ST. LOUIS -- University of Dayton senior running back Jake Chisholm has been named a repeat winner of the Pioneer Football League Scholar-Athlete of the Year award in an announcement by the league office today. 

This is the fifth time a Flyer was named the PFL Scholar-Athlete of the Year in the nine years of the award.  Christopher Beaschler was named in 2015 and 2016, while Tucker Yinger was the 2018 winner.  Beaschler and Chisholm are the only repeat winners.  No other PFL Team has more than two.

Chisholm was a unanimous First Team Academic All-PFL selection and was a First Team All-PFL pick as a running back  this season. A pre-medicine major – with minors in Chemistry, Biology, and Medicine – he carries a 3.98 grade-point average. The Flyer co-captain is a three-time CoSIDA Academic All-American (1st team in 2021 1st team in 2020, 3rd team in 2019) and is on the national ballot again after earning Academic All-District honors earlier this month.

He is also a finalist for the National Football Foundation's William V. Campbell Trophy (which is sometimes called the "Academic Heisman") and the Doris Robinson Award (which goes to the top FCS student-athlete).

Chisholm, a two-time FCS All-American and three-time Academic All-American, gained 1,050 yards this season.  He is the first Dayton football player to have three 1,000-yard seasons.  He ended his Flyer football career as UD's all-time record holder in all-purpose yardage (5,063 yards), second in career touchdowns (47) and third in career rushing (3,276 yards).  

He led the Pioneer Football League in scoring (102 points) and all-purpose yardage (1,320 yards).  Nationally, he was second in carries (233) and tied for fourth in touchdowns (17).

Chisholm is one of 30 finalists for the Stats Perform FCS Walter Payton Award, presented annually to the subdivision's offensive player of the year. 

Joining Chisholm as a PFL First Team All-Academic selection were punter Drew Nieman (3.81/ Mechanical Engineering), linebacker Ben Schmiesing (3.98/Business Administration), cornerback Elijah Smith (3.98/Business Management), offensive tackle David Tkatch (3.86/Finance) and wide receiver Derek Willits (3.97/Biochemistry).  H-Back Cade Beam (4.0/Finance) was on the second team.

The PFL communications directors vote on the Academic All-PFL teams.  Pioneer Football League athletic directors established the Academic All-PFL squads in 1993 as a way to recognize the league's outstanding student-athletes. To be eligible for Academic All-PFL consideration, a student-athlete must be a varsity starter or key reserve, maintain a cumulative grade point average of 3.30 on a scale of 4.00.