To be chosen for one of the Academic All-District teams, a student-athlete must be a sophomore or older, have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.30 on a 4.0 scale and participate in at least 50 percent of the team's games as a starter or key reserve.
Scott, an economics major with a 3.83 cumulative grade point average, was one of the 55 athletes named to the FCS Athletics Directors Association Academic All-Star Team and the All-Ivy honorable mention list in 2009. He was also chosen as a preseason All-Ivy selection and as a semifinalist for the Campbell Trophy an award recognizing strong leadership and citizenship for significant contributors on a school's football team.
Tri-captain Charles Bay '11 said Scott not only has impressive academics success, but also an unparalleled work ethic.
"[Scott] is very dedicated to the team," Bay said. "He takes football seriously, and over the years, he has progressed to become one of the major starters on the team."
Scott initially joined the team as a walk-on his freshman Spring.
"I didn't come to Dartmouth to play football, I came for the school, but it was always kind of a dream of mine to play [football]," Scott said.
This season, Scott has caught 15 passes for 177 yards, ranking fourth in passes and third in yards on the team, respectively. Last year, he led the team with 45 receptions for 510 yards including a pair of 100-yard games.
Scott said football has helped him achieve success in the classroom. He added that despite not coming to Dartmouth to play football, he cannot imagine attending the school without the sport.
"I don't know what college is like without a sport," Scott said. "I love the balance and the structure football gives me to stay on top of things."
Shipley has been a key defensive player for the Big Green, playing in all but two games over the past three seasons.
This season, he has registered 10 tackles, seven of which were solo , with a tackle for a loss and one pass broken up. A career-high seven of those tackles came against Dartmouth's most highly regarded opponent nationally ranked University of Pennsylvania. The Big Green nearly pulled off the upset on the road against the Quakers before losing in overtime, 35-28.
A history major with a 3.48 cumulate grade point average, Shipley said he was surprised by the news that he had been named to the ESPN Academic team.
His teammates, however, were not.
"Lane's just a know-it-all,'" Bay said. "He knows what every position is doing for a certain play, not just his own, which is part of his character. He likes to have that sort of control." Despite the pressures they have faced as student-athletes, both Shipley and Scott said they find the experience very rewarding.
"Seeing our success on the field match the success that players have in the classroom is amazing," Shipley said. "Being a student- athlete, competition is something that's important to all of us. We're inherently competitive both in the classroom and on the field to have opportunities to succeed in both is exciting."
Head coach Buddy Teevens places a strong emphasis on academic achievements, and takes one day out of every week to recognize players who have earned "A's" on assignments, tests or papers, according to Scott.
Both Scott and Shipley said playing football for Dartmouth has been an invaluable experience and they are humbled by being named to the Academic team.
"My first thought was that there are 10 other guys on the team who could have gotten this," Scott said.
Shipley and Scott now go onto the national ballot for Academic All-America honors with the first-teamers from the eight districts around the country. The Academic All-America teams will be announced on Nov. 23.
The duo will return to the field Nov. 13 to face Brown University in Hanover at noon for the last home game of the season.
