2019 All-GLIAC Football Teams, Player of the Year Awards Announced

Posted: Nov 19, 2019

Scroll down the release to view 2019 GLIAC Football All-Conference Teams

The 2019 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Football postseason awards have been announced after voting conducted by the league's coaches.

PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Austin Edwards - Ferris State

Ferris State University senior defensive end Austin Edwards led the Bulldogs to a second consecutive GLIAC Championsip and an unbeaten regular-season. As the leader of one of the nation's top defensive units, Edwards has compiled 13.5 tackles for loss (-83 yards) along with eight sacks (-68 yards) and 45 total stops this campaign with both a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. The three-year starter is a three-time All-GLIAC honoree and two-time All-American who has helped FSU to its sixth consecutive NCAA Division II Playoff appearance this year and the region's top seed after three-straight trips to the national quarterfinals or beyond. The two-time All-GLIAC First Team pick was a finalist for the 2018 Cliff Harris Award as one of the nation's top small college performers and is a highly-regarded NFL prospect.

OFFENSIVE BACK OF THE YEAR
Deiontae Nicholas - Wayne State

Wayne State senior running back Deiontae Nicholas returned from back-to-back injury filled seasons to finish third in the GLIAC in rushing yards at 847; had the second-highest yards per carry (6.0) of anyone with at least 75 rushing attempts; and ranked second in all-purpose yards (992) in league play. The sixth-year graduate student concluded his collegiate career with 1,735 rushing yards and 3,560 all-purpose yards, which ranks 10th in school history. His 7.54 yards per carry (230-1735) for a career is the best in program history of anyone with at least 75 rushing attempts. In fact, his 7.54 yards per play is also tops in the WSU annals for anyone with at least 150 plays.

OFFENSIVE LINEMAN OF THE YEAR
Tyler Allison - Ferris State

Ferris State University senior offensive guard Tyler Allison has had a standout campaign up front for the Bulldogs, helping FSU to its second consecutive GLIAC Championship and an unbeaten regular-season. The four-year starter has has paved the way for one of the nation's top offensive units throughout his career and is a three-time All-GLIAC choice. This season, he's helped the Bulldogs rank among the nation's top 10 teams in total offensve, averaging 513.3 yards per game, and the Bulldogs are also ranked in the top 15 in rushing at 257.7 yards a contest. Allison is a four-year letterwinner and has helped FSU to its sixth consecutive NCAA Division II Playoff appearance this year and the region's top seed after three-straight trips to the national quarterfinals or beyond.

DEFENSIVE LINEMAN OF THE YEAR
Heath Williams - Saginaw Valley St.

Senior defensive tackle Heath Williams capped-off his Cardinal career with another stellar season in anchoring the SVSU defensive line. Garnering plenty of attention from opposing offenses, Williams racked-up 38 tackles, with five of those coming in the form of sacks and totaling 7.5 tackles-for-loss. Heath ranks third all-time in SVSU history with 22.5 sacks and is third in single season sacks with the 13 he collected in his junior campaign. The 39.5 tackles-for-loss he has posted in his career rank third all-time as well for the East Lansing native who has 135 career tackles. Williams becomes Saginaw Valley's second-ever GLIAC Defensive Lineman of the Year, with the only other being 1999 NFL first round draft pick Lamar King in the 1998 season.

DEFENSIVE BACK OF THE YEAR
James Ceasar - Ferris State

Ferris State University senior defensive back James Ceasar has made his mark in his first season with the Bulldogs as one of the nation's top defensive backs. Ceasar, who transferred from Southern Illinois, helped lead the Bulldogs to a second-straight GLIAC Championship and an unbeaten regular-season with a team-high six interceptions to go with seven pass breakups, 28 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss and a sack this campaign. The standout cornerback's play has guided FSU to its sixth consecutive NCAA Division II Playoff appearance and the region's top seed this year. Ceasar has registered multiple interceptions in two different games and his effort has enabled the Bulldogs to rank as one of the nation's top defensive units this year, including first in the country in team pass efficiency defense.

FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR
Gei'vonni Washington - Ashland

As announced by the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference on Tuesday (Nov. 19) afternoon, Ashland University tailback Gei'vonni Washington is the 2019 GLIAC Freshman of the Year. Washington led the GLIAC with 1,205 rushing yards, 264 carries and 1,453 all-purpose yards during his freshman campaign. He ended the year with eight consecutive 100-yard rushing games, becoming the first Eagle to accomplish the feat since D.J. McCoy in 2010, and set a new program record for most rushing yards in a season by a rookie. Washington becomes the fourth Ashland player this decade to earn GLIAC Freshman of the Year honors, along with quarterbacks Austin Brenner (2018) and Travis Tarnowski (2014), and defensive tackle Jamie Meder (2010).

