WORCESTER — WPI football graduate student Josh Castro (Pittsburgh, PA) earned College Sports Communicators (CSC) NCAA Division III Football Academic All-America First Team honors, as announced by the organization earlier this today. Castro previously garnered CSC Academic All-District recognition and advanced to the national ballot as a finalist following a standout 2025 campaign.
 
Castro becomes the most recent WPI football student-athlete to earn Academic All-America recognition since Lou Duh, who achieved the distinction in back-to-back seasons during the 2020-21 and 2021-22 campaigns. This is the eighth occasion that WPI Football has had a CSC (formerly known as CoSIDA) Academic All-America and is the fifth different player to achieve the feat
and it's the third First Team designation overall as Castro becomes the second player to achieve the honor. 

A graduate student punter and wide receiver, Castro produced one of the most versatile seasons in NCAA Division III football. The first team AFCA All-American ranked second nationally with a 44.6-yard punting average, finishing the season with 22 punts inside the 20-yard line and 22 punts of 50 yards or more. Castro also set a WPI program record with a 94-yard punt while contributing offensively with 36 receptions for 435 yards and two touchdowns. The Pittsburgh native's postseason résumé also includes first team and second team All-NEWMAC selections along with regional recognition from D3football.com and the New England Football Writers Association.

A graduate transfer from Muhlenberg, Castro completed his undergraduate degree in three years as a co-valedictorian, earning a double major in computer science and business administration. During his time at Muhlenberg, Castro was a two-time Academic All-Conference selection in football, a conference champion in track & field, and earned All-Region honors in both football and track and field. As Castro arrived in Worcester, he's double dipped in the football and track & field programs as well while also working as a teaching assistant at WPI. Castro is a member of Phi Beta Kappa, Pi Mu Epsilon, and Summa Cum Laude.

In the classroom, Castro continues to excel as a computer science Ph.D. student, carrying a perfect 4.00 graduate GPA.

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

CSC Release