Ellis earns Google Cloud Academic All-America® Second Team honors

OLIVET, Mich. – Olivet College sophomore running back Matthew Ellis has earned 2018 Google Cloud Academic All-America® Football Second Team honors, as selected College Sports Information Director of America (CoSIDA).

An exercise science major, Ellis saw action in all 10 games for the Comets. He ended the season with 160 carries for 1,075 yards, and hauled in 17 receptions for 228 yards and two touchdowns. The 1,075 rushing yards is third all-time at Olivet for a season, and the 84 total points are tied for the second-most.

Ellis was also a 2018 All-Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) Second Team selection. He was named to the 2017-18 MIAA Academic Honor Roll.

Ellis is the fifth football player in school history to be named to the Academic All-America® teams. The others were Travis Sleight in 2004 and 2005, Marc Miller in 2007, Andrew Pabst in 2015, Ryan Anderson in 2016 and Travis Lankerd in 2006. Overall, Ellis picked-up the 34th CoSIDA Academic All-America® award in school history. He joins Dustin Meisner in 2006, as the sophomores to earn Academic All-America® honors.

The CoSIDA Division III Academic All-America® program is being financially supported by the NCAA Division III national governance structure to assist CoSIDA with handling the awards fulfillment aspects for the 2018-19 Division III Academic All-America® teams program.

To be eligible for Academic All-America® consideration, a student-athlete must be a varsity starter or key reserve, maintain a cumulative G.P.A. of 3.30 on a scale of 4.00, have reached sophomore athletic and academic standings at his/her current institution and be nominated by his/her sports information director.

Since the program's inception in 1952, CoSIDA has bestowed Academic All-America® honors on more than 15,000 student-athletes in Divisions I, II, III and NAIA, covering all NCAA championship sports.