Senior football player Andre Overholt has been named to the Capital One Academic All-District team, marking the first time a Brevard College student-athlete has been honored with the award given by the College Sports Information Directors of America.
The award recognizes student-athletes for their work both in the classroom and on the playing field. Four Academic All-District teams are selected in the NCAA Division II ranks. Overholt occupies one of two running back slots on the 23-member team that includes players from across the southeastern United States.
Overholt is one of the football team’s highest-performing students, with a 3.68 cumulative GPA in Brevard’s Business and Organizational Leadership program. He has been named to the Dean’s List in all six semesters at Brevard and was recognized with a Meritorious Academic Performance Award by the Business and Organizational Leadership faculty in April.
His work in the classroom is matched by his accomplishments on the football field. Overholt was a preseason first team all-South Atlantic Conference first team honoree as a kick returner and was named the AstroTurf SAC Special Teams Player of the Week for his exploits against Division I Liberty on September 13. He currently ranks second among active Division II players and sixth across all NCAA divisions with 2,406 career kick return yards, a mark that is tops in Brevard history. His 4,419 career all-purpose yards are the 11th-highest mark among current Division II players and trail only Kelvin Jeter’s 4,511 for the top spot in school history.
Earlier this season, Overholt became the sixth Brevard player to ever top 1,000 career rushing yards and needs just 35 additional yards to move past Neville Bryce for third place on Brevard’s all-time list. This season, he is second in the conference with 155.9 all-purpose yards per game. He leads the Tornados in receptions, punt return yards, kickoff return yards, and all-purpose yards and is second in receiving yards.
Overholt is also viewed as a leader in the community. He volunteers as a youth group leader in his hometown of Tryon, North Carolina and has served as a volunteer tutor. On September 25, he was named a semifinalist for the William V. Campbell Trophy, an award presented annually by the National Football Foundation to the country’s premier football scholar-athlete. “He’s one of the finest young men I’ve ever coached,” lauded head coach Paul Hamilton. “He sets a standard for all of Brevard College and he contributes as much to this team as any guy we’ve had play here.”
As an Academic All-District selection, Overholt will now be eligible for a spot on the Capital One Academic All-America team. CoSIDA members will make their Academic All-American selections later this month; the team will be announced via a national press release in December.