Scots Reach New Heights With Three Academic All-Americans® This Year

College Sports Communicators Release

For the first time ever, three College of Wooster teammates were voted to the College Sports Communicators' (CSC) (formerly College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA)) Academic All-America® Team. The organization announced its 2022 football selections on Tuesday afternoon, with senior defensive back Matt Ulishney scoring first-team honors, while second-team accolades went to senior placekicker Lake Barrett and senior punter Matt Pardi.

"This is tremendous news for our program," shared Frank Colaprete, Wooster's head coach, who has had eight Fighting Scots voted Academic All-Americans® during his tenure. "Matt, Lake, and Matt embody what our program is all about and are perfect and well-deserved recipients of this prestigious honor. They consistently perform with distinction on the field, in the classroom, and throughout the campus community, and set an example for all of our Scots to follow."

Ulishney, a four-year starter, earned All-North Coast Athletic Conference honors for the first time this fall. He led the conference with 103 tackles, and in doing so, became the first Scot since 2014 to hit the century mark. Ulishney's 10.3 tackles per game placed the senior in the top-25 nationally, and he was top-10 within NCAA Div. III in solo tackles per game at 6.7. Ulishney logged at least a dozen tackles six times this fall, including against Wittenberg University, where Wooster won 44-43 after trailing 33-7 in the third quarter for its first win over the Tigers since 2008. Ulishney added three tackles for loss, forced two fumbles, tied for the team lead with two interceptions, and had a fumble recovery this fall.

For his Independent Study, Ulishney is examining variables to build overtime win probability models in NCAA Div. I football. The mathematics major has field experience as a quantitative analyst intern at SESCO Enterprises. He built interactive applications to display results, created presentations, and communicated methodologies to help the company make informed data-driven decisions. The Eagle Scout is involved with Men Working for Change on campus and has served as a peer mentor for calculus courses.

Barrett, a two-time Academic All-American®, earned his third-career All-NCAC award this season, becoming the second placekicker in program history to earn three All-NCAC honors. The D3football.com Preseason All-American was a semifinalist for the National Football Foundation William V. Campbell Trophy this fall, was the program's nominee for the Gagliardi Trophy, and was a Fred Mitchell Award nominee. He became the first placekicker in program history with two seasons without an extra-point miss among those with at least 10 makes in both seasons. Barrett finished the year 39-of-39 on extra-point kicks and upped his consecutive make streak to 91. Barrett went 2-of-4 on field goals with a long of 33, which came in Wooster's first win over Wittenberg since 2008. He ranks first all-time in program history with a 99.1 extra-point percentage (112-of-113) and is one of three placekickers with over 100 makes at Wooster.

The biology and education major is researching squirrel melanism, genetic origins, and possible functions of melanism mutation for his Independent Study. He conducted research for the topic in the foothills of the Colorado Rocky Mountains after securing a $2,000 research grant. Last spring, Barrett studied abroad in Panama where he researched if agroforests can serve as a habitat for amphibians by looking at conservation, species diversity, evenness, and richness. Barrett's robust on-campus research portfolio includes time working with strawberry dart frogs and a bee colony.

Pardi, one of three Wooster D3football.com Preseason All-Americans, was named to CSC's Academic All-District® Team for the second time this fall. The two-time All-NCAC selection broke Wooster's 74-year-old single-season punting record with 43.5 yards over 40 attempts. That brought his career mark to 41.1 yards over 104 punts, the top average in NCAC and Wooster history. Pardi opened the year with five straight games with at least 42.0 yards per punt, including six for a 48.0 average at NCAC champion DePauw University. He earned his second-career D3football.com Team of the Week honor after punting three times for a 51.0 average at Geneva College in the season lid-lifter. Pardi fired off a 52-yard punt in the final minute of that game with Wooster protecting an eight-point lead.

The biology major is analyzing the effects of a managed honeybee colony on the foraging behaviors of wild bees in an urban pollinator garden to understand the impacts of urban beekeeping on wild bee conservation for his Independent Study. Wooster's Allstate American Football Coaches Association Good Works Team nominee organized a garage sale of old uniforms and practice gear for a Student-Athlete Advisory Committee fundraiser. He regularly helps plan events for the annual NCAA Div. III Week and Adopt-A-Family event in partnership with Wayne County's Department of Job and Family Services. Pardi is part of the Wooster Community Hospital Health Coach Program where he makes weekly patient home visits to create a comprehensive care plan to improve patient health and quality of life.

Wooster now has 61 all-time Academic All-America® selections, with 12 coming in the last four years. Football leads the way with 19 all-time selections, while Barrett is the College's 13th multi-time Academic All-American®. Wooster ranked third within NCAA Div. III with its three selections this fall, trailing Johns Hopkins University (6) and Carnegie Mellon University (5).