Springfield, Ohio – Senior linebacker Spencer Leno (Massillon, Ohio/Massillon) and senior defensive end Kyle Sanning (Fairborn, Ohio/Tecumseh) are among 838 student-athletes from 267 schools who qualified for induction into the National Football Foundation (NFF) Hampshire Honor Society.
To be nominated for the Hampshire Honor Society, student-athletes must have been a starter or significant contributor in their final season of eligibility while achieving at least a 3.2 cumulative grade point average and meeting all NCAA-mandated progress towards degree requirements and graduation.
Leno led the Tigers in tackles each of the last two years, culminating with a tremendous 2013 season in which he piled up 111 tackles, including 8.5 for loss and three sacks. He accumulated more than 300 tackles in his collegiate career.
Leno, a two-time first-team All-North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) selection, excelled in the classroom as well. He will earn his bachelor’s degree on May 17 after majoring in education and also completing a minor in political science.
Sanning finished fourth on the team with 65 tackles, including team-highs of 11 tackles for loss and seven sacks. He earned honorable mention All-NCAC honors following the season.
Sanning was a first-team Capital One Academic All-America Division III All-District 7 honoree in 2013, and he was named a finalist for the prestigious NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship Program. He will earn his degree in mathematics from Wittenberg on May 17.
Wittenberg bounced back from a season-opening loss to NCAA Division I FCS opponent Butler to win its fourth NCAC title in the last five years and league-best 12th since joining the league in 1989. The Tigers advanced to the second round of the 2013 NCAA Division III Tournament before losing to eventual national runner-up Mount Union to finish with records of 10-2 overall and 9-0 in the NCAC.
The Tigers will open the 2014 season with a home game against Butler at 7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 6, at Edwards-Maurer Field. Wittenberg will kick off the NCAC campaign a week later against DePauw, also at home.
Written By: Ryan Maurer