Academic Honors Sparkle on Gridiron

December 09, 1999

SEARCH THE GAZETTE

HARVARD GAZETTE ARCHIVES

KACYVENSKI WINS PRESTIGIOUS "SWEDE" NELSON AWARD

Named New England's Top Student-Athlete For Division 1-A/1-AA
Senior linebacker Isaiah Kacyvenski, who finished his career as Harvard's all-time leading tackler, has been named the recipient of the 54th Nils V. "Swede" Nelson Award, presented to the "best, most academically talented" college football player in New England.

Kacyvenski, the first Harvard player to start all 40 games of his collegiate career, finished with 395 tackles. This season, he set school records for tackles in a season (135) and a game (20) and made five interceptions while helping the Crimson to a 5-5 mark. A three-time First Team All-Ivy selection, he was among 16 finalists for the 1999 Buck Buchanan Award, presented to the top defensive player in Division 1-AA, and is likely to earn All-America honors.

In the classroom, Kacyvenski carries a 3.15 GPA as an environmental sciences and public policy major. He has completed his pre-med requirements and hopes to attend medical school after pursuing a career in professional football.

He is the third Harvard recipient of the award, which is named for the 1918 Harvard graduate and Crimson football letter-winner. Vic Gatto '69 won the award in 1968 and Jim Stoeckel was honored in 1973.

Last season, Kacyvenski made 108 tackles and was named First Team All-Ivy, First Team All-New England, and Second Team All-ECAC. He was also First Team All-Ivy and All-New England in 1997 when Harvard went 9-1 and captured the Ivy League championship, after being the League's Rookie of the Year in 1996.

BEN GREEN HONORED FOR ATHLETIC AND ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENTS
Cherry Hill Native Named Honorable Mention All-Ivy, 1st Team Academic All-America
Senior free safety Ben Green, who became a starter in the Harvard secondary this past season, has been honored for both his play on the field and his outstanding achievements in the classroom.

Free safety Ben Green '00 puts a good hit on a Columbia ball carrier earlier this season. Photo by Jon Chase.

Green was chosen Honorable Mention All-Ivy by the League's eight coaches, and was named CoSida First Team Academic All-America by the College Sports Information Directors of America.

In 10 games this season, Green made 74 tackles, fourth-most on the team and first among players in the secondary. He had 45 primary hits and 29 assisted tackles. Green also picked off two passes, had six pass deflections, and recovered a pair of fumbles. He made a career-high 11 tackles in the Crimson's game versus Colgate. He was part of a Harvard squad that ranked 19th nationally in scoring defense (19.1 ppg), 38th in pass efficiency defense (108.9 rating), and sixth in rushing defense (90.2 yards per game).

Green earned his first varsity letter in 1998 when he collected 36 tackles and picked off one pass while seeing time in the secondary and on special teams.

As for academics, Green carries a 3.34 grade point average as an anthropology major. He is a three-year recipient of the Harvard College Scholarship and was awarded the Robert Westervelt Memorial Scholarship for 1998-99. Green is the sixth Academic All-America in Harvard history and the second to gain First Team status.

Harvard finished the 1999 campaign with a 5-5 (3-4 Ivy League) record. The Crimson defeated Columbia, Holy Cross, Fordham, Princeton, and Dartmouth. The team's five setbacks came by a total of 18 points and Harvard led or was tied in the fourth quarter of each of those games.