Two Johns Hopkins senior defensive linemen, Michael Longo and Michael Rocca, have been named to the 2014 CoSIDA/Capital One Academic All-America Division III football teams released earlier this week. Longo was named to the first team, and Rocca was a second-team pick. The selection is the first for both players
Image caption: Michael Longo (left) and Michael Rocca
Image credit: hopkinssports.com
The JHU football program has had 10 academic All-Americans in the past four seasons and 22 since Charles Hauck and James Schoettler became the program's first Academic All-Americans in 1977. The Blue Jays have had at least two players receive academic All-America recognition in five of the past six seasons.
Longo, the 11th first-team academic All-American in the program's history, was named Centennial Conference Defensive Player of the Year after a season in which he totaled 54 tackles (including a team-high 14.5 for loss) and 11 sacks. A public health major with a 3.74 cumulative grade point average, he spent three and a half weeks in Uganda last January doing research focused on initiatives serving children. He has also been an active volunteer with Habitat for Humanity and served as a research assistant at Baltimore Station South, where his primary focus was researching and analyzing data in the area of addiction. In addition, Longo has worked with the Pen Lucy Tutoring Program, tutoring young Baltimore students in math and reading/comprehension.
Rocca, also a first-team all-conference selection this season, posted career highs of 54 tackles, eight tackles for losses, and five sacks. He carries a 3.75 cumulative grade point average and is also majoring in public health. Rocca served as a clinical research assistant and Medical Tutorial participant at the Johns Hopkins Medical Institute in the Department of Orthopedic Surgery, and he completed a Career In Medicine Internship at Hackensack University Medical Center in the Department of Emergency Trauma. He has also been an active volunteer with the Pen Lucy Tutoring Program in Baltimore.
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