(Peru, Neb.) – The string has started again as Nicholas Novak (Dawson) was named to the CoSIDA Academic All-America® NAIA Football team on Thursday. Novak is a 2017 graduate of Humboldt-Table Rock-Steinauer (HTRS) High School in Humboldt.

The referenced string is Novak hopefully re-starts a string of years in which the Peru State football program has an Academic All-America® team member. The Bobcats previously had a student-athlete named from 2012 through 2017 before not having anyone selected last year.

Novak becomes just the tenth Bobcat to ever earn the honor. Previous Peru Staters to be named as Academic All-America® honorees include Pat Mertens – 1985, Brad Miller – 1986, Korey Reiman – 1995, Tim Oehring – 2012, Tyler Ford – 2013, Dean Wood and Logan Paben – 2014, Paben – 2015, Gunnar Orcutt – 2016, and Orcutt and Ismael Calvillo – 2017. Reiman was a second team selection and Calvillo was a third team selection. All others were first team honorees.

In addition, Paben and Orcutt were both named as the Academic All-America® Player of the Year in 2015 and 2017 respectively.

Waldorf University graduate student quarterback Hilton Joseph headlines the 2019 Academic All-America® NAIA football team, as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).

The NAIA Academic All-America® program is financially supported by the NAIA national governance structure to assist CoSIDA with handling the awards fulfillment aspects for the 2019-20 NAIA Academic All-America® teams.

The 2019 Academic All-America® NAIA football team featured three two-time Academic All-Americans – running back Darrius Lee of Evangel University, linebacker Jacob Katzer from Morningside College and Evangel's Andrew Poppen, a defensive back.

The 2019 Academic All-America® NAIA football team included three student-athletes who boast of 4.00 GPAs, two with 4.00 GPAs in graduate work and 13 who compiled a 3.90 or better GPA. The 26 first-team honorees own an average GPA of 3.88.