Complete 2012 FCS ADA Academic All-Star Team
 
Cleveland, OH – Graduate student Steve Ciocci (Royersford, PA/ Spring-Hill Ford) and senior free safety Patrick O'Connor (Leominster, MA/ Leominster), a pair of Seahawks who claimed 2012 All-Northeast Conference (NEC) honors while helping Wagner gain its first-ever NEC football championship, have been recognized for their academic credentials by being named to the Football Championship Subdivision Athletics Directors Association (FCS ADA) Academic All-Star Team presented by KP Sports.
 
Ciocci, a two-time member of the NEC Fall Academic Honor Roll, held a 3.8 GPA in the Wagner MBA Program at the time of the time of his nomination. A three-time member of the NEC Fall Academic Honor Roll, O'Connor is pursuing a major in Business Administration and held a GPA of 3.741. Ciocci and O'Connor are among a select group of 54 winners from across the nation to be represented on the Wagner College is one of just 13 institutions that boast multiple winners.

“I am extremely proud that Steve and Pat are being recognized by the ADA for such a prestigious honor,” said Wagner Athletic Director/Head Football Coach Walt Hameline. “Both of these young men are intelligent and humble student-athletes who continue to represent Wagner with honor academically as they near the end of the studies.
 
“And their contributions to Wagner football have been equally impressive,” Hameline added. “Excellent students, outstanding football players, true team leaders and tremendous teammates; I salute Steve Ciocci and Pat O'Connor for bringing distinction to Wagner College in the classroom and on the field.”
 
Football players from all FCS institutions are eligible each year for inclusion on the FCS ADA All-Star Team. The criteria required to be nominated for the team included: Having a minimum grade point average of 3.20 (on a 4.00 scale) as well as having been a starter or key player with legitimate athletics credentials; reaching a minimum of two years of athletics and academic standing at the nominated institution and having completed a minimum of one full academic year at the nominated institution; having participated in 50 percent of the games played at his designated position.
 
Ciocci and O'Connor were productive, durable and consistent performers throughout their Seahawk careers and played integral roles in helping Wagner to its first-ever Northeast Conference (NEC) Championship, FCS NCAA Playoff victory (31-20 over Colgate on November 24) and the school's first nine-game winning streak since 1981. The Seahawks, who finished 9-4 on the season, were ranked 21^st in the nation in The Sports Network Final FCS College Football Poll.
 
A mainstay at right tackle, the 6-4, 290-pound Ciocci filled in at various other positions along the offensive line during his career, opening holes that paved the way for running back Dominique Williams (Bridgton, NJ/ Milford Academy) to become just the third player in Seahawk history to amass consecutive 1,000-yard-plus seasons, which he accomplished in 2011 and 2012. Ciocci's pass-blocking skills played a key role in quarterback Nick Doscher (Staten Island, NY/ Moore Catholic) setting a host of career records, highlighted by his becoming Wagner's all-time passing leader with 6,100 career yards.
 
Following Wagner's memorable 2012 season, Ciocci was named First-Team All-NEC and was invited to participate in the FCS Senior Scout Bowl. In September, Ciocci was among an elite group of 22 players from throughout  the country named to the AllState AFCA Good Works Team® for the many community service programs in which he participated in, including several programs that he initiated. 

Along with his fellow Good WorksTeam® members, Ciocci was honored at midfield during halftime of the January 3 Sugar Bowl game between Louisville and Florida at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. The Good Works Team® was also featured at halftime of ESPN's coverage of the Sugar Bowl. Entering the 2012 campaign, Ciocci brought a streak of 12 consecutive starting assignments, dating back to the 2010 season. He then went on to start all 13 Wagner games during the memorable 2012 campaign, which included the 11 regular seasons contests and the Seahawks' two NCAA games, the first-round win over Colgate followed by the 29-19 loss at No. 4 Eastern Washington on December 1. When added all up, Ciocci's name was announced in the starting lineup 25 consecutive times. For his career, he played in 43 games while gaining starts in 35,
 
The 6-1,190 pound O'Connor was around the ball all season, registering 86 tackles, which ranked second on the team, a number bolstered by his team-best 50 solo tackles. During the season, the heady and consistent O'Connor had eight pass breakups, two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and one interception.
 
He started all the 2012 season in fine fashion on August 31, spearheading a defensive effort that held FBS member Florida Atlantic scoreless for three quarters and nearly carried Wagner to a road upset of the Owls. The 6-foot-1 free safety made a game-high 10 tackles (five solo, five assisted) in the Seahawks' 7-3 setback while earning NEC Defensive Player of the Week honors. 

The 10 tackles matched his previous career high before the following week he established a new career mark with 13 stops, including eight solo, to go with three pass breakups. In week three, O'Connor notched his third consecutive double-digit tackle effort by posting 10 vs. Monmouth. All told, O'Connor came up with seven or more tackles seven times and had just three games that were below the five-tackle mark.
 
“The FCS ADA is pleased to honor the accomplishments of our football student-athletes each year with our Academic All-Star Team,” said FCS ADA President Ron Strollo, director of athletics at Youngstown State University. “The accolades of these young men both in the classroom and on the field epitomize the definition of student-athlete and our Association looks forward to recognizing their accomplishments annually.”
 
From the Academic All-Star team, six finalists were selected for the 12th Annual FCS ADA's $5,000 Postgraduate Scholarships presented by KP Sports. Two student-athletes will receive postgraduate scholarships during the Association's annual membership meeting held in conjunction with the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) Convention, being held at the World Center Marriott Resort in Orlando, Fla., June 13-15.
 
The finalists are Kyle Bernard, University of Northern Iowa, Punter, 3.82 GPA; Nick DeKraker, Youngstown State University, Defensive Lineman, 3.93 GPA; Patrick Ford, Eastern Kentucky University, Offensive Lineman, 3.90 GPA; Pat Kelly, Liberty University, Wide Receiver, 4.0 GPA; Chris Looney, Colgate University, Wide Receiver, 3.90 GPA; Andrew Sutton, Monmouth University, Defensive Back, 3.88 GPA.
 
A special Review Committee of Football Championship Subdivision athletics directors was responsible for selecting the all-star team and scholarship finalists. Completing this task were Ron Strollo, Youngstown State (chair); Ken Beazer, Southern Utah; Charlie Cobb, Appalachian State; Brian Hutchinson, Morehead State; Marilyn McNeil, Monmouth; and Jeff Tingey, Idaho State.
 
For a complete listing of the 54 members of the Football Championship Subdivision Academic All-Star Team presented by KP Sports.