Wheaton, Ill. – Sam Bell and Giovanni Weeks of the Thunder football team have been selected to 2022 College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-America Division III Football Team. Wheaton's two selections this season marks the fourth time in team history that the program has had multiple selections in the same year. In 2021 Wheaton set a school record with four selections, and this season's two picks matches the two honorees Wheaton had selected in 1976 (Eugene Campbell and Craig Carter) and again in 2011 (J.J. Clark and Scott Roche). 

Bell, a Thunder safety, is a Business and Economics major at Wheaton with a 3.83 cumulative GPA. A First Team Academic All-American at defensive back, he made 40 total tackles this season, including 33 solo stops. He registered a team-leading four interceptions, tying for the CCIW lead in the category. He returned three of his picks this season for a touchdown. Bell led the CCIW in the 2022 regular season with five interceptions. He led the Thunder with 10 passes defended, while he was third on the team in total tackles (49) and in solo tackles (36).
 
Weeks is a Business and Economics major at Wheaton with a 3.66 cumulative grade point average. A senior, Weeks is now a two time Academic All-American. Weeks earned First Team honors at running back in 2021 and this year he is a Second Team selection. A two-time All-American for the Thunder, broke his own Wheaton single-season record for touchdowns with 24 TD's this year. The senior carried the ball 191 times for 1,245 yards as he averaged 6.5 yards per carry and 18 rushing touchdowns. Weeks recorded 29 receptions for 340 yards as he averaged 11.7 yards per catch, with six touchdown receptions. 

The CSC Academic All-America® program honors student-athletes annually who have succeeded at the highest level in athletics and in the classroom. Members of the eight First Team Academic All-District®  squads in each Division advance to the national ballot, where they have the opportunity to be selected for the Academic All-America Team. Individuals are selected through voting by CSC; a 2,000-plus member organization consisted of sports public relations professionals for colleges and universities in the United States and Canada.

Through the years, Wheaton student-athletes have earned a total of 113 Academic All-American selections through the prestigious program. Since 2000, there have been 88 Academic All-American selections from Wheaton, and Thunder Athletics has produced at least one CSC Academic All-American for 24-consecutive years.

There have been 26 Wheaton College football Academic All-America selections among 22 players since the program began: Bill Hyer (1973); Eugene Campbell (1975 & 1976); Craig Carter (1976); Paul Sternenberg (1988), Bart Moseman (1992); Pedro Arruza (1993, 1994 & 1995); Jeff Brown (1995); Chip Parrish (1996); Dane Lundgren (2002); James Hoxworth (2003); Andrew Day (2005); J.J. Clark (2011); Scott Roche (2011), Eric Stevenson (2017 & 2018) and Corey Kennedy (2018 & 2019); Luke Anthony (2021); Caleb Egbert (2021); Ryan Schwartz (2021); Weeks (2021 & 2022); and Bell (2022).

To be eligible, a student-athlete must be a varsity starter or key reserve, maintain a cumulative G.P.A. of 3.30 on a scale of 4.00, have reached sophomore athletic and academic standing at his/her current institution. Since the program's inception in 1952, CSC (formerly known as CoSIDA) has bestowed Academic All-America honors on more than 14,000 student-athletes in Division I, II, III, NAIA and junior colleges covering all NCAA championship sports.