Meek, Morton, LaPorta Named CoSIDA Academic All-District

COSIDA RELEASE (PDF)

ALBANY, N.Y. – University at Albany football players Jake Meek, Zach Morton, and Eric LaPorta have been named to the 2013-14 Capital One Academic All-District ® Football Team, selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America. The teams recognize the nation’s top student-athletes for their combined performances athletically and in the classroom.  

Meek, a junior from Penfield, N.Y., has a cumulative grade-point average of 3.72 as a business administration major and was named to the Northeast Conference Academic Honor Roll twice. Meek is one of UAlbany’s most versatile players, contributing on special teams, as a receiver, and as a wildcat quarterback. This season, Meek ranks second on the team with 217 rushing yards and two touchdowns, as well as third for total offense with 230 yards.

Morton, a junior from Burnt Hills, N.Y., boasts a perfect 4.0 GPA in biology and twice was named to the NEC Commissioner’s Honor Roll. Playing in every game for the past three seasons at defensive end, Morton has totaled 12 tackles, a sack, and two pass breakups through nine games this fall.

Lastly, LaPorta is a Capital One Academic All-District honoree for the second consecutive season. The senior from Yorktown Heights, N.Y. was a candidate for the prestigious 2013 NFF William V. Campbell Trophy, as well as the CAA’s Chuck Boone Leadership Award. LaPorta, a team captain, was named three times to the NEC Academic Honor Roll and has started every game for the past three seasons after beginning his career as a walk-on. LaPorta finished his undergraduate tenure with a 3.57 GPA as a dual major in criminal justice and history, and has a 3.65 GPA in his graduate program for secondary education for social studies.

The Academic All-District ® teams are divided into eight geographic districts across the United States and Canada. First-team Academic All-District ® honorees advance to the Capital One Academic All-America® Team ballot, where first-, second- and third-team All-America honorees will be selected later this month. 

NCAA DIVISION I (CT, MA, ME, NH, NY, RI, VT)

FIRST TEAM