Grove City College is running down our Top Ten stories of 2021. This story was originally published Dec. 16
Gustafson
The College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) has selected Grove City College senior wide receiver Cody Gustafson as its 2021 Division III Academic All-America of the Year.
Gustafson, of Shippensburg, Pa., is the first Grove City College student-athlete to earn CoSIDA Academic All-America of the Year distinction. He also earned his third straight First Team CoSIDA Division III Academic All-America honor.
“There are a lot of amazing student-athletes who have come through Grove City. It is an honor to be the first person to achieve this award,” Gustafson said. “I am super thankful for my professors, coaches and all of my teammates who have enabled me to achieve this.”
Gustafson caught 97 passes for 1,420 yards and 14 touchdowns in 11 games this season for Grove City. Gustafson currently leads all active NCAA players with 5,305 career receiving yards and his 341 career receptions are No. 2 among active college football players.
He capped his career Nov. 20 by recording 13 catches for 232 yards and four touchdowns in Grove City's 49-7 win over Utica in the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Scotty Whitelaw Bowl.
Tuesday afternoon, the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) selected Gustafson as a First Team All-American. D3football.com named Gustafson as an All-Region 2 honoree last week while the Presidents’ Athletic Conference’s head coaches voted Gustafson as the league’s Offensive Player of the Year for the second straight season.
He also earned First Team All-PAC for the fourth straight year.
Gustafson also has been named as a semifinalist for the prestigious Gagliardi Trophy, which recognizes excellence in athletics, academics and community service in NCAA Division III football.
This season, over 22,000 players competed for 239 collegiate football programs in NCAA Division III.
“Cody embodies the type of student-athlete that we hope to have as members of our teams at Grove City College. He is richly blessed with academic and athletic abilities, along with an internal competitive fire that I have not encountered in many people,” Grove City athletic director Todd Gibson said. “Further, he carries himself with a level of humility and faithfulness that is inspiring to others.
“Of the many awards that he has earned in his career at Grove City College, earning the most significant academic award that a student-athlete can earn in Division III football is a fitting capstone.”
In the classroom, Gustafson has earned a 3.93 GPA while majoring in mathematics and finance. He has been named to the conference's Academic Honor Roll in both football and track. Gustafson has also earned Dean's List distinction.
Last spring, Gustafson earned CoSIDA Academic All-America honors in track and field after placing second in the triple jump and third in the long jump at the 2021 conference championships.
He is the first Grove City student-athlete to earn national recognition in two different CoSIDA Academic All-America programs.
Grove City has produced at least one CoSIDA Academic All-American in each of the last 20 years.
The 2021-22 academic year marks the 11th year that CoSIDA has based its Academic All-America program on individual divisions within college athletics. Currently, CoSIDA honors student-athletes in NCAA Divisions I, II and III, along with a "College" division that includes NAIA institutions and junior colleges
A student-athlete must be at least a sophomore with a 3.3 or higher cumulative grade-point average and be a starter or significant reserve to be nominated for the CoSIDA Academic All-America program.
For more about Grove City College Athletics, visit athletics.gcc.edu.