Clayton, North Carolina, 5th-year quarterback one of 15 from NCAA Division IIand two from the NE10 named among 176 semifinalists by National Football Foundation
National Football Foundation Announces Campbell Trophy Semifinalists
EASTON, Mass. (September 29, 2021) - For the eighth time over the last nine years, the Stonehill College football program has placed one of its top student-athletes among the semifinalists for the William V. Campbell Trophy®, the National Football Foundation (NFF) and College Football Hall of Fame announced today.
Stonehill fifth-year quarterback Anton Stoneking has been named among an impressive 176 semifinalists across all levels of college football, including 15 from NCAA Division II, and one of two from the Northeast-10 Conference as part of four from Super Region 1. Stoneking has earned a 3.55 cumulative grade point average as a dual major in finance and economics.
Stoneking, a two-year starter at quarterback and team captain this fall, has earned Dean's List status six semesters for having a grade point average of 3.50 or higher. He has been inducted into Lambda Epsilon Sigma Honor Society, the Financial Management Association National Honor Society and Omicron Delta Epsilon International Economics Honor Society. Stoneking has been named to the NE10 Academic Honor Roll all eight semesters, with Academic Distinction status the last three semesters for having a GPA between 3.50 and 3.99, with Athletic Director's Honor Roll all eight as well for a semester GPA of 3.20 or higher. He is a is a two-time Division II Athletic Director's Association (ADA) Academic Achievement Award recipient.
Stoneking has taken part in Stonehill's ENGAGE Financial Leadership program that enables participants to expand on their early academic experience and broaden their professional development and leadership skills. He is Bloomberg certified and earned finance experience with Fit Factory Clubs in nearby Quincy, Massachusetts, updating and simplifying documents essential for decision making. Stoneking is active with the College's Envestnet Institute on campus, a broad-based training in asset and wealth management program, with emphasis on managed solutions. He has also participated in the Stonehill Athletic Department's Leadership Development series for student-athletes.
Stoneking, an All-NE10 third team selection at quarterback as a junior in 2019, ranks seventh all-time in Stonehill history with his 2,804 career passing yards, 359 pass attempts and 222 completions, while his 22 career touchdown passes rank eighth and his 61.8 career completion percentage has currently matched the program record. His 139.9 career pass efficiency rating is on pace to break the current program record, while his 7.8 average yards per pass ranks second all-time. Stoneking ranks eighth all-time at Stonehill with 2,877 total yards and is tied for tenth for touchdowns responsible for with 26 in 14 career games.
Stoneking is the eighth Campbell Trophy semifinalist over the last nine years for the Skyhawks (PHOTO BY Mary Gettens) |
Stoneking has started all four games for Stonehill under center this season, completing 65-of-106 passes for 857 yards (214.3 per game) with seven touchdowns. He leads the NE10 in completion percentage at 61.3-percent, while ranking fourth with his 147.9 pass efficiency rating, fifth for passing yards and eighth in touchdown passes. Stoneking is coming off a three-touchdown performance in Saturday night's 27-26 win over Assumption University, engineering a pair of comebacks from two scores down, including a 12-point deficit in the fourth quarter. He recorded 74 total yards on the Skyhawks game-winning drive, completing all four pass attempts and adding two carries for 14 yards, capped by a 20-yard touchdown pass with 36-seconds to play to put Stonehill in front for the first time all night.
Stoneking, an NE10 All-Rookie Team pick in 2019, led Stonehill to a 6-4 record in his first season as its starting quarterback, completing 157-of-253 passes (62.1%) for 1,950 yards and 15 touchdowns for a pass efficiency rating of 138.5. His completions rank sixth on Stonehill's all-time single season list, while ranking sixth in passing yards, ninth for touchdowns. third for completion percentage and fourth for pass efficiency.
Stoneking actively gives back to the community, having volunteered locally at My Brother's Keeper in Easton. He is a member of the Clayton (N.C.) Civitan Youth Sports Club and collected donations for the Ronald McDonald House program near his hometown.
Stonehill (3-1, 1-1 NE10) is off this weekend for its bye week, but will return to action on Saturday, October 9, when it visits American International College for an NE10 matchup at noon. The Skyhawks return home the following Saturday, October 16, to host Saint Anselm College as part of Homecoming Weekend at the College for the 16th "Battle for the Ol' Bronze Hawk" at 1 p.m.
The National Football Foundation will announce 12-14 finalists for the William V. Campbell Trophy® on October 27, and each of them will receive an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship as a member of the 2021 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class presented by Fidelity Investments. The finalists will travel to the ARIA Resort & Casino Las Vegas for the 63rd NFF Annual Awards Dinner Presented by Las Vegas on Dec. 7, where their accomplishments will be highlighted in front of one of the most powerful audiences in all of sports. Live during the event, one member of the class will be declared as the winner of the 32nd Campbell Trophy® and have his postgraduate scholarship increased to $25,000.
Nominated by their schools, which are limited to one nominee each, candidates for the awards must be a senior or graduate student in their final year of playing eligibility, have a GPA of at least 3.2 on a 4.0 scale, have outstanding football ability as a first team player or significant contributor and have demonstrated strong leadership and citizenship. The class is selected each year by the NFF Awards Committee, which is comprised of a nationally recognized group of media, College Football Hall of Famers and athletics administrators.
Named in honor of the late Bill Campbell, former chairman of Intuit, former player and head coach at Columbia University and the 2004 recipient of the NFF's Gold Medal, the Campbell Trophy® is a 25-pound bronze trophy and increases the amount of the recipient's grant by $7,000 for a total postgraduate scholarship of $25,000. This year's postgraduate scholarships will push the program's all-time distribution to more than $12.1 million.
Launched in 1959, the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Awards presented by Fidelity Investments celebrate their 63rd year in 2021. The awards were the first initiative in history to grant postgraduate scholarships based on both a player's academic and athletic accomplishments, and the NFF has recognized 878 outstanding individuals since their inception. The Campbell Trophy® was first awarded in 1990 and is celebrating its 32nd year in 2021.
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