ST. LOUIS, Mo. – The Drake University football team had seven student-athletes selected to the 2017 Academic All-PFL teams, the league office announced Wednesday.
 
For the second-straight year, senior Nathan Clayberg and fifth-year senior Tanner Evans earned first team honors. Clayberg is a finance and accounting major with a 3.82 grade point average and was named first team All-PFL earlier this week after recording 44 tackles with five tackles for a loss and 2.5 sacks. Evans, who was also selected first team All-PFL, owns a 3.79 GPA as a finance and politics major. He led the Bulldogs and ranked third in the PFL with six sacks. Last month, Clayberg and Evans both were named first team CoSIDA Academic All-District.
 
Sophomore offensive lineman Jacob Bacon and senior running back Brock Reichardt made their first appearance on the first-team list. Bacon, who started all 11 games at right tackle, maintains a 3.93 GPA as an actuarial science major. Reichardt is a biochemistry and molecular biology major with a 3.80 GPA and led the Bulldogs in rushing with 504 yards and five touchdowns on 121 carries.

Three Bulldogs were listed on the Academic All-PFL second team with tight end Connor Ostrander, linebacker Mike Maize, and defensive lineman Peter Read each being named to the team. Ostrander owns a 3.68 GPA as a finance and accounting major and ranked second on the team with four receiving touchdowns. Maize received All-PFL second-team honors earlier this week and holds a 3.50 GPA as an elementary education major. Read is a health science major with a 3.84 GPA and registered 34 tackles with 4.5 tackles for a loss and two sacks.

The Academic All-PFL teams are a complement to the Capital One Academic All-America® program presented by the College Sports Information Directors of America. Fifteen PFL student-athletes were named to their respective Capital One Academic All-District Teams® this fall.

Pioneer Football League athletic directors established the Academic All-PFL squads in 1993 as a way to recognize the league's outstanding student-athletes. To be eligible for Academic All-PFL consideration, a student-athlete must be a varsity starter or key reserve, maintain a cumulative grade-point average of 3.30 on a scale of 4.00 and reached their second season both athletically and academically at his current institution.