AUSTIN, Texas -- Three Montana Tech football players set a new program-first Tuesday — Academic All-America honors from College Sports Communicators.

Defensive backs Angel Sanchez III and Matt Whitcomb and tight end Derek Pearse all landed on the NAIA Academic All-America football team, selected by athletic communications professionals nationwide. Montana Tech was the only institution in the NAIA to land three players on the team, and the trio are the first in Oredigger football history to earn the title.

A student-athlete must carry a 3.5 cumulative GPA, sophomore standing or better both academically and athletically, and be a starter or significant contributor to his team to be eligible for the Academic All-America program.

Pearse, a junior from Post Falls, Idaho, was a touchdown machine for the Orediggers in 2024. The 6-foot-3 target made just seven catches on the season, but five of them went for scores. An honorable mention All-Frontier Conference selection, Pearse was also part of a dominant run-blocking corps that helped Tech rank 15th in the country in rushing offense. A mechanical engineering major, he sports a 3.91 grade-point average.

Sanchez, a senior and team captain from Tacoma, Wash., led the team with 10 pass deflections on the season. The three-year starter at cornerback made a total of 62 tackles, 1.5 for a loss, and intercepted a pass. A second-team All-Frontier pick, the mechanical engineering major carries a 3.87 GPA.

Whitcomb, a junior from Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, compiled 111 tackles to rank seventh in the NAIA and lead the Frontier Conference. The first-team all-conference safety also led the league with 15 tackles-for-loss and accumulated 3.5 sacks, five forced fumbles, an interception, and a fumble recovery on the season. Whitcomb holds a 3.73 GPA in the exercise and health science program.

Montana Tech played to a 9-3 season on the gridiron, and the Orediggers landed a second-straight NAIA playoff bid for their trouble. Tech finished the season ranked 10th in the NAIA's postseason top 25.

The 2024 football awards mark just the second time in Montana Tech history that student-athletes have won Academic All-America accolades; women's basketball's Mesa Williams was a second-teamer in 2020.

The NAIA CSC Academic All-America program is partially financially supported through the NAIA governance structure. For more information about CSC's Academic All-District and Academic All-America teams program, visit AcademicAllAmerica.com.

Visit Montana Tech athletics' home online, GoDiggers.com, anytime for up-to-the-minute news and coverage of the Orediggers. Give Montana Tech athletics a like on Facebook, and follow the Orediggers on X and Instagram at @DiggerAthletics.