Academic All-Colorado Teams

BOULDER, Colo. - National Football Foundation Colorado Chapter Collegiate Scholar-Athlete of the Year Colin Peter highlighted 29 Orediggers honored by the NFFCC in their annual Academic All-Colorado announcement.

Peter will be honored along with linebacker Dean Wenger, previously named the NFFCC Defensive Player of the Year, at the organization's annual banquet on April 9 at the Marriott Denver West. He is the second Mines offensive lineman in three years to earn the Centennial State's highest academic accolade, joining former linemate Richie Rice (2015), and they account for two of the four awards since its establishment in 2014. Peter earned his B.S. in mechanical engineering in 2017 with a 3.920 undergraduate GPA, and is currently completing his M.S. in the same field with a 3.90 graduate GPA. 

Peter beat out an accomplished field of finalists including CSU-Pueblo center Corbin Feenstra, Colorado linebacker Derek McCartney, and Colorado State quarterback Nick Stevens.

A team captain and two-year starter at guard, Peter was a 2017 CoSIDA First-Team Academic All-American and 2016 CoSIDA Second-Team Academic All-American. A two-time Honorable Mention All-RMAC pick, Peter anchored some of the best offensive lines ever assembled at Mines as the Orediggers went 35-12 overall and 29-9 in RMAC play during his career, including the 2016 RMAC title. As a senior in 2017, he helped produce NCAA Division II's No. 10-ranked rushing offense (245.6 yards per game) with 32 rushing touchdowns as Mines ran for 300-plus yards four times and 450 or more twice while blocking for Associated Press and D2CCA All-American running back Cam Mayberry (1,563 yards). As a junior in 2016 he was charged with protecting Harlan Hill Trophy-winning quarterback Justin Dvorak as the Orediggers compiled the nation's top total offense (566.8 yards per game). 

Sixteen Orediggers earned NFFCC First-Team All-Academic status for their work in the classroom. In addition to Peter, Ben Bottlinger, Ryan Buck, Levi Cecil, Grant Gale, Geoff Keating, Sean Kopel, Cody Limmer, Nicola Lonardo, Ryan Manning, Riley Miller, Chase Nicholas, Brody Oliver, Zach Peterson, David Sommers, and Cody Ullestad took home first-team honors. Another 13 Orediggers - Logan Braden, Chad Brockman, Grayson Harris, Riley Hoff, Cody Huffmeister, Michael Kelso, James Kohlschmidt, Averie Mansfield, Joey Murray, Blake Nicholas, Grant Stewart, Chantz Tanner, and Jason Van de Graaf - were named to the NFFCC Honorable Mention All-Academic team.

To qualify for first-team status, a student-athlete had to maintain a 3.3 or higher GPA with a 70-percent participation rate (unless injured). Honorable mention status went to those student-athletes meeting the participation requirement with GPAs between 3.0 and 3.29.