COACH OF THE YEAR
Paul Winters - Wayne State

Wayne State University head coach Paul Winters led the Warriors to a remarkable turnaround winning eight of their final nine games in 2019 after suffering through a 1-11 stretch in the previous 12 contests. WSU was predicted to tie-for-fifth by the league coaches prior to the 2019 campaign and finished second notching a 7-1 record with the only setback to Super Region 3 top seed Ferris State. Wayne State played the fifth-toughest schedule in Division II with an opponents winning percentage of .604 (64-42) and the three losses were to teams that went a combined 30-2. This is Winters' third GLIAC Coach-of-the-Year award having previously been the recipient in 2006 and 2008. The eight wins were the most since the 2011 team went 12-4 on its way to the national championship game, while the second-place finish was the best since the 2011 squad tied-for-second.

A complete list of the 2019 All-GLIAC football teams is below:

2019 All-GLIAC Football First Team
Name	School	Yr.	Pos.	Hometown
Ryan Conklin,	Saginaw Valley St.	Sr	QB	Jackson, Mich.
Nate McCrary	Saginaw Valley St.	Jr	RB	Muskegon, Mich.
Marvin Campbell	Ferris St.	Jr	RB	Detroit, Mich.
Deiontae Nicholas	Wayne St. (Mich.)	Sr	RB	Chesterfield, Mich.
Jayk Slager	Grand Valley St.	So	TE	Zeeland, Mich.
Sy Barnett	Ferris St.	So	WR	Williamston, Mich.
Chad Gailliard	Saginaw Valley St.	Jr	WR	Dearborn, Mich.
Austin Paritee	Grand Valley St.	Sr	WR	Birmingham, Mich.
Darece Roberson	Wayne St. (Mich.)	Sr	WR	Muskegon, Mich.
Tyler Allison	Ferris St.	Sr	OL	Clinton Township, Mich.
Landin Mitchell	Wayne St. (Mich.)	Jr	OL	Goodrich, Mich.
Ethan Culberson	Grand Valley St.	Jr	OL	Shelby, Twp., Mich.
Dylan Pasquali	Ferris St.	Jr	OL	Trenton, Mich.
Hayden Huttula	Michigan Tech	So	OL	Hartland, Mich
Ryan Maguire	Ashland	Sr	OL	New Albany, Ohio
Austin Edwards	Ferris St.	Sr	DL	Lansing, Mich.
Nate LaJoie	Michigan Tech	Jr	DL	Sault Ste Marie, Mich
Heath Williams	Saginaw Valley St.	Sr	DL	East Lansing, Mich.
Robert Clanton	Davenport	Sr	DL	Muskegon, Mich.
Dennis Johnson	Grand Valley St.	Jr	DL	Columbus, Ohio
James Ceasar	Ferris St.	Sr	DB	Detroit, Mich.
Damario Johnson	Grand Valley St.	Sr	DB	Hammond Ind,
Jaylen Moore	Grand Valley St.	Sr	DB	Murrieta, Calif.
Dimitri Abro	Northwood	Sr	DB	Macomb, Mich.
D. Stephenson	Ferris St.	Sr	DB	Sayreville, N.J.
Avonte Bell	Ferris St.	Sr	LB	Lansing, Mich.
Isaiah Nkansah	Grand Valley St.	Sr	LB	Mason, Ohio
Sam Heyboer	Ferris St.	Jr	LB	Grand Rapids, Mich.
Leon Eggleston	Wayne St. (Mich.)	Sr	LB	Sylvania, Ohio
Clay Shreve	Ashland	Sr	LB	Mogadore, Ohio
Jackson Dieterle	Ferris St.	Sr	PK	Jenison, Mich.
Parker Blust	Northwood	So	P	Lake Orion, Mich.
Dion Earls	Ferris St.	Sr	KR	Chicago, Ill.

2019 All-GLIAC Football Second Team
Name	School	Year	Pos.	Hometown
Austin Brenner	Ashland	So	QB	Copley, Ohio
Gei'vonni Washington	Ashland	Fr	RB	Youngstown, Ohio
James Hill	Wayne St. (Mich.)	Sr	RB	Livonia, Mich.
Jared Smith	Michigan Tech	So	RB	Westphalia, Mich.
Austin Williams	Ashland	So	FB	Chardon, Ohio
Jacob Wenzlick	Michigan Tech	Sr	WR	Sanford, Mich.
Casey Williams	Saginaw Valley St.	So	WR	Lansing, Mich.
Logan Bolin	Ashland	Jr	WR	Grafton, Ohio
Xavier Wade	Ferris St.	So	WR	Holland, Mich.
Jake Boonstra	Ferris St.	Jr	OL	Grand Rapids, Mich.
Trevor Curle	Saginaw Valley St.	Sr	OL	Macomb, Mich.
Adam McJunkin	Wayne St. (Mich.)	Sr	OL	Allen Park, Mich.
Lane Potter	Wayne St. (Mich.)	Jr	OL	Hudsonville, Mich.
Garrett Carroll	Grand Valley St.	Fr	OL	Fort Wayne, Ind
Cory Carr	Ferris St.	Sr	OL	Portage, Mich.
Austin Simpson	Ferris St.	Jr	DL	Livonia, Mich.
Jalen Lewis	Wayne St. (Mich.)	Sr	DL	Pontiac, Mich.
Tristan Reichelderfer	Ashland	Sr	DL	Kenton, Ohio
Jordan Jones	Ferris St.	So	DL	Redford, Mich.
Johnathon Williams	Grand Valley St.	Sr	DL	Benton Harbor, Mich.
Travis Tidwell	Michigan Tech	Sr	DB	Detroit, Mich.
Nick Powers	Ashland	Sr	DB	Hilliard, Ohio
Greg McDade	Wayne St. (Mich.)	Sr	DB	Sterling Heights, Mich.
Omari McCauley	Ferris St.	Sr	DB	Detroit, Mich.
Deion Powers	Davenport	Jr	DB	Fort Wayne, Ind.
Tyler Bradfield	Grand Valley St.	Jr	LB	Rockford, Mich.
Isaac Darkangelo	Northern Mich.	So	LB	Brighton, Mich.
Kye Black	Davenport	Sr	LB	Fort Wayne, Ind.
Brandon Tuck-Hayden	Wayne St. (Mich.)	So	LB	Akron, Ohio
David Still	Saginaw Valley St.	Sr	LB	Glassboro, N.J.
Satchel Denton	Ashland	Jr	PK	Centerburg, Ohio
Will Ark	Michigan Tech	Jr	P	Green Bay, Wis
Tyquan Cox	Northern Mich.	Fr	KR	Chicago, Ill.

