PHILADELPHIA, Pa. - Junior tight end Ryan Bell (Basking Ridge, N.J.), senior defensive end Tanoh Kpassagnon (Ambler, Pa.) and junior safety Rob Rolle (Newfield, N.J.) were each announced on Thursday afternoon as selections to the Philadelphia Inquirer Academic All-Area Football Team. The academic honor is voted on by the sports information offices at the Philadelphia area colleges and universities. This is the 10th straight year and the 11th time in the 12-year history of the Academic All-Area program that Villanova has had multiple selections to the all-area football squad.

The three Wildcats who earned academic recognition were also key players on the field for Villanova, which reached to the Division I Football Championship for the sixth time in the last nine years. It was also the 14th winning season in the last 16 for the Wildcats, who ended the year with a 9-4 record and advanced to the second round of the FCS playoffs. Villanova was nationally-ranked throughout the season and twice reached the top-10 of the polls. The team went 6-2 against regular season CAA Football competition.

Defense was the calling card for the Wildcats this season, and both Kpassagnon and Rolle were major contributors. Kpassagnon, who was named the CAA Football Defensive Player of the Year, had a league-best 21.5 tackles for loss and 11.0 quarterback sacks during the season. He made 45 tackles overall (27 solo, 18 assisted) and added two fumble recoveries, one forced fumble and one blocked kick. He scored his first career touchdown on a 25-yard fumble return in a win over Lafayette. Kpassagnon is a pro prospect and wrapped up his collegiate career with 105 total tackles, including 37.5 tackles for loss and 22.0 sacks.

Rolle set a school record early in the season when he returned an interception 100 yards for a touchdown in a win over Towson. He wound up recording seven interceptions for a total of 160 return yards on the year, to go along with a fumble recovery, five pass breakups and 63 total tackles (39 solo, 24 assisted). Rolle led CAA Football and was sixth in the country in interceptions at the end of the regular season. His 160 return yards on his seven interceptions were the most for any player during the 32-year Andy Talley era. Rolle scored two of Villanova's four defensive touchdowns on the year, with his record 100-yard interception preceded by a three-yard fumble recovery for a score in the season opener at Pittsburgh. For his efforts during the year, Rolle was named a first team CAA Football All-Conference selection.

On the offensive side of the ball, Bell emerged as one of the Wildcats primary deep threats this season. He finished the year with 33 receptions for 434 yards, and tallied a team-best seven receiving touchdowns. Bell registered his first career 100-yard receiving game in the first round of the FCS playoffs when he had 110 yards on five catches in a win over Saint Francis. That contest also marked the third time in a span of four games that Bell had two touchdown receptions. He scored the second and third touchdowns of his career in a win at Maine on November 5, then added to more touchdowns in victories over Delaware to end the regular season and the Red Flash to open postseason play. Bell was a third team CAA Football All-Conference pick.

' Academic honors have been aplenty for Villanova over the years, with the three student-athletes who were named to the Academic All-Area squad no exception. Kpassagnon earned a spot on the team for the second straight year and is a three-time selection to the CAA Football All-Academic Team. Rolle was named to the conference all-academic team in each of his first two collegiate seasons, while Bell earned the honor for the first time last season. Bell and Kpassagnon are each double majors in Finance and Accounting in the Villanova School of Business, while Rolle is a Communication major.

The Academic All-Area program started with the 2005-06 academic year and is now in its 12th year recognizing the top student-athletes in the Philadelphia region. Villanova student-athletes have been named to Academic All-Area Teams a total of 191 times, and the Wildcats have had two Overall Performers of the Year and a total of 22 sport Performers of the Year.