ALFRED, NY —
A.J. LiCata (Lake View, NY/Frontier), a junior linebacker on the Alfred University football team, has been named a semifinalist for the Gagliardi Trophy, an annual award recognizing excellence in Division III football.
LiCata is one of 10 semifinalists in the running for the Gagliardi Trophy, which is presented by Jostens and the J-Club of St. John's University. The award, given annually since 1993, recognizes excellence in athletics, academics and community service. It is named after John Gagliardi, St. John's University's legendary Hall of Fame head football coach who retired in 2012 with 489 career victories, the most in college football history
The 24
th Gagliardi Trophy will be presented on Wednesday, Dec. 14, in Salem, Va., at a banquet kicking off the Division III championship weekend, which culminates in the Stagg Bowl on Friday, Dec. 16. The four finalists, who will be announced Dec. 6, will be on hand for the announcement of the winner and presentation of the trophy at the banquet
Nominations were submitted by colleges and universities across the country, and the final 10 were selected by the J-Club Board of Directors. The Gagliardi Trophy national-selection committee is comprised of 40 former small college football players, former Gagliardi Trophy recipients, business leaders, academicians and sports writers from around the country. Each casts a ballot ranking the 10 semifinalists.
A
Fan Vote, which will serve as the 41st committee member, was launched on
D3football.com today (Nov. 21) and will run until Monday, Dec. 5.
The award takes into account statistics from the regular season only. In 10 regular season contests, LiCata had 110 tackles (second in the Empire 8 Conference), including nine for loss and 3 ½ sacks, with one interception. His 11 tackles per game in the regular season ranked 26
th in Division III, and he was the leading tackler on a defense that ranked 22
nd in the country in rush defense (91 yards per game) and 23
rd in total defense (286 yards per game).
LiCata has been named to the Dean's List each of his four semesters at Alfred University and this year was named a College Sports Information Directors Association (CoSIDA) Academic All-District 3 honoree. As an Academic All-District selection, he is eligible for Academic All-American consideration; CoSIDA will announce its Academic All-American teams Nov. 28.
He is also active in community service initiatives, both on campus and in the Alfred community, as well as in his hometown.
LiCata serves as the football team's representative to the Student Athlete Advisory Council (SAAC). He participates in the Student Managed Investment Fund (SMIF) in the Alfred University School of Business and has served as a teaching assistant for a Business Perspectives class. He participates each fall in the football team's Community Cleanup Day, in which players and coaches go into the Alfred community and help residents clean up their property, and volunteers for the Concern for Youth of Hornell, NY, a program serving disadvantaged youth by organizing games and activities and providing mentorship.
In his hometown community, LiCata spends time at the Autumn View Skilled Nursing Facility in Hamburg, NY, assisting with its Holiday Party, and also volunteers at the summer basketball camp at his alma mater, Frontier High School.