Benkert and Kiser Named to NFF Hampshire Honor Society

April 11, 2018

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va.– Virginia football players Kurt Benkert and Micah Kiser earned NFF Hampshire Honor Society membership, as announced by the National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame. To earn membership a football student-athlete must maintain a cumulative 3.2 GPA or better throughout his college career.

Other qualifications for membership in the NFF Hampshire Honor Society include: Being a starter or a significant contributor in the last year of eligibility at an NCAA FBS, FCS, Division II, Division III or an NAIA college or university; achieving a 3.2 cumulative grade point average throughout the entire course of undergraduate study; and meeting all NCAA/NAIA-mandated progress toward degree requirements.

Benkert (Sr., Cape Coral, Fla.) is the first player in Cavalier history to throw for over 3,000 yards in a season. His single-season UVA record for passing yards was set in 2017 at 3,207 passig yards. He also set UVA’s single-season record for total offense with 3,144 yards in 2017. Benkert is the first player in Virginia history to throw for over 20 touchdowns in multiple seasons. He had 21 in 2016 and his 25 in 2017 are No. 2 all-time at UVA for a single season. In only two years Benkert ranks No. 3 all-time at UVA with 5,759 passing yards and 46 passing touchdowns. For a career, Benkert holds the UVA records for completions per game (21.91), passing touchdowns per game (1.92) and fewest career interceptions per career pass (0.0218).

Kiser (Baltimore, Md.) was the 2017 Campbell Trophy winner (academic Heisman) which is presented by the National Football Foundation. Earlier this year took Kiser took part in the NFL Combine and was invited to play in the 2018 Senior Bowl. A three-time first-team All-ACC honoree and a first-team All-American (Sporting News ) in 2017, Kiser’s 145 tackles were the fourth most in the nation and are No. 2 all-time on UVA’s single-season ledger. Over the past two seasons Kiser has been named to 11 different All-America teams, including earning second-team CoSIDA Academic All-America honors in 2016, becoming the first Cavalier to do so in nearly 20 years. Kiser led the Atlantic Coast Conference in tackles in 2015, 2016 and 2017. He is just the second player in league history to lead the conference in tackles for three straight seasons. Kiser was also a semifinalist for the prestigious AAU James E. Sullivan Award.

UVA has had a Cavalier now earn the honor three years in a row. Nicholas Conte, Ryan Santoro and Conner Wingo-Reeves earned the honor in 2017, while Ian Frye was recognized in 2016. Fellow ACC members Boston College, Duke, Georgia Tech, Pittsburgh, Miami, NC State, Syracuse and Wake Forest also boast student-athletes that gained membership in 2018.