PHILADELPHIA – West Chester University was well represented on the Philadelphia Inquirer Sports Information Directors Association (Philly SIDA) Academic All-Area team that was announced Friday afternoon.
So., DE
Michael Gobora (Newtown, Pa./Pennsbury) and Gr. C
Jacob Colby (Coatesville, Pa./Bishop Shanahan) joined repeat Philly SIDA All-Area honorees Sr., LT
Brendan Ruskowski (Philadelphia, Pa./Archbishop Ryan) and Sr., LB
Cole Zapf (Downingtown, Pa./Downingtown West) on the 2021 Philly SIDA Academic All-Area team.
The Philly SIDA Academic All-Area team is voted on by the sports information offices of 30 institutions in the Philadelphia metropolitan area and includes schools from all divisions of the NCAA. Sports Information Directors nominate deserving student-athletes based on the individual's performance both in the classroom as well as their exploits in competition within their sport.
Villanova fifth-year linebacker Forrest Rhyne was named the Philly SIDA Academic All-Area Performer of the Year in voting by Rhyne also was one of 24 student-athletes named to the Philly SIDA Academic All-Area team, one of seven unanimous selections to a particularly strong team, with 21 of the 24 selections earning all-conference honors for the 2021 season. Eight different schools were represented on the Academic All-Area Team.
Gobora enjoyed a breakout season, registering 43 tackles on the year to include 18.5 for a loss and 10 sacks. His TFL numbers ranked second in the PSAC and sacks ranked third. Opponents quickly learned they had to keep an eye on No. 53 when playing the Golden Rams. He ranked as high as second nationally in sacks and third nationally in tackles for a loss at one point during the fall season. His emergence as a pass rushing end solidified that side of the line while opening things up in the middle and on the other side of the line for others. In the classroom, Gobora carries a perfect 4.00 grade-point average in Economics & Finance within the College of Business and Public Management.
Colby, a unanimous selection to the team after appearing on all 13 ballots cast, anchored an offensive line from his center position that paved the way for the loop's No. 1 rushing attack. West Chester averaged 217 yards per game on the ground and gobbled up 2,394 yards, which ranks 10th all-time in school history. The Golden Rams' 26 rushing touchdowns also ranks 10th best in a single season at the school. He graduated with a 3.72 undergraduate degree in Criminal Justice and holds a 4.00 GPA in grad school as he continues his education in the same field.
Ruskowski, the Golden Rams' left tackle who protected the quarterback's blind side, was a Philly SIDA all-area selection in 2019, before the pandemic. He was another key piece to West Chester's offensive line that averaged better than 200 yards rushing per game and led the PSAC in that category. A preseason All-America pick by
Lindy Sports back in August, Ruskowski was also nominated for the Gene Upshaw Award, which is handed out to the best lineman (offensive or defensive) in Division II. He is an Accounting & Finance major at West Chester.
Zapf ranked second on the team behind fellow LB
Jackson Taylor with 72 tackles on the season. His 15.5 tackles for a loss was second as well while also recording six sacks. He was credited with four QB hurries and two pass breakups while forcing a pair of fumbles. Zapf is a Criminal Justice major in the College of Business and Public Management. Incidentally, all four of the Golden Rams' Philly SIDA Academic All-Area selections came from that college.
