WILLIAMSBURG — After excelling on the field and in the classroom, William & Mary (W&M) football standout offensive linemen Andrew Trainer and Ryan Ripley were selected to the CoSIDA Academic All-District 3 First Team.
Both student-athletes advance to the CoSIDA Academic All-America ballots, as the national honorees will be announced in mid-December.
Trainer and Ripley have been instrumental in helping W&M’s emergence as one of the nation’s top rushing attacks this season. The Tribe currently leads the Colonial Athletic Association and ranks 14th in the country with 204.7 rushing yards per game, while it leads the conference in rushing touchdowns (18). Additionally, W&M’s current average of 5.05 yards per carry is threatening the program’s single-season record (5.14) set in 1990.
The duo has also helped W&M’s offensive line establish itself among the best at protecting the quarterback, as it ranks ninth nationally with just 10 sacks surrendered this season. Additionally, the Tribe ranks tied for seventh in fewest sacks allowed per game (1.0).
One of the league’s top left tackles, Trainer is a three-year starter and earned second-team all-conference honors last season.
A two-time CoSIDA Academic All-District honoree, Trainer was selected as a semifinalist for the 2020 National Football Foundation Campbell Trophy. He was also chosen to the NFF Hampshire Honor Society, garnered distinction on the CAA Commissioner’s Academic Honor Roll multiple times, earned W&M’s Provost Award for academic excellence and was named Academic All-Big Ten twice at Illinois before transferring to W&M.
Trainer, who served as Co-Chair of the Community Service Committee at the Mason School of Business, earned his undergraduate degree in finance and graduated with an MBA last spring.
Ripley, a two-time team captain who came to W&M as a walk-on, is in his third season as a starter at center.
Earlier this fall, he was selected as a NFF Campbell Trophy semifinalist, while he has also garnered distinction on the CAA’s Commissioner Academic Roll multiple times. A W&M Provost Award recipient, he has also been named to the Dean’s List and is a member of the Alpha Lamda Delta and Phi Et Sigma academic honor societies.
Ripley earned his undergraduate degree in kinesiology with a pre-med concentration and will graduate with a MBA this May.