ODESSA, Texas (January 7, 2025) – Gunnar Abseck and Ben Patterson of The University of Texas Permian Basin football team were each named to the 2024 Academic All-District® Team, selected by College Sports Communicators.

Gunnar Abseck is a graduate student wide receiver. He is currently a kinesiology Master's student. He had a 3.55 undergraduate GPA with a major in human performance – coaching. He was named Honorable Mention All-Lone Star Conference this season, playing in all 12 games and catching 25 passes for 250 yards and one touchdown. He averaged 10.0 yards per catch and 20.8 receiving yards per game. Abseck was also 5-for-6 on two-point conversions (3-3 Rush; 2-3 Pass). He had at least one reception in each of the first eight games of the season and had a catch in all but one game throughout the course of the season. Abseck caught four passes for 80 yards and a touchdown during his Senior Day this season, putting him over the 1,000-yard mark in his career (1,053 career yards). Abseck is also the team's primary punt returner and is the holder on all field goal and extra point attempts. As a return man, he had 14 punt returns for 103 yards and four kickoff returns for 66 yards. His 14 punt returns and 103 punt return yards this season both rank second in program history. In addition, his 32 career punt returns and 236 career punt return yards are both a program record. Abseck had a breakthrough 2022 season in which he caught 46 passes (fourth best in school history at the time) for 509 yards and four touchdowns, returned six kickoffs for 153 yards and 13 punts for 101 yards. He also totaled 763 yards in all-purpose yardage. He totaled a career-high 185 yards in all-purpose yardage against Southwest Baptist (Sept. 3, 2022), scored his first collegiate touchdown vs. Western Oregon (Sept. 24, 2022), and had seven catches for a career-high 104 yards and touchdown against Simon Fraser (Oct. 8, 2022). He has been a member of the LSC Commissioner's Honor Roll four times (Fall 2021, Spring 2023, Fall 2023, Spring 2024).

Ben Patterson is a redshirt junior wide receiver and a petroleum engineering major with a 3.57 cumulative GPA. He was named Honorable Mention All-LSC this season after earning second-team honors in 2023. This season, he played in all 12 games and ranked third on the team with five touchdown catches. He was also third on the team with 527 receiving yards and was fourth with 30 receptions. He averaged 17.6 yards per catch and 43.9 receiving yards per game. With five touchdowns, he was fifth on the team in scoring (30 points). In addition, Patterson was the fourth UTPB wide receiver to enter the 1,000-Yard Club this season (1,096 career yards). In UTPB's 21-7 road win at West Texas A&M (Oct. 26), Patterson caught a 54-yard touchdown pass on the Falcons' second play of the game and finished with four catches for a career-high 161 receiving yards. It is the fourth-most receiving yards in a single game in UTPB history. Patterson also had touchdown catches of 71 yards (Sept. 21 vs. Texas A&M-Kingsville) and 83 yards (Aug. 31 vs. Western New Mexico), giving him three touchdowns of 50-plus yards this season. In 2023, he earned Second-Team All-LSC honors after catching 31 passes for 503 yards (16.23 ypc) and six touchdowns. Patterson's 11 career touchdowns are tied for the third-most in program history. Patterson was also a member of the 2023 Lone Star Conference Football All-Academic Team and is a three-time member of the LSC Commissioner's Honor Roll (Spring 2022, Fall 2022, Spring 2023).

The 2024 Academic All-District® Football Teams, selected by College Sports Communicators, recognize the nation's top student-athletes for their combined performances on the field and in the classroom. To be eligible for CSC Academic All-District, a student-athlete must be at least a sophomore academically and athletically, hold a cumulative grade point average of 3.50 or higher and must be a standout in competition. Eligible nominees must compete in 90 percent of the institution's games played OR must start in at least 66 percent of the institution's games.

Patterson was selected as a CSC Academic All-America® finalist. Finalists are denoted with an asterisk and will advance to the national ballot to be voted on by CSC members. First-, second- and third-team Academic All-America® honorees will be announced January 28, 2025.

2024 Academic All-District® Football Teams