Since he first picked up the game of football as a five or six year-old, Larry DelViscio '13 has accrued a collection of awards that adorn a bedroom shelf in his hometown of Springfield, Pa.

None will be displayed more prominently than the trophy he earned by being named to the 2011 Academic All-America (AAA) Division III Football Team in December, becoming just the 17th Academic All-American in Gettysburg history. The AAA program, now in its 60th year, is administered by the College Sports Information Directors of America and sponsored by Capital One. The program was football-only when it started in 1952 but now includes all sports. Some 1,640 student-athletes are honored annually from the NCAA, National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics, two-year colleges, and Canadian schools.

"Gettysburg College has had many, many elite student-athletes and to be recognized among their company is an incredible feeling," DelViscio said. "It's an incredible honor I never expected. To be recognized on a national level is such a great honor and I am thankful to my family and Gettysburg College for making it possible."

A standout middle linebacker, DelViscio led Gettysburg and finished second in the Centennial Conference with exactly 100 tackles, the most by a Bullet in five years. By last season's end, he had captured a spot on the All-Conference Team, garnering honorable mention, and twice made the D3football.com Team of the Week.

Off the field, DelViscio is an economics major with a 3.62 grade-point average. He is eyeing a career in financial advising. Traits that led to gridiron success are transferable to academics, DelViscio said. "I feel the most important things are discipline, commitment, and time management. Playing football for so long has instilled in me things vital to success in the classroom. Doing things you don't always want to do but toughing it out anyway is key to achieving success."

DelViscio's AAA award is the latest in an accelerating wave of academic honors for Gettysburg student-athletes. All but four of the College's 24 AAA selections have come in the last 10 years; eight of nine prestigious NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship winners have come in the last nine years.

Below are some of Gettysburg's AAA winners, their athletic accomplishments, and what they are doing now.

Jeff Clark '75
Basketball, forward
Major: business administration
GPA: 3.3

Inducted into Gettysburg's Hall of Athletic Honor in 1986, the College's first AAA, named a Little All-American and an honorable mention All-American, two-time All-Middle Atlantic Conference Second Team, still holds school record for points in a game with 45, ranks eighth all-time in points (1,250) and rebounds (726), played professionally in Belgium for a year after college. First Gettysburg graduate to earn an MBA from Stanford University, worked in the food service distribution business for 27 years, recently named director of adult ministries at Ada Bible Church in Grand Rapids, Mich.

Molly Bauer '05
Soccer, defender
Major: political science
GPA: 3.83

Two-time AAA, two-time NSCAA Mid-Atlantic All-Region, four-time All-Conference, helped Bullets win 2004 Centennial Conference title. Serves as political analyst for federal government in Washington, D.C. Earned Ph.D. in political science at University of California, San Diego last year.

Molly Gale '05
Softball, outfielder
Major: history
(Minor: secondary education)
GPA: 4.04

College's only three-time AAA, Third-Team All-Region, three-timeAll-Conference. In seventh year as an eighth-grade U.S. history teacher in Warren, Mich., coaches junior varsity basketball.

Chase Stewart '06
Lacrosse, attackman
Major: economics
GPA: 3.87

Two-time AAA, three-time USILA All-American, four-time All-Conference, helped Bullets win three straight conference titles. He has worked in investment management for Federated Investors in New York City for four years and is an analyst for quantitative equity research.

Kerrin Epstein '10
Cross country, track & field
Majors: English, political science
GPA: 4.01

First Team AAA and NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship winner; in cross country, NCAA qualifier, four-time All-Conference, three-time All-Region; indoor school record in the mile, outdoor school record in the 3,000-meter run. Pursuing a master¹s in social work at Virginia Commonwealth University. Taught English for speakers of other languages at the Literary Council of Northern Virginia as an AmeriCorps member.

Founded in 1832, Gettysburg College is a highly selective four-year residential college of liberal arts and sciences with a strong academic tradition. Alumni include Rhodes Scholars, a Nobel laureate, and other distinguished scholars. The college enrolls 2,600 undergraduate students and is located on a 200-acre campus adjacent to the Gettysburg National Military Park in Pennsylvania.

Contact: Braden Snyder, sports information director, 717.337.6527