Trinity's Brito, Williams' Halbower Named Semifinalists for NFF Scholar-Athlete Awards

Courtesy Trinity/Williams Sports Information

DALLAS, Texas – Trinity football senior co-captain DE Herman Brito (Wayland, Mass.) and Williams senior defensive lineman Ben Halbower (Holton, Mich.) have been named as semifinalists for one of the 2011 National Football Foundation (NFF) National Scholar-Athlete Awards.

Selected as the best and brightest from the college gridiron, the 127 candidates for the 2011 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Awards, presented by Fidelity Investments®, a leading provider of not-for-profit workplace retirement savings plans in higher education, also comprise the list of semifinalists for the 2011 William V. Campbell Trophy, endowed by HealthSouth, which recognizes an individual as the absolute best scholar-athlete in the nation.

This year's candidates truly embody the National Football Foundation's mission of building leaders through football," said NFF Chairman Archie Manning whose sons Peyton (1997 Campbell Trophy winner) and Eli were named NFF National Scholar-Athletes in 1997 and 2003, respectively. "They are standouts in the classroom and on the field and have become leaders in their respective communities. Each school should take great pride in being represented by such well-rounded young men who will undoubtedly go on to do great things in life."

Brito, a 2010 Academic All-District College Division selection, a member of the 2010 NESCAC Fall All-Academic Team, and a two-time All-NESCAC Second Team selection on the defensive line, led Trinity to a 28-10 win at Colby in its season opener Saturday with seven tackles and two sacks. He earned a Lambert Scholarship as the top intern in the Massachusetts State legislature in 2010.

A graduate of Wayland High School, Brito is majoring in public policy & law at Trinity.

An economics and mathematics double major, Halbower, is considering a future in the world of finance and has earned at least an A- in 12 of 24 classes at Williams, including an A+ in Calculus II.

Not playing a glamour position has limited the appreciation of Halbower's many contributions to the stellar Eph defense by fans, but head coach Aaron Kelton says, "Ben Halbower is a rock for us up front and his efforts on the field and off and his leadership are fully appreciated by all of his teammates and our campus community."

Included in Halbower's many community service projects while at Williams are the Hillcrest Educational Center Annual Toy Drive, Williamstown Library Book Sale, a fundraiser for the Western Mass. Food Bank, working on the local Habit for Humanity project in town, assisting the elderly in a town mobile home park ravaged by Hurricane Irene, but the most impressive might just be a project back home.

For the last two years Halbower has served as an umpire in the Holton, Michigan Little League and has donated his pay back to the league, while also working on building dugouts and helping improve the facility.

Nominated by their schools, which are limited to one nominee each, candidates for the awards must be a senior or graduate student in their final year of eligibility, have a GPA of at least 3.2 on a 4.0 scale, have outstanding football ability as a first team player or significant contributor, and have demonstrated strong leadership and citizenship. The class is selected each year by the NFF Awards Committee, which is comprised of a nationally recognized group of media, College Football Hall of Famers and athletics administrators.

"The NFF would like to personally congratulate each of the nominees for maintaining such high standards throughout their collegiate careers," said NFF President & CEO Steven J. Hatchell. "We are extremely proud to showcase their achievements, and there is no question that the NFF Awards Committee will have an incredibly difficult task in selecting the final group of honorees from among this esteemed group."

The NFF Awards Committee will select up to 16 recipients, and the results will be announced via a national press release on Wednesday, October 26. Each recipient will receive an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship, and they will vie as finalists for the 2011 William V. Campbell Trophy. Each member of the 2011 National Scholar-Athlete Class will also travel to New York City be honored December 6 during the 54th NFF Annual Awards Dinner at the Waldorf-Astoria where their accomplishments will be highlighted in front of one of the most powerful audiences in all of sports.