2019 All-GLIAC Football Honorable Mention
Ashland
Name	Yr.	Pos.	Hometown
Ryan Corkean	Jr	LB	Columbus, Ohio
Mike Hopewell	Sr	DT	Blacklick, Ohio
Curtis Roupe	So	DE	Spencer, Ohio
Jordan Swett	Fr	CB	Nashville, Tenn.
Justin Moore	So	CB	Akron, Ohio
Nick Cone	So	DT	Columbus, Ohio
Davenport
Meckah Lester	So	OL	Chicago, Ill.
Shain Shannon	Sr	OL	Lansing, Mich.
Nate Couturier	Sr	WR	Allendale, Mich.
Kyle Wojahn	Fr	P	Stevensville, Mich.
Jalen Robinson	So	DB	Detroit, Mich.
Abe Thompson	St	DL	Yuma, Ariz.
Ferris State
Jevon Shaw	Sr	SL	Farmington Hills, Mich.
Davontae Harrington	Sr	SL	St. Petersburg, Fla.
Lazon Hicks	Jr	TE	Ypsilanti, Mich.
Zein Obeid	So	OL	Dearborn, Mich.
Alex Thomas	Sr	DB	Lauderdale Lakes, Fla.
Najeem Hosein	Sr	DB	Orlando, Fla.
Grand Valley State
Michael Pettis	Sr	DL	Battle Creek, Mich./Central
Brenndann Brown	So	LB	Southfield, Mich./Farmington Hills Harrison
Antonio Strong	So	DB	Grand Rapids, Mich./Catholic Central
Aryuan Cain-Veasey	So	RB	Michigan City, Ind.
Brandon Wadley	Jr	WR	South Bend, Ind./John Adams
Quinton Barrow	Fr	OL	Romulus, Mich.
Michigan Tech
Jordan Ferguson	Jr	FB	Alpena, Mich
Xavier Ciardo	Sr	DL	Kenosha, Wis.
Ben Hartley	Sr	WR	West Branch, Mich
Jeremy Bell	Sr	OL	Negaunee, Mich.
Glacier Wallington	Sr	DB	Metamora, Mich.
Braxton Blackwell	So	DB	South Lyon, Mich
Northern Michigan
Antonio Howard	Fr	RB	Chicago, Ill.
Jack Reiger	So	LB	Hoffman Estates, Ill.
Tyshon King	Fr	RB	Kankakee, Ill.
John Kwiecinski	Sr	P	Plymouth, Mich.
Jay Young	Jr	OL	New Baltimore, Mich.
Brady Hanson	Jr	DB	Kewaskum, Wis.
Northwood
Cashual Goldsmith	Fr	RB	Flint, Mich.
Damon Sutton	Jr	OL	Sterling Heights, Mich.
Alex Spicuzzi	Sr	WR	Macomb, Mich.
Zach Graham	Sr	OL	Northville, Mich.
Dantae Banton	Fr	DL	Pompano Beach, Fla.
Noah Koenigsknecht	Jr	WR	Dewitt, Mich.
Saginaw Valley St.
Max Fister	Sr	OL	Allen Park, Mich.
Justin Whitted	Sr	LB	Farmington Hills, Mich.
Marvin White	Jr	DB	Detroit, Mich.
Nick Whiteside	So	DB	Auburn Hills, Mich.
Austin Egler	Sr	DB	Clarkston, Mich.
Fischer Klein	Sr	OL	Portland, Mich.
Wayne State
Myron Riley-Brown	Sr	DB	Harvey, Ill.
Kyle Toth	Sr	DB	Hudsonville, Mich.
Damani Green	So	DT	Detroit, Mich.
Dakota Kupp	Sr	QB	Waterford, Mich.
Stephen Charron	Sr	FB	Palm Harbor, Fla.
Nick Poterack	So	TE	Byron Center