Scroll down the release to view 2015 GLIAC Football All-Conference Teams
The 2015 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Football postseason awards have been announced after voting conducted by the league's coaches.
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Jason Vander Laan - Ferris State
Ferris State senior quarterback Jason Vander Laan led the Bulldogs to a second-straight unbeaten regular season and GLIAC Championship this season. The 6-4 standout became college football's greatest rushing quarterback of all-time this year and his 2,239 passing yards and 1,319 rushing yards enabled him to become the first signal caller in NCAA history to both rush and pass for 1,000 plus yards four consecutive years. Vander Laan made his statement for a second-straight Harlon Hill Trophy by completing 66.7% of his passes en route to throwing for 22 scores and rushing for 19 more. He ranked among the national leaders in scoring, total offense, rushing & points responsible for while directing one of the nation's most explosives offenses. This season, Vander Laan also became the GLIAC's all-time career total offense leader and he averaged nearly 356 yards per game as the Bulldogs posted a 10-0 mark and stretched their regular-season win streak to 25-straight games. He also was chosen as one of the 12 national finalists from all levels for the Campbell Trophy or the "Academic Heisman".
OFFENSIVE BACK OF THE YEAR
Antonio Pipkin - Tiffin
Tiffin junior quarterback Antonio Pipkin had a record-breaking year for Tiffin University. He has thrown for 3,227 yards and 32 touchdowns, while running for 729 yards and 8 touchdowns, while setting a new GLIAC single season total offense record with 3548 yards. He finished 2nd in the GLIAC in passing yards per game, passing yards, and 1st in completions, and attempts. He has eclipsed 300 passing yards in 6 of his 11 games this season, including 460 yards vs. Grand Valley State, the second highest single game total in school history, along with 6 touchdown passes, a new school record. Nationally, Antonio is one of the best quarterbacks in the nation at the NCAA Division II level, ranking 4th in total offense.
OFFENSIVE LINEMAN OF THE YEAR
Chris Reaper - Findlay
Findlay senior offensive lineman Chris Reaper helped pave the way for the Oilers to average 477.5 yards per game in 2015, the third best mark in the GLIAC and the 18th best total in all of NCAA Division II football. His efforts on the offensive line helped enable the team to establish new school records for passing yards in a season (3,350) as well. As the leader of the Oilers offensive line, Reaper helped the Oilers churn out 273 first downs and 36.1 points per game in 2015. Their first down total led the GLIAC and ranked tenth in the nation. The Toledo, Ohio native earned second team all-conference honors for Findlay in 2014. He was an honorable mention all-league pick in 2013 as well. In his career, Reaper started all 43 games in which he played.
DEFENSIVE LINEMAN OF THE YEAR
Matt Judon - Grand Valley State
Grand Valley State senior defensive end Matt Judon has been selected as the 2015 GLIAC Defensive Lineman of the Year. Judon leads the nation, regardless of division, in QB sacks with 18.0 (-118), a total that is sixth-best in college football history for a single-season. Judon tallied 52 tackles, 19.0 tackles for loss, six QB hurries, three forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries during the 2015 campaign. He recorded a QB sack in eight of 11 games played this season and now ranks second all-time in GVSU annals with 32.0 sacks in his career, just .5 behind the 2008 GLIAC Defensive Lineman of the Year Dan Skuta. Judon, who is the ninth Laker to earn the GLIAC Defensive Lineman of the Year award since 1999, was a key figure in the Lakers 9-2 record in 2015 and a return to the NCAA DII Playoffs.
DEFENSIVE BACK OF THE YEAR
Brad McCurdy - Ohio Dominican
Ohio Dominican senior defensive back Brad McCurdy led the Panthers in tackles this season with 83 and tied for second in the GLIAC with four interceptions. He ends his ODU career with 275 tackles, third most in school history, and 12 picks, the most by a Panther. He helped lead a pass defense that held seven opponents to less than 200 yards passing this season and led the GLIAC with allowing 204.0 yards passing per game. McCurdy was a two-time Honorable Mention All-GLIAC selection.
FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR
Joe Reverman - Hillsdale
Although Hillsdale College freshman Joe Reverman didn't start the season as the Chargers' starting tailback, he sure ended the season impressively. He became one of the conference's toughest runners after grabbing the starting spot in late October, finishing with 1,083 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns, averaging 6 yards per carry. He had back-to-back 200-yard rushing games, against Tiffin and Saginaw Valley State, and his 276 yards on the ground against the Dragons were the second-most in a game in school history. He was named Hillsdale's team MVP, the first freshman in school history to win that award.
