Complete 2013 Capital One Academic All-America® Team (.pdf)
BEREA, Ohio -- Three Baldwin Wallace University football student-athletes, senior linebacker David Flegal (Akron/Revere), senior safety Zack Barley (Hudson) and junior safety Joe Kasper (Mentor), have been named as 2013 CAPITAL ONE Academic All-Americans. This is the most prestigious honor a collegiate football student-athlete can receive. Only one NCAA Division III institution had more student-athletes named to the team than BW.
To qualify to become a CAPITAL ONE Academic All-American, each student-athlete had to have a minimum 3.3 grade point average or higher, be a key starter or reserve, play in a minimum of 70 percent of his/ her teams games at the time of nomination and be a first-team CAPITAL ONE Academic All-District selection.
BW has a rich tradition of excellence in both academics and football. Overall, the University has 89 Academic All-America student-athletes since the program's inception in 1970-71 for the most of any Ohio Athletic Conference school and the second most of any small college or university in Ohio. In addition, twenty-eight (28) of the 89 selections have been in the sport of football.
"We are extremely proud of the hard work that David, Zack and Joe have displayed in the classroom, on the football field and in leading our younger student-athletes," said 12-year veteran Head Coach John Snell '87, who has a 77-45 career record and emphasizes academics and community service as the hallmarks of his winning program. "David, Zack and Joe are the leaders of a group of young men who have truly dedicated themselves to being true student-athletes.
"We also are proud of the BW tradition of strong academics and athletics and the fact that we have 28 Academic All-Americans is outstanding," continued Snell. "It is what the philosophy of the NCAA Division III Student-Athlete is all about. This is great for the entire Baldwin Wallace community, our athletics and football programs and continues a tradition of excellence that was started by guys like Lee Tressel and Bob Packard and carried forward by our alumni."
Flegal was a senior outside linebacker who carries a 3.867 grade average in accounting. He was the Yellow Jackets' leading tackler this fall and was second in the OAC with 114 stops, and twice earned OAC Defensive Player of the Week honors. The two-time Academic All-OAC selection also was a first-team CAPITAL ONE Academic All-District 7 selection. Flegal had 140 career tackles, received the Fred Crossman Leadership Prize at Honors Day in 2013 and is Dean's List student and a member of numerous honor societies.
"David had an excellent senior season and capped off a strong career," said Snell. "To watch him grow and mature as a student-athlete the past four years has been a joy. This season he really took off and had the kind of season you hope every senior who has worked hard has in his last year. David played his heart out every down and it showed in many ways both on and off the field."
Barley was a senior safety who carries a 3.879 grade average in psychology. The team quint-captain had 29 tackles this season despite missing two full games and parts of two others with an injury. During his career, the four-year varsity contributor and two-time Academic All-OAC student-athlete played in 29 career games, had 101 tackles, three interceptions and 14 pass breakups. In addition to being Academic All-OAC, Barley is a Dean's List student, a Jacket Scholar, a member of two academic honoraries and was a two-time CAPITAL ONE Academic All-District 7 selection.
"Zack had an excellent four-year career, including the past two years as our full-time starting safety," said Snell. "He was consistent every day. You knew that when Zack Barley was on the field that you were going to get a 110 percent effort. He also was an outstanding leader. The fact that Zack still received this award even though he missed some time with injuries only goes to show how much respect he received on and off the field."
Kasper is a junior safety who carries a 3.944 grade average in political science and has the highest grade average on the Yellow Jacket varsity. He had his best season as a collegian with 66 tackles to rank third on the team and joined Flegal and Barley on the Academic All-OAC squad this fall. He also had five pass breakups, two forced fumbles and one fumble that he recovered and returned 48 yards for a touchdown. The Dean's List student and Jacket Scholar enters his senior season with 73 career tackles. Kasper also is a member of the Alpha Lambda and Chi Sigma Alpha honor societies and was a first-team CAPITAL ONE Academic All-District 7 pick.
"Joe had a breakthrough year and was a solid student and athlete for the third straight year," said Snell. "Here's a guy with a 3.94 grade average who it seems is always in the middle of the play. Joe has excellent instincts and awareness and is well-deserving of this award."
Flegal and Barley had an outstanding four years and leave BW after helping the Yellow Jackets to compile a 28-12 record with a .700 winning percentage. BW also had its 45th winning season (plus one .500 season) in its last 49 years. In addition to the trio who received CAPITAL ONE Academic All-America honors, junior defensive tackle Addison Carbone (Hudson) was a first-team Academic All-District 7 pick but did not make the Academic All-America squad. Also, Flegal, Barley, Kasper and Carbone were joined by eight other football student-athletes as 2013 Academic All-OAC choices.
FOR MORE BW SPORTS INFORMATION, please contact Sports Information Director Kevin Ruple by telephone at 440-826-2327 and e-mail at kruple@bw.edu or Assistant SID Jeff Miller by phone at 440-826-2780 and email at jefmille@bw.edu. Fans can access the latest BW athletics information at www.bwyellowjackets.com and we invite you to join us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/bwyellowjackets and Twitter at http://twitter.com/bwathletics.
