Release courtesy of Dan O’Connell, Towson University and Shane Meling, Texas A&M-Kingsville
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 Miners 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 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 |
3.65 |
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