JACK H. MCAVOY AWARD
Jake Riepma - Northwood
Jake Riepma is the third Northwood player to earn the award, joining Scott Stuible (2003) and Ryan Whittum (2012). Riepma is a fifth-year senior who has gone from walk-on to a key player for the Northwood defense. This season, the linebacker finished with 15 tackles and an interception while also playing on special teams. Off the field, Riepma sports a 3.83 grade point average as an Entertainment, Sport & Promotion Management. He will end up earning the GLIAC Academic Excellence award at the end of the semester. He has been extremely active both within the athletic department and in the community. Riepma has been a camp leader for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes as well as a part of the "Motor Citzens" volunteer initiative for World Medical Relief. Riepma also took part in a spring break mission trip to Atlanta, Georgia with ReNU Campus ministry. He has also been active in Special Olympics, Make-a-Wish, the Midland Pumpkin Festival and a variety of other event. Riepma has also become one of the main voices for the Northwood athletic department, spending time as the voice for Northwood basketball as well as serving as the emcee for a variety of events.
CO-COACHES OF THE YEAR
Tony Annese (Ferris State) & Lee Owens (Ashland)
Ferris State University head coach Tony Annese led the Bulldogs to a second consecutive unbeaten regular season and GLIAC Championship as the Bulldogs compiled a perfect 10-0 regular season record in 2015. Under Annese's direction, the Bulldogs also received a second-straight NCAA Playoff berth and stretched their regular season winning streak to 25 consecutive games. Ferris State boasted one of the nation's most explosive offenses and was a consensus top-five team in the national rankings most of the year, including the program's highest ever listings in both the current D2Football.com (1st) and AFCA (2nd) polls. The veteran coach has posted a 36-8 overall mark in four seasons at the FSU helm and has been the mastermind behind a Bulldog turnaround leading to 29 wins in the program's past 33 games overall. He earned GLIAC Coach of the Year laurels for the second year in a row.
For guiding his team to an undefeated regular season and a share of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championship, Ashland University head football coach Lee Owens is the 2015 GLIAC Football Co-Coach of the Year. Owens led the Eagles to a 10-0 regular-season record, including three home wins against nationally-ranked teams, and their fourth NCAA Division II postseason appearance in his 12 seasons on Saturday (Nov. 21) at noon against Grand Valley State at Jack Miller Stadium/Martinelli Field. He also has led AU to its highest-ever ranking of No. 3 in the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Division II Top 25 poll. This is the third time Owens has received GLIAC Coach of the Year honors (2005, 2012). He is 89-41 (.685) at Ashland with a pair of GLIAC titles to his credit.
2015 All-GLIAC Football First Team | ||||
Name | School | Yr. | Pos. | Hometown/High School |
Jason Vander Laan | Ferris State | Sr. | QB | Frankfort, Ill. / Chicago Christian |
Vance Settlemire | Ashland | Jr. | RB | Findlay, Ohio / Findlay |
Anthony Bilal | Lake Erie | Sr. | RB | Painesville, Ohio / Riverside |
