Lafayette Times

4 Boilermakers Earn Academic All-District Recognition

Four Boilermakers were recognized for their accomplishments on the field and in the classroom. Mitchell Fineran, Ben Furtney, Gus Hartwig and Khordae Sydnor earned a spot on the College Sports Communicators Academic All-District teams, the organization announced Tuesday (Nov. 22).
 
As Academic All-District honorees, the four Boilermakers advance to the CSC Academic All-America ballot. Academic All-America selections will be announced in late December.
 
Fineran holds a perfect 4.0 grade point average as he pursues a master's degree in technology leadership and innovation. On the field, the graduate student has made 12-for-18 field goal attempts this season with a long of 46 yards. In two seasons as a Boilermaker, Fineran has made 36 kicks to rank fifth in program history. His 76.6 field goal percentage (36-47) sits atop Purdue's career leaderboard by kickers with 15 or more attempts.
 
Majoring in chemical engineering, Furtney boasts an impressive 3.86 GPA while making moves on the field. The South Elgin, Illinois, native began his Purdue career as a linebacker before transitioning to fullback during this past fall camp. Furtney has played in five games this season, making a pair of starts. In the win at Maryland, Furtney caught a 20-yard pass as part of a fourth-quarter touchdown drive that gave the Boilermakers the lead for good.
 
Earning a 3.55 GPA as a finance major, Hartwig has been the anchor of the Purdue offensive line. The junior center has made 27 straight starts dating back to the 2020 season. This year, Hartwig has helped protect Purdue quarterbacks and joined the entire line in allowing only 3.73 tackles-for-loss per game to rank sixth in the nation. Facing the nation's best defense in No. 21 Illinois (232.2 yards per game), the Purdue line did not allow a sack and helped the offense rack up 379 yards, the most allowed by the Fighting Illini this season. In the win over Nebraska, Hartwig and the rest of the big Boilermakers paved the way for 217 rushing yards, the most by a Purdue offense in four years.
 
Sydnor maintains a 3.60 GPA while seeking a degree in financial consulting and planning. The redshirt-freshman ranks second on the team in sacks (4.5) and tackles-for-loss (6.5) this season. He made two huge sacks to help Purdue beat Maryland, and his fourth-quarter sack at No. 21 Illinois went for a loss of 18 yards to stall the Illini's drive. Sydnor made a career-high four tackles, including 1.0 TFL, in Purdue's shutout of Indiana State.
 
The Boilermakers (7-4, 5-3 B1G) travel south to face Indiana in the battle for the Old Oaken Bucket (Nov. 26), and a chance for a share of the B1G West is on the line for Purdue as well. Kickoff from Memorial Stadium is set for 3:30 p.m. ET on BTN. 

Original source can be found here.