Wittenberg Football Standouts Jeff Wilbur, Jake Kerger Earn Academic All-District Honors

Jeff Wilbur

Jake Kerger

Springfield, Ohio — Wittenberg University football standouts Jeff Wilbur, class of 2010 from Ann Arbor, Mich., and Jake Kerger, class of 2010 from Louisville, Ky., have been recognized for the combination of their athletic and academic accomplishments with first- and second-team CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America College Division All-District IV honors, respectively.

This is the first Academic All-District IV award for Wilbur or Kerger. The selections are a result of online voting conducted recently by members of the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). Student-athletes who make the first-team in district voting will now be considered for Academic All-America awards.

Wilbur carries a 3.71 grade point average while majoring in political science. He ranks third on the team with 359 yards and two touchdowns on 52 carries after finishing second on the team with 258 yards and two touchdowns on 58 carries. He has been a key contributor to the top rushing offense in the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC), which is averaging 216 yards per game in 2009.

Wilbur, who is also a two-year letterwinner in track and field, is a member of Chi Alpha Sigma, the national student-athlete honorary, and he serves as president and editor of the journal of Wittenberg's chapter of Pi Sigma Alpha, a political science honorary. He is also a member of Mortar Board, a service and leadership honorary, has done volunteer work for Oesterlen Child Services in Springfield, and is involved in Wittenberg's Peer Mentor program.

Kerger has only started one game in 2009, but it could be argued that he has been one of the team's most valuable players. Shifted to tight end early in the season due to injuries, Kerger has been a key blocker in the NCAC's top rushing attack. He also started the first game of his injury-riddled career against Hiram on Oct. 3 - at center in place of injured all-conference performer Dillon Hollin.

Kerger carries a 3.35 grade point average while double majoring in English and business. He is a member of three academic honoraries - Phi Eta Sigma, Tau Pi Phi and Sigma Tau Delta - and he participates in Wittenberg's Emerging Leaders program. He has worked internships with the Arena Football League and Wittenberg's Department of Athletics and Recreation, and he is a staff writer for Wittenberg's student-run newspaper, The Torch.

The Tigers, ranked No. 14 by d3football.com and No. 12 by the American Football Coaches Association, are currently leading the NCAC with a 5-0 record. Sporting an 8-0 overall record and a No. 2 ranking in the Great Lakes Region, Wittenberg can clinch a share of the NCAC title and the conference's automatic berth in the NCAA Division III Tournament with a win over visiting Allegheny on Saturday, Nov. 7.

Written by: Ryan Maurer
Photos by: Erin Pence