PHILADELPHIA – Senior defensive end Ryan Bodolus was named the 2023 Philly-SIDA Academic All-Area Football Performer of the Year and headlined a school record six Ursinus football players on the PhillySIDA Football Academic All-Area Team that was announced on Thursday morning.
 
 
Along with Bodolus, seniors Brett Gross, Ryan DiVergilis, Billy Cook along with juniors Anthony Esposito and Justin Collier were named to the team. Bodolus and Gross were unanimous picks for the second straight year and the Bears led all schools comprising from the Division I to Division III level with six selections. The Academic All-Area Team, voted on by the sports information offices of 30 institutions in the Philadelphia metro area, requires a student-athlete to be in their second year at the school and hold a cumulative grade-point average of 3.0 or better.
 
 
Bodolus, an applied economics major, became the first Ursinus student-athlete to be named a PhillySIDA Academic All-Area performer of the year since former field hockey student-athlete Megan Keenan did so in 2015. This honor adds to a growing list of postseason accolades for Bodolus which recently included his First Team American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) selection on Monday. The Pottstown native has earned a D3football.com First Team All-Region nod, All-Centennial First Team for the second straight season, and garnered Centennial Conference Defensive Player of the Year honors as well. Bodolus easily paced the Centennial Conference while and tied for sixth in NCAA Division III with a career-high 12 sacks. He became Bears all-time sacks leader at 33 and held advantage in the Centennial while tying for eighth in Division III with 20.5 TFL. He capped his decorated Ursinus career with 66 tackles (36 solo), three forced fumbles, plus one fumble recovery in 2023. His continued strong work in the classroom helped earn him earn Centennial Academic Honor Roll and Academic All-Centennial team honors.
 
 
Gross, a business management major, finished off an extra season by earning All-Centennial first team honors for the second straight year while garnering his third overall All-Centennial honor. He paced the Centennial Conference with 77 total tackles (37 solo) while adding 8.0 TFL, and 2.5 sacks. Gross posted three double-digit tackle performances and averaged 7.7 tackles per game. The Langhorne native tied for the Centennial Conference lead with three fumble recoveries in addition to intercepting a pass plus forcing one fumble. Gross earned a pair of Centennial Conference Defensive Player of the Week honors and was named to the D3football.com Team of the Week on both of those same occasions. He also earned Centennial Academic Honor Roll and Academic All-Centennial team honors.
 
 
A media and communication studies major, DiVergilis registered his second PhillySIDA Academic All-Area team honor after making the team in 2022. The Philadelphia native was having another dominant season as a safety for the Bears before a season-ending injury against Johns Hopkins in Mid-October concluded his season prematurely. Despite that, DiVergilis still earned All-Centennial First Team honors for the second straight season by recording 23 tackles (12 solo) and an interception in seven games. DiVergilis joined Bodolus and Gross on the Centennial Academic Honor Roll, and Academic All-Centennial teams.
 
 
An applied economics major, Esposito earned his first-ever PhillySIDA nod behind locking down some of the best of the best wide receivers in the Centennial Conference at corner. He earned his second-straight All-Centennial honor behind a first team selection. Esposito led the team with two interceptions and tied for the Centennial lead with 12 pass break-ups to establish himself as one of the more feared cornerbacks in the Conference. Esposito set a career-high with 35 tackles (27 solo) and helped anchor a Bears pass defense that yielded the second-fewest yards among Centennial Conference teams at 192.5 yards per game. He earned a D3football.com Team of the Week nod following a dominant performance against Gettysburg in early November.
 
 
Cook finished off his Bear career by earning the PhillySIDA Academic All-Area team honor for the first time in his career. The Applied Economics major had his best season as the team's punter Cook and garnered All-Centennial first team honors. Cook ranked second in the Centennial Conference by averaging a career-best 38.8 yards per punt and tied for second by landing 14 of his punts inside the 20-yard line. He earned both a spot on the D3football.com Team of the Week and a Centennial Conference Special Teams Player of the Week honor this season for his punting efforts. As a tight end, Cook snatched 12 passes for 191 yards and two scores.
 
 
Collier was the third Bear to garner PhillySIDA Academic All-Area honors for the first time in his career. A health and exercise physiology major, Collier bounced back from missing the first three games of the season due to injury to earn All-Centennial second team honors. He tallied a team-leading six touchdowns this season in just eight games, and he led the team with 605 yards on 48 catches. Collier tallied at least 60 receiving yards in all but two games played this season. His 75.6 receiving yards per game ranked fourth in the Centennial Conference.
 
 
Below is the full team:

2023 Philly-SIDA Academic All-Area Football Team
 
                          Student-Athlete            School                  Cl.            Major(s)                                                   Hometown
                          Brendan Bell                  Villanova                Sr.            Economics                                               Basking Ridge, N.J.
                          Jason Blanks                  Rowan                   Jr.             Sports Communications                         Hoboken, N.J.
                          Ryan Bodolus                Ursinus                   Sr.            Applied Economics                                  Pottstown, Pa.
                          Justin Collier                  Ursinus                   Jr.             Health and Exercise Physiology             Levittown, Pa.
                          Billy Cook                       Ursinus                   Sr.            Applied Economics                                  Southampton, Pa.
                          Michael Corbi                Villanova                Gr.            MBA                                                          Annapolis, Md.
                          Ryan DiVergilis              Ursinus                   Sr.            Media and Communication Studies      Philadelphia, Pa.
                          Anthony Esposito         Ursinus                   Jr.             Applied Economics                                  Washington Crossing, Pa.
                          Jack Fairman                 Penn                       Sr.            Chemistry                                                Southfield, Mich.
                          James Fara                     Rowan                    Sr.            Sports Communications                         Point Pleasant, N.J.
                          Brett Gross                    Ursinus                   Sr.            Applied Economics                                 Langhorne, Pa.
                          Vincent Guarino           Rowan                    Jr.             Exercise Science                                      Aberdeen, N.J.
                          Isaac Hostetter             Widener                 Jr.             Management                                           Conestoga, Pa.
                          Jake Ligos                      Penn                       Sr.          Economics                                                Long Valley, N.J.
                          Jordan Magee               Temple                   Gr.            Advertising                                              Dover, Del.
                          Patrick Methlie             West Chester         R-So.        Business Management                           Avondale, Pa.
                          Colin Murt                     Widener                 Gr.            Management                                           Southampton, Pa.
                          Ryan Pattison                Widener                 Jr.             Business                                                   Cherry Hill, N.J.
                          Jack Purcell                    Penn                       Sr.            Economics                                                Glen Mills, Pa.
                          Aiday Sayin                    Penn                       Jr.             Finance                                                     Carlsbad, Calif.
                          Joey Slackman              Penn                       Sr.            Political Science                                       Commack, N.Y.
                          Robert Stashek             Rowan                    Sr.            Health & Physical Education                  Raritan, N.J.
                          Ty Trinh                         Villanova                Sr.            Psychology                                               Owings Mills, Md.
                          E.J. Warner                    Temple                   So.            Communication Studies                         Phoenix, Ariz.
                          Connor Watkins            Villanova                Gr.            MBA                                                         Williamsport, Pa.
                                                                                                
                          Performer of the Year: Ryan Bodolus, Ursinus