Orono, Maine -- University of Maine graduate student offensive lineman Michael Gerace has been named a semifinalist for the 2022 William V. Campbell Trophy, college football's premier scholar-athlete award, as announced by the National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame (NFF) on Sept. 28.

Gerace is one of just 156 semifinalists and one of only 37 nominees representing the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS).

Gerace earned his undergraduate degree in finance & accounting with a minor in economics in May of 2022 and is currently pursuing his MBA in business analytics. He is a four-time Dean's List selection, a Presidential Scholar, a CAA honor roll representative, and a four-time UMaine Scholar Athlete Award recipient. On the field, Gerace is Maine's active leader in games play to go along with an impressive 38 starts on the offensive line. Gerace, who has played all five positions on the offensive line during his career at Maine, is a two-time captain and was named to the CAA Preseason All-Conference team prior to the 2022 fall season. Following the 2021 season, Gerace was named to the All-CAA Second Team.

The NFF will announce 12-14 finalists on Oct. 26, and each of them will receive an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship as a member of the 2022 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class Presented by Fidelity Investments. The finalists will travel to Bellagio Resort & Casino in Las Vegas for the 64th NFF Annual Awards Dinner Presented by Las Vegas on Dec. 6, 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 33rd 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.

-UMaine-