WORCESTER – The WPI football program earned eight selections to the 2025 College Sports Communicators (CSC) NCAA Division III Football Academic All-District Team, recognizing the nation's top student-athletes for their combined performances on the field and in the classroom.

Graduate student Josh Castro (Pittsburgh, PA) headlines the Engineers' honorees as a CSC Academic All-America finalist, joined by Nate Ambrad (Wakefield, RI), Ryan Hannigan (Needham, MA), Carter Learned (Reading, MA), Ty Csencsits (Hellertown, PA), Cole Dillon (Billerica, MA), Garrett Ranieri (Templeton, MA) and Grant Engelhardt (Chelmsford, MA).

Academic All-District honorees were considered for advancement to the CSC Academic All-America ballot, with first-, second- and third-team Academic All-America selections scheduled to be announced on January 27, 2026.

Castro, a graduate student punter and wide receiver, continues to stack elite academic and athletic accolades. The first-team AFCA All-American, first-team and second-team All-NEWMAC selection led NCAA Division III in all-purpose versatility, ranking second nationally with a 44.6-yard punting average while also hauling in 36 receptions for 435 yards and two touchdowns. Castro set a WPI program record with a 94-yard punt and finished the year with 22 punts inside the 20-yard line. Castro earned additional regional honors from D3football.com and the New England Football Writers Association. Off the field, the computer science Ph.D. student boasts a perfect 4.00 GPA and advances to the CSC Academic All-America national ballot as a finalist.  

Ambrad, now a two-time Academic All-District honoree, anchored the defensive front for WPI after starting all 10 games in the trenches. The graduate student defensive lineman consistently disrupted opposing offenses as he logged 29 solo tackles and 46 overall with 5.5 tackles-for-loss. Off the gridiron, Ambrad, an electrical and computer engineering major, posts a 3.97 GPA. Ambrad earns his latest academic honor following multiple NEWMAC Academic All-Conference selections.  

Fellow two-time Academic All-District selection, Hannigan, served as a cornerstone in the Engineers' secondary, starting all 10 contests as a defensive back that accounted for 35 solo tackles for a total of 44 along with three interceptions on the season. In the classroom, the senior aerospace engineering major sports a 3.91 GPA.

Learned emerged as a mainstay at linebacker, starting in nine games during the 2025 campaign recording a team-high 85 total tackles and 48 solo takedowns en route to earning an All-NEWMAC postseason nod. Learned tacked on a shared sack, snatched an interception and recorded a forced fumble this fall for the Engineers. The junior industrial engineering major carries a 3.85 GPA.

Csencsits added versatility to the Engineers production as he recorded 35 receptions for 348 yards and a pair of receiving touchdowns this fall averaging 3.5 receptions, 9.9 yards per catch and 34.8 yards per game in addition to recording stints as a punt returner. The mechanical engineering major possesses a 3.85 GPA.
Dillon started all 10 contests and served as a key cog in the defensive line unit collecting 20 solo tackles and 42 total tackles with 5.5 tackles-for-loss totaling 10 yards and a shared sack with a forced fumble.  When not in the trenches, the civil engineering major holds a 3.54 grade-point average. 

Ranieri enjoyed a breakout season at receiver, starting all 10 games and emerging as a dependable option in the WPI offense as he compiled 39 receptions for 321 yards including a pair of touchdowns averaging 3.9 catches for 8.2 yards per catch for just over 32 yards per outing. The junior standout logged some returns for the kick return corps total 374 yards on 16 attempts including a 68-yard return to average 23.4 yards per return and 37.4 yards per game. Off the field, the junior receiver maintains a 3.85 GPA in mechanical engineering. 

Engelhardt rounded out the honorees recording 23 solo tackles for 30 overall including 1.5 tackles-for-loss and an interception in the season opener. The sophomore civil engineering major sports a 3.66 GPA.

WPI concluded the 2025 campaign at 2-8 overall and 1-6 in NEWMAC action. 

CSC Release