Paul Castonia, Plymouth State went 5-4 to finish the year .500 or better in league play for the eighth straight year. PSU rebounded from a 1-3 start to win four straight games and nearly spoiled MASCAC champion UMass Dartmouth's perfect season, falling 47-42 in the regular season finale. The Corsairs had entered the game with an average margin of victory of more than 42 points. PSU finished tied for third in the final MASCAC standings.