Kirk Spencer | Grand Valley St. | Sr. | RB | East Grand Rapids, Mich. / East Grand Rapids |
Adam Shaheen | Ashland | So. | TE | Galena, Ohio / Big Walnut |
Dez Stewart | Ohio Dominican | Sr. | WR | Cincinnati, Ohio / Walnut Hills |
Jamie Potts | Grand Valley St. | Sr. | WR | Muskegon, Mich. / Oakridge |
Jake Lampman | Ferris State | Sr. | WR | East Lansing, Mich./Haslett |
Marcus Tucker | Northern Michigan | Sr. | WR | Flint, Mich. / Grand Blanc / Mott CC |
Jim Walsh | Grand Valley St. | Sr. | OL | Howell, Mich. / Howell |
Jake Daugherty | Ferris State | So. | OL | Big Rapids, Mich./Big Rapids |
Zachary Douglass | Ashland | Jr. | OL | Marshallville, Ohio / Smithville |
Ben Copher | Ohio Dominican | Sr. | OL | Dayton, OH / Valley View |
Tommy Richardson | Wayne State | So. | OL | Troy, Mich. / Troy |
Chris Reaper | Findlay | Sr. | OL | Toledo, Ohio / Whitmer |
Matt Judon | Grand Valley St. | Sr. | DL |
West Bloomfield, Mich. / West Bloomfield |
Justin Zimmer | Ferris State | Sr. | DL |
Greenville, Mich. / Greenville |
Skyler Parks | Walsh | Sr. | DL | Canton, Ohio / McKinley |
Chase Hoobler | Ashland | Sr. | DL | Orrville, Ohio / Orrville/Indiana |
Paul Wesselhoeft | Ohio Dominican | Jr. | DL | Logan, OH / Logan |
Donzale Ashley | Ashland | Sr. | DB | Chico, Calif. / Lincoln/Butte College |
Brad McCurdy | Ohio Dominican | Sr. | DB | Columbus, OH / Bishop Watterson |
Jaleel Canty | Ferris State | Jr. | DB | Lansing, Mich./Everett |
Brett Gervais | Michigan Tech | Sr. | DB | Lake Linden, Mich. |
Da'Twane Harris | Ohio Dominican | Sr. | DB | Cleveland, OH / Glenville Academic Campus |
Brandon Gency | Ashland | Jr. | LB | Streetsboro, Ohio / Streetsboro |
Austin Osborne | Ohio Dominican | Sr. | LB | Jackson, Ohio / Jackson |
Anthony Darkangelo | Ferris State | Jr. | LB | Brighton, Mich./Detroit Catholic Central |
Marquez Gollman | Grand Valley St. | Jr. | LB | Ypsilanti, Mich. / Ypsilanti |
Paul Kuoppala | Michigan Tech | Sr. | LB | Iron Mountain, Mich. |
Brent Wahle | Ohio Dominican | Sr. | PK | Pataskala, Ohio / Bishop Hartley |
Austin Bruns | Ashland | Jr. | P | Coldwater, Ohio / Coldwater |
Dez Stewart | Ohio Dominican | Sr. | KR | Cincinnati, OH / Walnut Hills |
2015 All-GLIAC Football Second Team | ||||
Name | School | Year | Pos. | Hometown/High School |
Antonio Pipkin | Tiffin | Jr. | QB | Gary, Ind. |
Romello Brown | Wayne State | So. | RB | Westland, Mich. / Livonia Churchill |
Daiquone Ford | Findlay | Sr. | RB | Myrtle Beach, S.C. / Myrtle Beach |
Joe Reverman | Hillsdale | Fr. | RB | Grand Ledge, Mich. / Grand Ledge |
Alex Sherbinow | Michigan Tech | So. | TE | Marquette, Mich. |
Charles Holland | Tiffin | So. | WR | West High School |
Matt Williams | Grand Valley St. | Jr. | WR | Geneva, Ill. |
Pedro Correa III | Tiffin | Sr. | WR | Deerfield Beach HS |
Casey Williams | Ohio Dominican | Sr. | WR | Nashport, OH / Tri-Valley |
Frank Vruwink | Michigan Tech | Sr. | OL | Wisconsin Rapids, Wis./Lincoln |
Kyle Steuck | Northern Michigan | Sr. | OL | Green Bay, Wis. / West De Pere |
Devon Johnson | Ferris State | Fr. | OL | Aurora, Ill./Waubonsie Valley |
Robert Kelly | Wayne State | Jr. | OL | Grosse Pointe, Mich. / Chandler Park Acad. |
Brandon Revenberg | Grand Valley St. | Sr. | OL | Essex, Ont. / Essex, Ont. |
Brad Oxnevad | Northwood | Sr. | OL | Oak Park, Ill. / River Forest |
