Going Out on Top: Illinois Tech Baseball Player Named First-Team Academic All-America

In a fitting way to cap a career that saw him excel on the field and in the classroom, Illinois Institute of Technology baseball player Ted Howell was named first-team Academic All-America by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) on July 27.

Howell, who graduated in May with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering and a master’s in mechanical and aerospace engineering, is the third Illinois Tech student-athlete to earn Academic All-America honors and the second to earn multiple Academic All-America honors after being named to the second team in 2019. Men’s soccer player Liam Barrett received Academic All-America honors three times from 2010–2012, and women’s soccer player Emily Kunkel was selected in 2010.

In order to be selected to the CoSIDA Academic All-America team, a student-athlete has to maintain a 3.3 cumulative grade-point average and be a key contributor to their team.

Howell finished his final season at Illinois Tech with a 4.0 GPA in the classroom, and amassed a .407 batting average, 20 doubles, seven home runs, and 43 runs batted in on the baseball field as he was one of 11 Division III baseball players to earn first-team Academic All-America honors.

The honor was the final of several accolades Howell earned in 2021. Earlier this month, Howell was named the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference Co-Male Student-Athlete of the Year. He was also named to the All-NACC South Division Team, d3baseball.com All-Midwest Region Third Team, and American Baseball Coaches Association All-Midwest Region Third Team.

Photo: Illinois Tech baseball player Ted Howell