Haverdink, Hurst Earn Academic All-District Honors

Kalamazoo College football players Brant Haverdink and Nate Hurst were named to the first team of the Verizon College Division Academic All-District IV Football Team. As first team selections, each player will move on to the national ballot for potential Verizon Academic All-America honors. The District IV College Division includes all NCAA Division II, III, and NAIA colleges in Alabama, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, and Tennessee.

Brant Haverdink, a junior linebacker from Hamilton (Hamilton HS), maintains a 3.833 cumulative GPA as a history-secondary education major. He has been on the Dean's List six-of-six terms and has twice been on the MIAA Academic Honor Roll. He serves as the Hornets' defensive captain.

Haverdink leads the team with 108 total tackles (56 solo) and has the second-highest single-season total in school history. Fifteen of the tackles were for losses totaling 62 yards. He also leads the team with five and a half quarterback sacks. He has been named MIAA Defensive Player of the Week twice this season. He recorded a career-high 18 tackles against Hope College earlier this season.

Nate Hurst, a junior defensive back from Ann Arbor (Huron HS), maintains a 3.733 cumulative GPA as a math and business major. He has been on the Dean's List four-of-six terms and spent a term studying abroad in Bonn, Germany. He has been on the MIAA Academic Honor Roll twice.

Hurst has a career-high 46 total tackles on the season (30 solo) from his defensive back position, including three tackles for lost yardage. He has two interception returns totaling 66 yards (38, 28) and one fumble recovery. He has twice recorded 10 tackles in a game.

Verizon Academic All-District and All-America award winners are nominated and selected by members of CoSIDA (College Sports Information Directors of America). A nominee must be a starter of important reserve with legitimate athletic credentials and at least a 3.20 cumulative grade point average. They must also have reached sophomore athletic and academic standing and must have participated in at least 50 percent of the team's games at the position for which they are nominated.