Cornell Big Red

ITHACA, N.Y. -- Senior Chris Costello has been named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District first-team when the squads were announced on Thursday. Costello was one of eight Ivy League players who will be on the ballot with a chance to earn Academic All-America honors.

A preseason All-American by Consensus Draft Services, Costello ranks second in the Ivy League and seventh nationally with 11.4 tackles per game. Costello has tallied 80 stops with two sacks and 11 tackles for loss. He also has a pair of pass breakups, has three forced fumbles and blocked a kick while starting all seven contests.  The middle blocker was credited with 14 tackles,  4.0 tackles for loss, a sack, two forced fumbles and a pass breakup in the team's loss to Fordham. He has also had 15 tackles against Bucknell and another 14 at Princeton. Costello was named Ivy League Player of the Week on Sept. 21 after his effort in the Big Red's 33-9 win over Bucknell earlier this year.

As a junior in 2008, Costello ranked third in the Ivy League and 37th in the nation with 90 tackles. He also added 9.0 tackles for loss, a sack, a pass breakup and two forced fumbles while starting all 10 games for the Big Red.

In the classroom, Costello has posted a 3.39 grade point average in Natural Resources. The Academic All-Ivy selection was named the New York High School Football Coaches Association Player-Scholar Athlete of the Year in Class AA and and to the National Football Foundation's "Golden Dozen" scholar-athlete team at John Jay HS.