DIV 2
Three Warriors Inducted into Prestigious NFF Hampshire Honor Society
The National Football Foundation (NFF) & College Hall of Fame announced on Wednesday afternoon that East Stroudsburg University's David Akinwande, Rece Bender and Bo Heshler have been inducted into the 2022 NFF Hampshire Honor Society.
Akinwande, Bender and Heshler were three of an elite group of 1,559 college football players from 313 colleges and universities off all division of the NCAA, NAIA and sprint football that were honored for maintaining a cumulative 3.2 GPA or better throughout their college careers. Inductees must also be starters or significant contributors throughout the 2021 season.
Akinwande, a nursing major, boasted a team-best 3.9 grade point average through the fall 2021 semester. The Warriors fullback rushed for 200 yards and caught nine passes for 87 yards, scoring a rushing and receiving touchdown in 2021. Along with serving as a nursing major and football captain, the Harry S Truman High graduate also serves as the ESU Student-Athlete Advisory Council (SAAC) President and is a tutor in the athletic training and biology departments.
Bender caps his illustrious Warriors football senior season with a NFF Hampshire Honor Society nod. The Lancaster, Pa. native also earned CoSIDA Academic All-America Second Team honors, CoSIDA Academic All-District Super Region 1 accolades, PSAC Fall Top 10 and All-PSAC East First Team at wide receiver.
On the field, Bender ranked second in the conference in all-purpose yards with 120.73 yards per game and fifth in receiving with 795 yards. His combination of receiving and return yards is in elite company, as he is one of just four Warriors in program history with 1,000-plus career receiving and kick return yards. He broke a program record with a 99-yd kickoff return touchdown against Lock Haven. He posted six-plus catches of at least 45 yards. The sport management major holds a GPA of 3.8.
Heshler appeared in seven contests on the offensive line for the Warriors, helping ESU to a top-five rushing offense in the PSAC. He provided blocks for All-PSAC East tailback Gunner Anglovich, who finished four in the PSAC and second in the PSAC East with 962 yards this past season.