MOORHEAD, Minn.-- Concordia senior linebacker Matt Kleber (Moorhead, Minn.) has been named to the ESPN The Magazine/CoSIDA Academic All-District First Team.

It is the first time in his career that he has earned the prestigious academic award. He becomes the third Cobber player in the last three seasons to win the award. Last year Jodan Talge '05 was named to the ESPN The Magazine/CoSIDA Academic All-District First Team and later went on to be named to the Academic All-American Second Team. Mitch Maxwell '04 was awarded the honor in 2003.

Kleber will advance to the national ballot for Academic All-America consideration. Kleber was one of ten MIAC football student/athletes chosen to the first team.

Kleber is currently second on the team in tackles with 43. He is second in solo tackles as well (36).

Kleber also has two sacks on the season and has picked off one pass.

He is a driving force behind the Cobber defense that led the MIAC in rushing defense. Concordia is currently ranked in 15th in the nation in rushing defense.

Kleber has a 3.71 grade point average and is majoring in Physics and Math. He is a member of the Society of Physics Students and worked as a research assistant in the Physics Department at the college this summer.

The ESPN The Magazine/CoSIDA Academic All-America Teams program honors 816 male and female student-athletes annually who have succeeded at the highest level on the playing field and in the classroom. Individuals are selected through voting by CoSIDA, the College Sports Information Directors of America; a 2,000-member organization consisting of sports public relations professionals for colleges and universities in the United States and Canada.

To be eligible, a student-athlete must be a varsity starter or key reserve, maintain a cumulative G.P.A. of 3.20 on a scale of 4.00, have reached sophomore athletic and academic standing at his/her current institution and be nominated by his/her sports information director. Since the program’s inception in 1952, CoSIDA has bestowed Academic All-America honors on more than 14,000 student-athletes in Division I, II, III and NAIA covering all NCAA championship sports. ESPN the Magazine is in its second year as the exclusive corporate sponsor of the Academic All-America program.