WASHINGTON (November 20, 2024) –Navy punter Riley Reithman, a senior majoring in aerospace engineering, has been named a Go Bowling Military Bowl STEM Scholar-Athlete.

Riethman, who is from Keller, Texas, has a 3.93 grade-point average. He has been named to the American Athletic Conference All-Academic Team and is an Academic All-District honoree by the College Sports Communicators. He was a semifinalist for the William V. Campbell Trophy, which honors the nation's top college football student-athlete.

Riethman's capstone project at Navy is building a drone capable of withstanding Arctic temperatures and that has infrared sensors to detect polar bears and their dens.

"The point of this is to increase road efficiency in the Arctic because when they are building roads and run into a polar bear den, they must divert the road and it is very costly," Riethman said. "This will allow them to identify where the bears are and plan ahead."

Previously, Riethman did wind tunnel testing to identify the best configuration for a football to fly, in order to optimize height and distance for punting a football. He also interned at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California, studying the effects of hypervelocity impacts on aerospace structures to simulate what a hypersonic missile could do to a plane or other missile. This past summer, Reithman was the logistics officer as he and six other Midshipmen traveled to Nepal for a three-week trekking adventure.

"He is exceptionally mature, very well read, socially capable and adapts to any environment quickly," said Dr. Joe Thomas, director of the Vice Admiral James B. Stockdale Center for Ethical Leadership at the Naval Academy. "I'm very confident Riley will be successful in whatever he chooses to do in life."

U.S. Navy Captain (Ret.) Robert J. Niewoehner, a Naval Academy professor of aerospace engineering said: "Riley Reithman has chosen the challenging academic path that produces the most Navy test pilots. It's the path of Naval aviators who want to engineer our future rather than merely operate it."

The Go Bowling Military Bowl is proud to announce the members of the fourth annual STEM Scholar-Athlete Program, recognizing some of the brightest minds competing on the gridiron in the ACC and the American Athletic Conference.

"The Go Bowling Military Bowl STEM Scholar-Athlete Program honors an amazing group of young men who truly showcase what it means to be a student-athlete," Military Bowl Foundation President & Executive Director Steve Beck said. "We are thrilled to honor this group of talented players for their success on and off the field while continually challenging themselves in the classroom."

The Go Bowling Military Bowl STEM Scholar-Athlete Program honors one football player at each university that is a member of the ACC and the American Athletic Conference – the two conferences that are represented in

the Go Bowling Military Bowl college football game. These players are studying STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) subjects and/or aspire to STEM careers.
The two players whose teams compete in the 2024 Go Bowling Military Bowl will be recognized at the game, which takes place on Saturday, Dec. 28 at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, Md. Kickoff is at 5:45 p.m. ET and the game will be televised on ESPN.A donation will be made in the name of these two players to their respective school's general scholarship fund.

The Go Bowling Military Bowl STEM Scholar-Athletes from the ACC are:
·       Boston College defensive back Jamareeh "Bugg" Jones, a redshirt junior majoring in engineering.
·       Cal defensive lineman Aidan Keanaaina, a graduate student studying public health.
·       Clemson kicker Hogan Morton, a junior majoring in genetics.
·       Duke linebacker Nick Morris Jr., a redshirt junior majoring in economics with a minor in computer science.
·       Florida State defensive lineman Grady Kelly, a redshirt junior majoring in exercise physiology.
·       Georgia Tech long snapper Henry Freer, a graduate student studying for his Ph.D. in chemical and biomolecular engineering.
·       Louisville tight end Duane Martin, a senior majoring in exercise science.
·       Miami long snapper Mason Napper, a graduate student studying applied physiology.
·       North Carolina defensive lineman Kaimon Rucker, a graduate student studying psychology.
·       N.C. State punter Caden Noonkester, a graduate student with a degree in crop and soil sciences.
·       Notre Dame tight end Davis Sherwood, a senior majoring in science-business.
·       Pitt linebacker Dylan Bennett, a redshirt junior majoring in exercise science.
·       SMU safety Isaiah Nwokobia, a junior studying sports performance leadership.
·       Stanford wide receiver Elic Ayomanor, a redshirt sophomore majoring in computer science.
·       Syracuse kicker Brady Denaburg, a junior majoring in mechanical engineering.
·       Virginia punter Daniel Sparks, a graduate student studying biology.
·       Virginia Tech kicker John Love, a redshirt sophomore majoring in biology.
·       Wake Forest wide receiver Taylor Morin, a graduate student studying engineering.

The Go Bowling Military Bowl STEM Scholar-Athletes from the American Athletic Conference are:
·       Alabama-Birmingham defensive lineman Ezra Odinjor, a redshirt freshman majoring in computer science.
·       Army linebacker Andon Thomas, a junior studying chemical engineering.
·       Charlotte linebacker Osita Ekwonu, a graduate student studying computing and informatics.
·       East Carolina punter Luke Larsen, a junior majoring in industrial distribution and logistics.
·       Florida Atlantic offensive lineman Federico Maranges, a graduate student studying biomedical sciences.
·       Memphis linebacker Donovan Mathena, a redshirt sophomore studying health sciences.
·       Navy punter Riley Riethman, a senior studying aerospace engineering.
·       North Texas center Tyler Mercer, a freshman studying mechanical engineering.
·       Rice running back Christian Francisco, a redshirt junior studying mechanical engineering.
·       South Florida wide receiver Christian Helms, a graduate student studying exercise science.
·       Temple wide receiver Kyle Madden, a redshirt junior majoring in industrial and systems engineering.
·       Tulane wide receiver Dickson Agu, a sophomore majoring in neuroscience.
·       Tulsa defensive lineman Tai Newhouse, a redshirt sophomore majoring in health sciences.
·       Texas-San Antonio wide receiver Patrick Overmyer, a redshirt freshman majoring in mechanical engineering.

Proceeds from the Bowl benefit Patriot Point, the Military Bowl Foundation's retreat for wounded, ill and injured service members, their families and caregivers
For the latest updates on the Go Bowling Military Bowl, visit militarybowl.org, follow @MilitaryBowl on Twitter and Instagram and like Military Bowl on Facebook! To plan your trip to Annapolis, go to Visit Annapolis.
CONTACT: Josh Barr, jbarr@militarybowl.org