Seven GLIAC Student-Athletes Named to the First Team Capital One Academic All-America® Division II Football Team, Most of Any Conference

Seven GLIAC Student-Athletes Named to the First Team Capital One Academic All-America® Division II Football Team, Most of Any Conference

Release courtesy of Dan O’Connell, Towson University, Academic All-America Vice-Chair for Publicity/Communications, and Shane Meling, Texas A&M-Kingsville, Academic All-America Coordinator of Division II Publicity

TOWSON, Md. – Quarterback Clay Garcia of Colorado School of Mines headlines the 2011 Capital One Academic All-America Division II Football Team, as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).

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A Material Mechanics major with a 3.91 G.P.A., Garcia has been named as the winner of the Division II Academic All-America of the Year award for the football team.

The Capital One Division II Academic All-America® program is being financially supported by the NCAA Division II national governance structure to assist CoSIDA with handling the awards fulfillment aspects for the 2011-12 D-II Academic All-America teams program.

Four members of the 2011 Capital One Academic All-America Division II Football first team and eight members of the second team represent teams that qualified for the NCAA Division II Football Championship, including two first team members from St. Cloud State.

Ohio Dominican led all schools with three first team selections while Indianapolis, St. Cloud State and Fairmont State each had two first team selections.

A two-year starter, Garcia led the Orediggers to an 8-3 record this season. A repeat selection as a member of the Capital One Academic All-America Football first team, he completed 273-of-435 passes for 3,123 yards and 20 touchdowns in 2011. A two-time selection as All-Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference first team, he is ranked 10th in NCAA Division II, averaging 283.45 passing yards per game.

A finalist for the 2011 William V. Campbell Trophy, which includes a $25,000 post-graduate scholarship, Garcia is also a finalist for the Harlon Hill Trophy as the top player in NCAA Division II. Garcia, who led the Orediggers to the RMAC championship, the Alamosa, Col. native finished his career with 7,542 yards and 61 touchdowns.

Three senior wide receivers were named to the first team. Taylor Fore of Texas A&M-Commerce, Ryan Forney of Indianapolis and Devin Goda of Slippery Rock earned first team honors.

A Kinesiology major with a 4.0 G.P.A., Fore was named as the Lone Star Conference’s Academic Player of the Year. He tied a school record by catching 58 passes for 561 yards and two touchdowns. A native of Fort Worth, Texas, he also returned punts for the Lions, averaging 8.8 yards per return. Forney, a graduate student working on his Master’s degree in Business Administration with a 3.50 G.P.A., was one of the leading receivers in NCAA Division II. A first team All-Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference selection, he caught 80 passes for 1,131 yards and 11 touchdowns for the Greyhounds. A three-time All-Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference selection, Goda is a Safety Management major with a 3.62 G.P.A. The secondleading receiver in the conference, he caught 75 passes for 1,028 yards and 11 touchdowns. A native of Monongahela, Pa., Goda led Slippery Rock to an 8-3 record and a runner-up finish in the PSAC.

A senior Business major with a 3.68 G.P.A., Zach Delo of Seton Hill was named as the tight end on the Capital One Academic All-America Division II first team. A native of Ambridge, Pa., Delo caught 33 passes for 379 yards and a touchdown en route to All-West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference honors for the third consecutive season.

Seniors Mike Noffsinger of Ohio Dominican and Josh Renel of Wayne State are the running backs on the Capital One Academic All-America Division II first team. A Business Administration major with a 3.72 G.P.A., Noffsinger is one of three Ohio Dominican players who were named to the first team. A second team all-conference selection, Noffsinger ran for 1,242 yards while leading the Panthers to a 7-4 record. The 16th leading rusher in the nation, the West Branch, Mich. native scored 13 touchdowns. A Marketing major with a 3.63 G.P.A., Renel is Wayne State’s second-leading rusher with 1,262 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns. A native of Rochester Hills, Mich., he is averaging 148.3 all-purpose yards per game. Renel has helped Wayne State reach the NCAA Division II semi-finals with an 11-3 record. The Warriors, who eliminated defending champion Minnesota-Duluth last week, will face Winston-Salem in the semi-finals this week.

Senior Ben Vulop of Ohio Dominican joins James Kee of Harding, Andrew Mansaray of Indianapolis, Sean McGowan of Chadron State and Matt Theis of St. Cloud State as the offensive linemen on the Capital One Academic All-America Division II football first team.