Tanner Agen | Michigan Tech | Sr. | DL | Kaukauna, Wis. |
Dylan Roney | Ferris State | So. | DL | Plymouth, Mich./Detroit Catholic Central |
De'Ondre Hogan | Grand Valley St. | Jr. | DL | Livonia, Mich. / Clarenceville |
Evan Mayer | Michigan Tech | Jr. | DL | Wausau, Wis./West |
Brandon Ehlinger | Ashland | Jr. | DL | Springfield, Ohio / Springfield |
Troy Smith | Ferris State | Sr. | DB | Indianapolis, Ind./Pike |
Garrett Pougnet | Grand Valley St. | So. | DB | Fenton, Mich. / Flint Powers |
Jamiil Williams | Wayne State | Sr. | DB | Lima, Ohio / Lima Shawnee |
Terrell Hudson | Ashland | Jr. | DB | Canal Winchester, Ohio / Eastmoor |
Zak Bielecki | Wayne State | Sr. | DB | Macomb, Mich. / Lutheran North |
Bryan Jones | Saginaw Valley | So. | LB | Schoolcraft, Mich. / Schoolcraft HS |
Valorian Cunningham | Wayne State | Jr. | LB | Kalamazoo, Mich. / Loy Norrix |
Levi Perry | Northern Michigan | Sr. | LB | Northville, Mich. / Northville |
Michael Fisher | Northwood | Jr. | LB | Rochester, Mich. / Adams |
Nick King | Walsh | Jr. | LB | Reynoldsburg, OH / Bishop Hartley |
Tomislav Derezic | Tiffin | Sr. | PK | Mentor HS |
Robert Salani | Northern Michigan | Jr. | P | Kenosha, Wis. / Tremper |
Matt Williams | Grand Valley St. | Jr. | KR | Geneva, Ill. |
2015 All-GLIAC Football Honorable Mention | |||
Ashland | |||
Name | Yr. | Pos. | Hometown/High School |
Dale Irby | So. |
CB/KR |
Sandusky, Ohio / Perkins |
Jon Cipa |
Sr. | LG |
Tallmadge, Ohio / Tallmadge |
Travis Tarnowski |
So. | QB |
Broadview Heights, Ohio / North Royalton |
Zach Olszewski | Jr. |
ILB | Pickerington, Ohio / Pickerington North |
John Conner | R-Fr. | T | Akron, Ohio / Walsh Jesuit |
Adam Wallace | R-Jr. | DE | Sterling, Ohio / Nowayne |
Ferris State | |||
Antonio Agurs | Sr. | SL | Bradenton, Fla. / Manatee |
Bryan Bell | Jr. | OL | Walled Lake, Mich. / Central |
Cody Dingeldey | Sr. | OL | L'Anse, Mich. / L'Anse |
Corey Arnouts | Jr. | DT | Grand Ledge, Mich. / Grand Ledge |
Nick Huckabay | Jr. | LB | Montrose, Mich. / Hill-McCloy |
Brady Sheldon | Jr. | LB | Novi, Mich. / Novi |
Findlay | |||
Dylan Blunk | Jr. | WR | Findlay, Ohio / Findlay |
Tim Szabo | Sr. | WR | Dayton, Ohio / Chaminade-Julienne |
Bobby Brown | Sr. | OL | Grove City, Ohio / Grove City |
Chiebuka Chukwuneke | Fr. | DB | Edison, N.J. / John P. Stevens |
Anthony Linnear | Jr. | LB | Ft. Wayne, Ind. / North Side |
Rhys Gervais | So. | QB | Puyllap, Wash. / Lakes / Western Ill. |
Grand Valley State | |||
Brad Horling | Sr. | DB | Zeeland, Mich. / East |
Alton Voss | Jr. | DE | New Port Richey, Fla. / Gulf |
Collin Schlosser | So. | LB | Ada, Mich. / Forest Hills Central |
Joel Schipper | Jr. | K | Grand Rapids, Mich. / Christian |
Bart Williams | So. | QB | Grand Blanc, Mich. / Grand Blanc |
David Talley | Jr. | LB | Southfield, Mich. / Orchard Lake St. Mary's |
Hillsdale | |||
Alex Fogt | Sr. | H-Back | Anna, Ohio / Anna |
Danny Drummond | So. | OL | Pittsford, NY / Rush Henrietta |
Steve Mette | Jr. | P/K | Rockford, Mich. / Rockford |
Roger Stewart | Sr. | DL | Sturgis, Mich. / White Pigeon |
David Galginaitis | Sr. | DL | Colgate, Wisc. / Germantown |
Kegan Smith | Sr. | TE | Gladwin, Mich. / Gladwin |
Lake Erie | |||
Shane Van Fleteren | Sr. | WR | Shelby, Mich. / Utica |
Jeremy Durbin | Sr. | OL | Helena, Ohio / Fremont St. Joseph |
