HIRAM, Ohio - January 7, 2026 - Hiram football was well represented in the College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District Team, which was announced on Tuesday afternoon in a release. Earning the award for the 2025 Terriers team was QB Sean Tejeda, DB Devyn Mercilliott, DB Keinen-Markell Newsone and DB Brice Criggall.

The honor is awarded to student-athletes from the Division I, Division II, Division III and NAIA levels for their performance both athletically and academically throughout the 2025 season. To be eligible, a student-athlete must be at least a sophomore and hold a cumulative GPA of 3.50 or higher. They must also have participated in at least 90% of the institution's games or started in a minimum of 66% of those games during the most recent season. 

Tejeda found his footing among the best quarterbacks in the Presidents' Athletic Conference this past season, as he set the single-season program records in both passing yards (2,911) and passing touchdowns (24) over nine games of action. The junior from San Antonio had over 300 passing yards in four different games, which included a 440-yard, 4-touchdown performance in a win over Bethany on Oct. 18.

Mercilliott wrapped up his collegiate career in style, totaling the third-most tackles (65) and fifth-most tackles for loss (3) on the Terriers roster. Over three years in the blue and red, Mercilliott recorded 191 tackles, two blocked kicks and nearly 10 tackles for loss. He represented Hiram at PAC Media Day ahead of the 2025 season as a team captain. Mercilliott is also a two-time winner of the award.

Newsone was a consistent force in the Hiram secondary, finding his way to the top of the depth chart and tallying 19 tackles, which included a tackle for loss. A three-year member of the team, Newsone will be expected to take on an even larger workload in 2026.

Like Mercilliott, Criggall is also a two-time CSC Academic All-District Team selection, previously earning the award in 2024. The junior from Branford, FL appeared in all 10 games this season, which included 21 tackles and three interceptions; his two interceptions against Oberlin on Sept. 13 spearheaded Hiram to its first win of the campaign.

While Mercilliott will be graduating this spring, the other three award winners are set to return to the Terriers roster in what figures to be another step forward in 2026 under head coach Xavier Dupree. Hiram will unveil its 2026 schedule this summer before taking the field in September.