A three-year starter at guard, Vulop is a Biology major with a 3.79 G.P.A. A native of Cincinnati, Ohio, he helped the Panthers post a 7-4 record and made 38 career starts. A Biochemistry and Molecular Biology major with a 3.87 G.P.A., Kee was a three-year starter at guard for Harding. A native of Searcy, Ark., he blocked for the top rushing offense in the nation as the Bison averaged an NCAA-leading 369 yards per game. A graduate student pursuing his Master’s of Business Administration degree with a 3.87 G.P.A., Mansaray was a three-year starter at Indianapolis. An honorable mention all-conference choice, he played guard and tackle for the Greyhounds, who were 7-4 this season.

A two-time All-Rocky Mountain Athletic Association second team selection, McGowan is a three-year starter at center who postponed medical school admission to play his final year at Chadron State. A Biology major with a 3.90 G.P.A., he helped the Eagles post a 6-5 record. An Accounting major with a 3.76 G.P.A., Theis led No. 14 St. Cloud State to the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Athletic Conference title and an NCAA playoff berth. A three-year starter at tackle, he earned all-conference honors three times. An Eden Valley, Minn. native, Theis guided St. Cloud to a 9-3 record.

A graduate student working on his M.B.A., Frank Keenan of Fairmont State is the place kicker on the 2011 Capital One Academic All-America Football Division II first team. A second team All-WVIAC pick, the Byfleet, England native scored 70 points, making 10 field goals and hitting 40-of-41 extra point attempts. Senior linebacker Ian Wild of Mercyhurst leads the defensive unit of the Capital One Academic All-America Division II Football first team. A Business and Finance major with a 3.91 G.P.A., he earned first team honors for the second straight year. A three-time selection as All-Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference, Wild led Mercyhurst with 90 tackles despite missing three games with an injury. Wild recorded double-digit tackles in six games and had a team-leading seven sacks with five forced fumbles. He finished his career with 304
tackles, eighth on the Lakers’ all-time list.

Seniors Alex Whitehill of Fort Hays State and Lee Meisner of Colorado State-Pueblo are the other two linebackers on the Capital One Academic All-America Division II Football first team. A Nursing major with a 3.56 G.P.A., Whitehill led NCAA Division II with 164 tackles, just five short of the national record. A two-time All-MIAA selection, he was a pre-season All-American honoree who made 20 tackles in three different games this season. A Business Management major with a 3.91 G.P.A., Meisner was named as the Regional Defensive Player of the Year after leading Colorado State-Pueblo to an 11-0 regular season record and the number one seed in the Division II playoffs. The Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference champion Thunderwolves lost in the opening round of the playoffs. A native of Sterling, Col., he made 98 tackles with four interceptions.

Due to a tie in the voting, there were five defensive linemen on the Capital One Academic All-America Division II Football first team. Seniors Matthew Schwartz of St. Cloud State and Lincoln Smith of Northern State were joined on the first team by juniors Jacob Clark of Michigan Tech and Kenny Smith of Missouri Southern State. Sophomore Garrett Wilcox of Ohio Dominican rounds out the defensive line. A Finance major with a 3.84 G.P.A., Schwartz earned first team All-NSIC honors at defensive end. While helping St. Cloud State to a 9-3 record and the NSIC championship, he made 37 tackles, including 9.5 tackles for lost yardage. A Management major with a 3.97 G.P.A., Smith made 31 tackles for the Wolves. A native of Phillip, S.D., he had five tackles for lost yardage and three sacks.

A Civil Engineering major with a 3.96 G.P.A., Clark helped Michigan Tech lead the GLIAC in defense by making 42 tackles with 6.5 tackles for lost yardage and four sacks. The Lansing, Mich. native recovered two fumbles. A Biology major with a 3.67 G.P.A., Smith was named second team All-MIAA for Missouri Southern State. A native of Claremore, Okla., he made 45 tackles and led the Lions with 13 tackles for lost yardage while recording six sacks.

Senior Shawn Sopic of Clarion joins juniors Trent deBraga of Colorado Mesa, Brett Ginn of Central Missouri and Dewey McDonald of Fairmont State in the secondary.

