Eight Titans Selected To National Football Foundation's Honor Society
Eight senior members of the UW-Oshkosh football team have been named to the 2019 National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame (NFF) Hampshire Honor Society.
The Hampshire Honor Society is comprised of college football players from all divisions of competition who achieved a cumulative 3.2 grade point average (GPA) or better throughout their collegiate careers. In addition to the GPA requirement, each player must have been a starter or significant contributor as a senior during the 2018 football season.
UW-Oshkosh players selected to the Hampshire Honor Society were linebackers Nick Boyd and Scott Skornicka, safeties Taylor Ripplinger and Cole Yoder, punter Turner Geisthardt, tight end Cody Moon, offensive tackle Austin Summers and defensive end Devin Wilson.
An all-time high of 1,643 players from a record 424 schools qualified for membership in the Society's 13th year.
"We are pleased to see another record number of athletes honored by the Hampshire Honor Society this year," said NFF President & CEO Steve Hatchell. "For more than a decade, it has become a powerful vehicle for schools to recognize their college football players who have distinguished themselves both academically and athletically, and we congratulate the schools and each of these young men for their commitment to excellence in all aspects of their lives."
Boyd, who owns a 3.34 GPA as a kinesiology major, played in 36 games (11 starts) for UW-Oshkosh. His 44 career tackles feature 19 solo and three sacks. This past season the three-year letter winner totaled 18 tackles, including five solo and 1.5 for a loss.
Skornicka, who possesses a 3.27 GPA as an education major, appeared in 36 contests (22 starts) for the Titans. The four-year letter winner recorded 170 career tackles, including 97 solo, 28 for a loss and 10 sacks. Skornicka was named to the All-WIAC First Team this past season after tying for the league lead with two forced fumbles. He made a team-leading 37 tackles among his 60 total stops, which included eight for loss and two sacks. Skornicka was an All-WIAC Second Team selection in 2017.
Owning a 3.57 GPA as a business management major, Ripplinger compiled 106 tackles (70 solo) during his 38-game (23 starts) UW-Oshkosh career. This past fall the three-year letter winner totaled 26 tackles, including 19 solo.
Yoder, who holds a 3.29 GPA as a kinesiology major, played in 51 games (33 starts) for UW-Oshkosh. His career totals include 250 tackles (142 solo) and 16 pass interceptions. The two-time All-WIAC First Team selection received D3football.com All-America honorable mention recognition this past season after pacing the Titans with 71 tackles. Yoder, a four-year letter winner, ranked second in the conference last fall with four interceptions and sixth with 10 passes defensed.
Geisthardt, a two-time CoSIDA Academic All-American, owns a 3.92 GPA as a kinesiology major. The four-year letter winner played in 51 games and closed his career with a UW-Oshkosh-record 7,887 punting yards. Geisthardt averaged 39.6 yards per punt this past season while placing 18 of his 60 kicks inside the opponents' 20-yard line. A D3football.com All-West Region Second Team honoree as a punter in 2018, Geisthardt was named to the All-WIAC Second Team at punter each of his first three seasons with the Titans. He also was selected to the league's First Team as a placekicker in 2017. Geisthardt was co-recipient of both the 2019 UW-Oshkosh John Taylor Scholar-Athlete and 2018 WIAC Football Scholar-Athlete awards.
Moon, who holds a 3.52 GPA as a physical education major, participated in 47 games (36 starts) for the Titans. The 2016 All-WIAC Second Team selection ended his UW-Oshkosh career with 41 pass receptions for 494 yards and four touchdowns. This past season the four-year letter winner caught 10 passes for 86 yards.
Summers is a finance major who owns a 3.47 GPA. He played in 41 games (26 starts) for the Titans and helped form one of the WIAC's best offensive lines during the 2017 and 2018 seasons. He was a four-year letter winner.
Wilson, who possesses a 3.48 GPA as a criminal justice major, appeared in 26 games (1 start) for UW-Oshkosh. His 21 career tackles include nine solo and 1.5 sacks. Last fall the two-year letter winner compiled 11 tackles with one sack.
UW-Oshkosh posted a 6-4 record in 2018 to mark the program's eighth consecutive winning season. The Titans, who have won three of the last seven WIAC titles, advanced to the NCAA Division III title game in 2016, the national semifinal round in 2012 and 2017, and the quarterfinals in 2015.