ELON, N.C. – For the second consecutive year, Elon University football player Nick Groll has earned a spot on the CoSIDA Academic All-District 3 Football Team and will now be eligible for Academic All-American accolades. 

This marks the first time an Elon player has earned back-to-back Academic All-District accolades since running back A.J. Harris did so in three straight seasons from 2009-11.

Groll, a defensive lineman from Armonk, N.Y., carries a 3.68 GPA as an economics major. He is also pursuing minors in communications and music. Through eight games, the junior has tallied 17 total tackles, including 3.0 tackles for a loss and 2.0 sacks. Groll has one quarterback hurry on the year. He began the year with a season-high six-tackle performance against Gardner-Webb. Groll is a four-time Dean's List recipient and has been named to the President's List once. He was a member of the 2014 and 2015 CAA Football Academic All-Conference Team.

To be eligible for Academic All-District honors, a player must compete in at least 50 percent of the team's contest, must have reached at least sophomore athletic eligibility, have completed at least one full calendar year at the institution and carry at least a 3.30 GPA.

2016 CoSIDA Academic All-District 3 Football Team (Division I)

Punter	Parker Henry	Tennessee	Jr.	4.00, Finance
Quarterback	Lee McNeill	Charlotte	Gr.	3.98, 4.00, Business Admin./MBA
Receiver	Jordan Smith	Tennessee Tech	Sr.	3.60, EXPW/Pre-Physical Therapy
Receiver	Zay Jones	East Carolina	Sr.	3.56, Communications
Tight End	Daniel Montiel	Memphis	Sr.	3.53, Liberal Studies
Running Back	Derrick Craine	Chattanooga	Sr.	3.61, Exercise Science
Running Back	Elijah Hood	North Carolina	Jr.	3.34, Information & Library Sciences
Offensive Line	Tyler Compton	Old Dominion	Sr.	3.92, 3.77, Mathematics/MBA
Offensive Line	Brian Stryffeler	Campbell	Jr.	3.90, Exercise & Sports Science
Offensive Line	Dylan Wiesman	Tennessee	Sr.	3.47, Kinesiology
Offensive Line	Will Holden	Vanderbilt	Sr.	3.63, Human & Organizational Development
Offensive Line	Lucas Holder	Liberty	Gr.	3.69, 3.89, Government/Middle Eastern Affairs
Kicker	Jake Elliott	Memphis	Sr.	3.86, Marketing Management
Defensive Back	Ryan Janvion	Wake Forest	Sr.	3.53, Business & Enterprise Management
Defensive Back	Alonzo Saxton II	Duke	Jr.	3.48, Theater Studies
Defensive Back	Todd Kelly Jr.	Tennessee	Jr.	3.33, Biochemistry & Cellular/Molecular Biology
Defensive Back	Josh Okonye	Wake Forest	Jr.	3.33, Health & Exercise Science
Linebacker	Micah Kiser	Virginia	Sr.	3.38, Foreign Affairs
Linebacker	Josh Poplar	Tennessee Tech	So.	3.94, Marketing
Linebacker	A.J. Newman	Western Carolina	Jr.	3.68, Finance
Defensive Line	Nick Groll	Elon	Jr.	3.68, Economics
Defensive Line	Andrew Mayton	Western Carolina	Jr.	3.59, Nursing
Defensive Line	A.J. Wolf	Duke	Sr.	3.71, 3.50, Management Studies
Defensive Line	Bunmi Rotimi	Old Dominion	Jr.	3.40, Marketing