A Chemistry major with a 3.91 G.P.A., Sopic was a four-year starter at safety at Clarion. The Golden Eagles’ team captain, he missed the 2010 season with an injury. A native of Curwensville, Pa., he made 64 tackles as a senior and finished his career with 229 tackles and five interceptions. A Criminal Justice major with a perfect 4.0 G.P.A., deBraga was named third team All-RMAC for the Mavericks. He was second on the team with 103 tackles and intercepted three passes, returning two for touchdowns. He also led the RMAC with a 29.1 kickoff return average.

A Finance major with a 3.98 G.P.A., Ginn was Central Missouri’s third-leading tackler with 57 tackles. He also intercepted two passes. A two-time All-WVIAC pick, McDonald has a double major of Business Management and Sport Management with a 3.92 G.P.A. He was second on the team with 73 tackles with one interception.

Senior punter Frank Atherton of Fort Lewis rounds out the 2011 Capital One Academic All-America Division II Football first team. A Kamuela, Hawaii native, Atherton averaged 37.3 yards per punt and placed 22 of his 83 punts inside the 20-yard line. Atherton has a double major of Exercise Science and Exercise
Specialist with a 4.00 G.P.A.

The 26 members of the 2011 Capital One Academic All-America Division II Football first team have a 3.84 average G.P.A.

About Capital One
Capital One Financial Corporation (www.capitalone.com) is a financial holding company whose subsidiaries, which include Capital One, N.A. and Capital One Bank (USA), N. A., had $122.2 billion in deposits and $197.5 billion in total assets outstanding as of December 31, 2010. Headquartered in McLean, Virginia, Capital One offers a broad spectrum of financial products and services to consumers, small businesses and commercial clients. Capital One, N.A. has approximately 1,000 branch locations primarily in New York, New Jersey, Texas, Louisiana, Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia. A
Fortune 500 company, Capital One trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "COF" and is included in the S&P 100 index.

Capital One, an NCAA Corporate Champion, began its affiliation with college sports with the sponsorship of the 2001 Capital One Florida Citrus Bowl (now the Capital One Bowl) and ESPN’s Capital One Bowl Week. In 2010, Capital One launched the Capital One Cup, a prestigious new program rewarding NCAA Division I athletics programs for their cumulative on-field performance across multiple men’s and women’s sports. In addition, Capital One sponsors the ABC College Football Halftime Report, Capital One All-America Mascot Team, all 88 NCAA Championships including the Division I Men’s and Women’s
Basketball Championships, and numerous other collegiate athletics programs.

To be eligible for Academic All-America® consideration, a student-athlete must be a varsity starter or key reserve, maintain a cumulative G.P.A. of 3.30 on a scale of 4.00, have reached sophomore athletic and academic standings at his/her current institution and be nominated by his/her sports information director. Since the program’s inception in 1952, CoSIDA has bestowed Academic All-America honors on more than 14,000 student-athletes in Divisions I, II, III and NAIA, covering all NCAA championship sports. For more information about the Academic All-America Teams program, please visit www.cosida.com.

Capital One Academic All-America® Division II Football First Team

FIRST TEAM

Pos.

Name

School

Yr.

Hometown

GPA

Major

QB

Clay Garcia (1)

Colorado School of Mines

Gr.

Alamosa, Col.

3.91

Material Mechanics

WR

Taylor Fore

Texas A&M -Commerce

Sr.

Fort Worth, Texas

4.00

Kinesiology

WR

Ryan Forney

Indianapolis

Gr.

Crown Point, Ind.

3.50

M.B.A.

WR

Devin Goda

Slippery Rock

Sr.

Monongahela, Pa.

3.62

Safety Management

TE

Zach Delo

Seton Hill

Sr.

Ambridge, Pa.

3.85

Business

RB

Mike Noffsinger

Ohio Dominican

Sr.

West Branch, Mich.

3.72

Business Administration

RB

Josh Renel

Wayne State

Sr.

Rochester Hills, Mich.

3.63

Marketing

OL

James Kee

Harding

Sr.

Searcy, Ark.

3.87

Biochemistry, Molecular Biology

OL

Andrew Mansaray

Indianapolis

Gr.

Fort Wayne, Ind.

3.87

M.B.A.

OL

Sean McGowan

Chadron State

Sr.

Lakewood, Colo.

3.90

Biology

OL

Matt Theis

St. Cloud State

Sr.

Eden Valley, Minn.