Aaron Lindgren | Sr. | WR | Willoughby, Ohio / South |
Aaron Rojas | Sr. | DL | Watsonville, Calif. / Watsonville / Cabrillo |
Anthony Kukwa | Sr. | TE | Perry, Ohio / Perry / Ball State |
Maurice Hale | Jr. | DB | Columbus, Ohio / Beechcroft |
Malone | |||
Will Szpor | Sr. | QB | Reedley, Calif. / Reedley |
Matt Blasiole | So. | RB | Uniontown, Ohio / Lake |
Tripp Clearman | Sr. | OL | Ocean Spring, Miss. / Ocean Springs |
Ryan Weber | So. | LB | Butler, Ohio / Loudonville |
Dan Mower | R-Sr. | LB | Holland Patent, N.Y. / Holland Patent |
J.C. Pawlyk | Jr. | DB | Canal Fulton, Ohio / Northwest |
Michigan Tech | |||
Andrew Clark | Sr. | WR | Green Bay, Wis. / Ashwaubenon |
Brandon Cowie | Jr. | QB | West Bend, Wis. / West |
Brandon Hutchison | Sr. | DL | Northville, Mich. |
Ben Tauchen | Jr. | LB | Bonduel, Wis. |
Ryan Van Goethem | Sr. | P | West Branch, Mich. / Ogemaw Hts. |
Dave Walter | Jr. | WR | Midland, Mich. |
Northern Michigan | |||
Keyondre Craig | So. | WR | Muskegon, Mich. / Muskegon |
Chris Washington | Jr. | CB | Fort Lauderdale, Fla. / St. Thomas Aquinas |
Keshawn Walker | Jr. | CB | Dearborn, Mich. / Dearborn |
Paris Woods | Jr. | WR | Brooklyn Park, Minn. / Champlin Park |
Shaye Brown | Jr. | QB | Fenton, Mich. / Linden |
Jared Vuksan | Jr. | DL | Gladstone, Mich. / Gladstone |
Northwood | |||
Charles Williams | So. | DE | Plantation, Fla. / Plantation |
Mike Keith | Sr. | LB | Roseville, Mich. / Warren De La Salle |
Theron Wilson | Jr. | WR | Ann Arbor, Mich. / Skyline |
Vashon Nutt | So. | RB | Chicago, Ill. / Homewood-Flossmor |
Ohio Dominican | |||
Zack Williams | R-So. | OL | Hilliard, Ohio / Hilliard Darby |
Andrew Lorenz | R-So. | OL | Dublin, Ohio / Bishop Watterson |
Jerad Butler | Sr. | TE | Nevada, Ohio / Wynford |
Marquise Tyus | Jr. | DB | Lakewood, Ohio / Lakewood |
Cameron Kohl | R-So. | LB | Hilliard, Ohio / Hilliard Darby |
Hunter Maynard | Sr. | DL | Ashville, Ohio / Bishop Watterson |
Saginaw Valley | |||
Marq Johnson | R-Fr. | WR | Pontiac, Mich. / Clawson |
Andrew Courtemanche | So. | P | Macomb, Mich. / L'Anse Creuse |
Jordan Sanders | Jr. | DL | Rochester, Mich. / Michigan State |
Jack Jennings | So. | DL | Paw Paw, Mich. / Paw Paw |
Dwight Trammer | Sr. | LB | Detroit, Mich. / Inkster |
Will Farr | So. | TE | Grand Ledge, Mich. / Grand Ledge |
Tiffin | |||
Mason Butler | So. | OL | Malvern, Ohio / Minerva |
Tony Shead | Sr. | WR | South Bend, Ind. / South Bend Clay |
Jerry Brown | Jr. | RB | McComb, Ohio / McComb |
Morgan Loyd | Jr. | OLB | Dacula, Ga. / Dacula |
Stefan Willis | Jr. | DB | Akron, Ohio / Akron Firestone |
Jalen Randolph | Jr. | DL | Columbus, Ohio |
Walsh | |||
Alex Jones |
Jr. | DE | Maple Heights, Ohio / Eastern Mich. |
Jeremy Willison | Jr. | WR | Zanesville, Ohio / Maysville |
Braily Blair | Sr. | LB | Zanesville, Ohio / Zanesville |
Aidan O'Neill | So. | OL | Noblesville, Ind. / Cathedral |
C.J. Chatman | Sr. | DB | Copley, Ohio / Copley |
Alex Knight | Jr. | PK | Solon, Ohio / Solon |
Wayne State | |||
Anthony DeDamos | R-Jr. | LB | Rockford, Mich. / Rockford |
Jamel Hicks | R-Jr. | WR | East Cleveland, Ohio / Shaw |
Derrick Rodgers | R-Sr. | DT | Redford, Mich. / Thurston |
Ethan Walsh | R-Sr. | TE | Canton, Mich. / Salem |
Manny Mendoza | R-So. | WR | Rochester Hills, Mich. / Rochester |