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The University of Utah Athletics
Utes Place Six on Pac-12 Football All-Academic First Team
11/30/2017 10:05 AM | Football
SAN FRANCISCO – Led by a school-record six first team selections, 17 Utah players were named to the Pac-12 All-Academic football teams, announced today by the conference.
To be eligible for selection to the academic team, a student-athlete must have a minimum 3.0 overall grade point average and appear in at least 50-percent of his team's games. Redshirt freshmen are eligible but not true freshmen.
Utah's first team selections were junior punter Mitch Wishnowsky (3.40/kinesiology teaching), sophomore offensive lineman Johnny Capra (3.96/communication), senior tight end Harrison Handley (3.63/educational leadership and policy), freshman defensive lineman Nick Heninger (3.93/undeclared/pre-dentistry), freshman defensive lineman Pita Tonga (3.56/undeclared) and sophomore defensive back Terrell Burgess (3.59/undeclared).
Wishnowsky and Capra are both also first-team CoSIDA Academic All-District selections.
Utah's six first-team Pac-12 All-Academic selections beat its previous record of five set in both 2011 and 2012.
Making the Pac-12 All-Academic second team were sophomore wide receiver Demari Simpkins (3.23/communication), sophomore offensive lineman Darrin Paulo (3.44/economics) and freshman special teams player Connor Haller (3.86/pre-business). Paulo was an honorable mention selection last year.
Earning honorable mention honors were sophomore defensive back Julian Blackmon, sophomore running back Devonta'e Henry-Cole, sophomore kicker Hayes Hicken, junior defensive back Casey Hughes, sophomore quarterback Tyler Huntley, sophomore tight end Jake Jackson, senior quarterback Troy Williams and senior special teams player Alex Whittingham. Whittingham and Hughes are three-time honorable mention selections while Hicken is a two-time honoree.
Honorable mention recipients were not limited to one per position, as was the case with the first and second teams.
To be eligible for selection to the academic team, a student-athlete must have a minimum 3.0 overall grade point average and appear in at least 50-percent of his team's games. Redshirt freshmen are eligible but not true freshmen.
Utah's first team selections were junior punter Mitch Wishnowsky (3.40/kinesiology teaching), sophomore offensive lineman Johnny Capra (3.96/communication), senior tight end Harrison Handley (3.63/educational leadership and policy), freshman defensive lineman Nick Heninger (3.93/undeclared/pre-dentistry), freshman defensive lineman Pita Tonga (3.56/undeclared) and sophomore defensive back Terrell Burgess (3.59/undeclared).
Wishnowsky and Capra are both also first-team CoSIDA Academic All-District selections.
Utah's six first-team Pac-12 All-Academic selections beat its previous record of five set in both 2011 and 2012.
Making the Pac-12 All-Academic second team were sophomore wide receiver Demari Simpkins (3.23/communication), sophomore offensive lineman Darrin Paulo (3.44/economics) and freshman special teams player Connor Haller (3.86/pre-business). Paulo was an honorable mention selection last year.
Earning honorable mention honors were sophomore defensive back Julian Blackmon, sophomore running back Devonta'e Henry-Cole, sophomore kicker Hayes Hicken, junior defensive back Casey Hughes, sophomore quarterback Tyler Huntley, sophomore tight end Jake Jackson, senior quarterback Troy Williams and senior special teams player Alex Whittingham. Whittingham and Hughes are three-time honorable mention selections while Hicken is a two-time honoree.
Honorable mention recipients were not limited to one per position, as was the case with the first and second teams.
Players Mentioned
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