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BUFFALO, NY -The University at Buffalo football team dominated the GTE/CoSIDA Academic All-District I Football team with five of the 20 spots on the team. The squad was selected by District I members of the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).

Dan Poulsen (North Tonawanda, NY/N. Tonawanda) made the District I team for the second straight season to highlight the Bulls five honorees. Other Buffalo players honored included junior offensive tackle Mike Garofalo (Sharpsville, PA/Kennedy Christian), junior offensive guard David Pruce (Chardon, OH/Chardon), sophomore linebacker Brandon Nishnick (Waterford, PA/Fort LeBouef) and redshirt freshman running back David Schmidli (Ransomville, NY/Wilson).

District I includes all Division I-A and I-AA schools within the states of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island and Vermont.

Poulsen, a senior defensive end, has a 3.84 grade point average in Physical Therapy which ranks as the highest of any male athlete at the school. Poulsen leads the Bulls in sacks (5¹/₂) for the second straight season and has 44 tackles and a team-high 12 stops for losses on the season. He ranks seventh all-time in career sacks.

Garofalo and Pruce are part of an offensive line that has set new school records for rushing yards (2,255) and first downs by rushing (126) this season. Garofalo is a three-year starter with a 3.41 GPA in Management while Pruce is in his second season of starting and has a 3.80 in Political Science. UB's offensive line has also allowed only seven quarterback sacks this season.

Schmidli, meanwhile, has been a major contributor to the offense as a redshirt freshman. Schmidli, who finished his high school career at nearby Wilson HS as Western New York's all-time leading rusher, has 237 yards rushing on 40 carries this season (5.9 yards per carry) and a pair of touchdowns. He also has nine receptions for 63 yards and has a 3.54 GPA while majoring in Physical Therapy.

Nishnick, a sophomore linebacker, rounds out the Bulls' impressive list of scholar-athletes. A backup linebacker and special teams standout, he has made 19 tackles on the year, forced a fumble and had one sack. A History major, Nishnick carries a 3.36 GPA in the classroom.

"We have prided ourselves on balancing academics with football here at UB and seeing five players on an Academic All-American team verifies that commitment," said UB head coach Craig Cirbus. "I am extremely pleased to see the efforts that these players have made rewarded in this fashion."