On Tuesday, the College Sports Communicators (CSC) announced four Falcons named to the Academic All-District® team, as Dominic Buttazzoni, Lavell Gibson, Carson Heidecker and Zachary Slapnicker earned the award. Both Buttazzoni and Heidecker are two-time Academic All-District® selections after claiming the honor last season. (Release)
 
Buttazzoni is working toward his Master's of Business Administration and has a 4.0 GPA. During undergrad, Buttazzoni was a business administration major with a 3.55 GPA. On the field, the graduate student is a five-time All-MEC selection, and ranks second in NDC program history with 8,244 punt yards at 38.5 yards per punt. This season, the North Royalton, Ohio native ranked second in the Mountain East Conference and 29th in NCAA Division II at 40.9 yards per punt, the second-highest mark in NDC single season history. The Padua Franciscan High School graduate tallied five punts of 50 or more yards, and pinned the opponent inside the 20-yard line, seven times.
 
Gibson is a criminal justice major with a 3.65 GPA. This season, the junior earned First Team All-MEC honors, as the defensive lineman generated 4.5 sacks, tied for the team lead and 10th in the MEC. The Lorain, Ohio native is also tied for the team lead in quarterback hurries (4), and is second in tackles for loss (6.5), while adding 22 total tackles and two pass breakups.
 
Heidecker is a criminal justice major with a 3.83 GPA. This season, the junior became a two-time First Team All-MEC honoree and earned a spot on the All-Super Region 1 Second Team Offense. The offensive lineman started all 10 games for NDC, blocking for an offense that ran for 106 rushing first downs and helped starting running back Idris Lawrence run for a Mountain East Conference leading 127.2 yards per game.
 
Slapnicker is a business administration major with a 3.66 GPA. This season, Slapnicker picked up Second Team All-MEC honors after starting all 10 games and playing a pivotal roll on the offensive line. The Chesterland, Ohio native blocked for an offense that rushed for 2,022 yards and 25 rushing touchdowns. NDC totaled 4,119 total yards, or an average of 411.9 yards per game.

All of these student-athletes have also been recognized by the Mountain East Conference, several times, taking a spot on either the Academic All-MEC team (4.0-3.7) or the Commissioner's Honor Roll (3.25-3.69).
 
The 2023 Academic All-District® Football Team, selected by College Sports Communicators, recognize the nation's top student-athletes for their combined performances on the field or court and in the classroom. The CSC Academic All-America® program separately recognizes football honorees in four divisions — NCAA Division I, NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III and NAIA.