Friday, September 30, 2011

NEW WILMINGTON, Pa. - The National Football Foundation (NFF) & College Hall of Fame today announced that Westminster College senior quarterback Shawn Lehocky (Conway, Pa./Freedom) is a candidate for the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Award presented by Fidelity Investments and Lehocky is one of 127 semifinalists from all divisions of college football for the 2011 William V. Campbell Trophy, endowed by HealthSouth.

Selected as "the best and brightest from the college gridiron," Lehocky is one of only 30 NCAA Division III players to earn semifinalist status.

A 6-foot-1, 211-pound quarterback, Lehocky is in his second year as a full-time starter for the Titans. He owns a 3.87 cumulative grade-point average and he will finish his requirements in three and a half years this December from Westminster with a degree in economics.

Lehocky enters Saturday's game vs. Washington & Jefferson ranked eighth in Westminster history with 2,937 career passing yards including 171 yards on 26-of-46 passing in two games this year. Last year, he ranked fifth in the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) with 172.6 passing yards per game (155-293 for 1,726, 14 TDs) before earning an honorable mention for the all-PAC team. He is the only quarterback in Westminster history to rush for 100 yards in a game after he accomplished the feat as a reserve in a 2009 game against Waynesburg when he rushed for 112 yards and two touchdowns before finishing the season with 446 rushing yards and seven rushing touchdowns.

Nominated by their schools, which are limited to one nominee each, candidates for the awards must be a senior or graduate student in their final year of eligibility, have a GPA of at least 3.2 on a 4.0 scale, have outstanding football ability as a first team player or significant contributor, and have demonstrated strong leadership and citizenship. The class is selected each year by the NFF Awards Committee, which is comprised of a nationally recognized group of media, College Football Hall of Famers and athletics administrators.

The NFF Awards Committee will select up to 16 recipients on Oct. 26. Each recipient will receive an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship, and they will vie as finalists for the 2011 William V. Campbell Trophy. Each member of the 2011 National Scholar-Athlete Class will also travel to New York City be honored Dec. 6 during the 54th NFF Annual Awards Dinner at the Waldorf-Astoria where their accomplishments will be highlighted in front of one of the most powerful audiences in all of sports. One member of the class will also be announced live at the event as the winner of the Campbell Trophy.

About Westminster College...
Founded in 1852 and related to the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Westminster College ranks first in the nation as "Best College for Women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math," according to Forbes.com. Westminster, a top-tier liberal arts college, ranks third in graduation rate performance, according to U.S. News Best Colleges guide. Westminster ranked 6th among liberal arts colleges in social mobility, according to the Washington Monthly College Guide, and is one of the most affordable national liberal arts colleges in Pennsylvania. Westminster is also honored as one of "The Best 376 Colleges" by The Princeton Review, and is named to the President's Honor Roll for excellence in service learning.

Nearly 1,600 undergraduate and graduate students benefit from individualized attention from dedicated faculty while choosing from 42 majors and nearly 100 organizations on the New Wilmington, Pa., campus. Visit www.westminster.edu/advantage to view "Advantage: Westminster" A Strategic Plan 2010-2020.