Albani, Drake Selected Academic All-District

» Complete Academic All-District Team

Junior Bryan Albani (Warren, Ohio / Howland) and sophomore Luke Drake (Valrico, Fla. / Newsome) of The College of Wooster football team were named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District Second Team, as announced by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Thursday.

Albani has been the Fighting Scots' top defensive back this fall, as the corner frequently lines up against the opposition's top receiver. He is tied for fourth in the North Coast Athletic Conference with three interceptions, while also having produced four pass breakups. Albani rates as the team's sixth-leading tackler with 36, including 22 solos and 2.0 for losses, and he forced a fumble. The 5-10, 185-pound speedster also serves as Wooster's kickoff specialist, ranking second in the NCAC in that category with a 24.2-yard average. Albani is a standout on the track & field team as well with five all-NCAC citations in that sport, all while being a two-time Dean's List member and majoring in chemistry.

Drake, a 6-2, 235-pound defensive end, is fourth on the Scots in tackles with 39, leading the squad's defensive lineman in that category. Of those stops, a team-high 7.5 have been for losses, including 3.0 sacks. He's also been credited with three quarterback hurries. Drake has started every game, except for one in his brief career, recording 8.0 sacks, which puts him on pace to finish third in Wooster history in that category, and 65 tackles. A Dean's List honoree, Drake is undecided on a major.

The duo are two of the key cogs in a group that ranks among the top-three in the NCAC in total defense (285.8 ypg), scoring defense (17.4 ppg), takeaways (19), rushing defense (100.0 ypg), pass defense efficiency (106.9 rating), and sacks (17). The Scots, 6-2 overall and ranked No. 10 in the NCAA Div. III regional rankings (North), will be at Oberlin College this Saturday, Nov. 8, at 1 p.m.

The honorees were selected by CoSIDA among top players with minimum 3.30 grade-point averages from the college division (NCAA Div. II and III, and NAIA) in Wooster's five-state district (Alabama, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, and Tennessee).