3.76

Accounting

OL

Ben Vulhop

Ohio Dominican

Sr.

Cincinnati, Ohio

3.79

Biology

K

Frank Keenan

Fairmont State

Gr.

Byfleet, England

4.00

M.B.A.

DB

Trent deBraga

Colorado Mesa

Jr.

Fallon, Nev.

4.00

Criminal Justice

DB

Brett Ginn

Central Missouri

Jr.

Arlington, Texas

3.98

Finance

DB

Dewey McDonald

Fairmont State

Jr.

Ranson, W.Va.

3.92

Business Mgmt.,Sports Mgmt.

DB

Shawn Sopic

Clarion

Sr.

Curwensville, Pa.

3.91

Chemistry

LB

Lee Meisner

Colorado State-Pueblo

Sr.

Sterling, Colo.

3.91

Business Management

LB

Alex Whitehill

Fort Hays State

Sr.

McPherson, Kan.

3.56

Nursing

LB

Ian Wild (1)

Mercyhurst

Sr.

Pittsburgh, Pa.

3.91

Business and Finance

DL

Jacob Clark

Michigan Tech

Jr.

Lansing, Mich.

3.96

Civil Engineering

DL

Matthew Schwartz

St. Cloud State

Sr.

Lino Lakes, Minn.

3.84

Finance

DL

Kenny Smith

Missouri Southern State

Jr.

Claremore, Okla.

3.67

Biology

DL

Lincoln Smith

Northern State

Sr.

Phillip, S.D.

3.97

Management

DL

Garrett Wilcox

Ohio Dominican

So.

Streetsboro, Ohio

3.73

Business Administration

P

Frank Atherton

Fort Lewis

Sr.

Kamuela, Hawaii

4.00

Exercise Science, Exercise Spec.

SECOND TEAM

Pos.

Name

School

Yr.

Hometown

GPA

Major

QB

Trevor Adams

NW Missouri State

So.

Odessa, Texas

4.00

Biology/Psychology

WR

Josh Smith

Kutztown

Sr.

West Lawn, Pa.

3.76

Secondary Education

TE

Brian Leonhardt

Bemidji State

Jr.

Blaine, Minn.

3.68

Business Administration

RB

Mike Frenette

Shippensburg

Jr.

Carlisle, Pa.

3.38

Accounting

RB

Eric Love

Pittsburg State

Sr.

Cozad, Neb.

3.68

Construction Engineering

OL

Tyler Hodgson

Mars Hill

Sr.

Woodstock, Ga.

3.69

Business Administration

OL

A.J. Hopp

Slippery Rock

Sr.

Akron, Ohio

3.70

Criminal Justice

OL

John Irwin

New Haven

Sr.

Burlington, N.J.

3.77

Fire Science

OL

Austin Lowe

Wingate

Gr.

Salisbury, N.C.

3.69

Accounting

OL

Chet Welc

California (Pa.)

Jr.

Mt. Pleasant, Pa.

3.60

Secondary Education

K

David Nadeau

Minnesota Duluth

Sr.

White Bear Lake, Minn.

3.67

Civil Engineering

DB

Pat Kane

Walsh

Sr.

Bolivar, Ohio

3.99

Chemistry/Pre-Med

DB

Tyler Maner

Midwestern State

Sr.

Fredericksburg, Tex.

3.84

Finance

DB

Brody Scheff

Bemidji State

Sr.

Waconia, Minn.

3.65

Business

DB

Branden Williams

Edinboro

Jr.

Eastlake, Ohio

3.55

Elementary/Special Education

LB

Mike Dum

Indianapolis

Sr.

Indianapolis, Ind.

3.73

Finance

LB

Casey Popenfoose

Upper Iowa

Sr.

Huntley, Ill.

3.98

Physical Education

LB

Alex Wong

Missouri Southern St.

Jr.

Vallejo, Calif

.65

Biology

DL

Andrew Bukta

Mercyhurst

Gr.

Edinburg, Pa.

3.72

Financial Planning

DL

James Cannell

Texas A&M - Kingsville

Jr.

El Campo, Texas

3.92

Accounting

DL

Scott Schultz

New Haven

Sr.

Wayne, N.J.

3.81

Political Science

P

Jake Denzer

Arkansas Tech

Sr.

Elkins, Ark.

3.59

Social Studies Education

 

(1) Capital One Academic All-America® College Division first team in 2010