MVC All-Academic Team Announced

[BTownJack]

I believe this just popped up on www.gojacks.com:

SDSU paces league all-academic team
ST. LOUIS, Mo. — For the fourth consecutive season, the South Dakota State University football team leads its conference in all-academic selections.

The Jackrabbits placed eight players, including a league-best four first-team selections, on the 2008 Missouri Valley Football Conference All-Academic Team, which was announced Tuesday.

All four of SDSU’s first-team selections came from the offensive side of the ball, led by seniors Ryan Berry and Kevin Robling.

Berry, a quarterback from Watertown, received first-team honors after compiling a 3.89 grade-point average in biology/pre-medicine. Earlier this fall, Berry was selected as a National Football Foundation Scholar-Athlete and one of 15 finalists for the Draddy Trophy. He also named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District VII First Team. On the field, Berry was an all-MVFC first-team selection after leading the league in passing yards per game (258.8), touchdown passes (30) and total offense (250.8 ypg). He also established Jackrabbit single-season records for completions (256), attempts (395) and touchdown passes (30), and set SDSU career marks for completions (485), attempts (834), passing yards (6,023) and touchdown passes (56).

(read more)

....

FIRST TEAM

QB Matt Barr, Western Illinois 6-2 215 So. 3.95 Accounting Belvidere (Ill.) High
QB Ryan Berry, South Dakota State 6-3 200 Sr. 3.89 Biology/Pre-Med Watertown (S.D.) High
#DE Nick Compton, North Dakota St. 6-0 254 Sr. 3.64 Business Administration Rosemount (Minn.) High
RB Herb Donaldson, Western Illinois 5-11 225 Sr. 3.19 Broadcasting St. Louis (Mo.) CBC High
RB Tyler Duffy, South Dakota State 5-10 200 So. 4.00 Electrical Engineering Brookings (S.D.) High
^WR Kole Heckendorf, North Dakota St. 6-2 191 Sr. 3.81 Physical Education Mosinee (Wis.) High
TE Ryan Kernes, Southern Illinois 6-3 240 Jr. 4.00 Civil Engineering Bloomington (Ill.) High
#LB Josh Mahoney, UNI 6-1 234 Jr. 4.00 Economics Sioux Falls (S.D.) O'Gorman High
WR Warren McCarty, Illinois State 6-4 205 Jr. 4.00 Business Administration Roscoe (Ill.) Hononegah High
OL Brian Mellott, Youngstown State 6-3 280 Jr. 3.96 Accounting Austintown (Ohio) Austintown Fitch High
^RB Kyle Minett, South Dakota State 5-10 205 So. 3.50 Economics Ruthton (Minn.) Russell-Tyler-Ruthton High
LB Ryan Patton, Southern Illinois 6-1 220 Jr. 4.00 Finance West Frankfort (Ill.) High
#OL Kevin Robling, South Dakota St. 6-3 270 Sr. 3.82 Wildlife and Fisheries Jordan (Minn.) High
^RB Tyler Roehl, North Dakota State 5-10 232 Sr. 3.38 Physical Education West Fargo (N.D.) High

SECOND TEAM

OG David Arkin, Missouri State 6-5 281 So. 3.66 Construction Management Wichita (Kan.) Kapaun High
KO Stephen Blose, Youngstown State 5-10 185 So. 4.00 Middle Childhood Education Erie (Pa.) Harbor Creek High
DT Chris Brehmer, Missouri State 6-5 270 Sr. 3.48 Psychology Rock Hill (Mo.) Webster Groves High
LB Travis Cherry, Western Illinois 6-2 225 Sr. 3.56 Kinesiology Carol Stream (Ill.) Glenbard North High
WR Chris Geisz, Missouri State 6-2 290 Sr. 3.54 Sales/Sales Management St. Louis (Mo.) Lindbergh High
LB Kyle Glazier, Western Illinois 6-1 220 So. 3.85 Law Enforcement Geneseo (Ill.) High
TE Josh Jones, Indiana State 6-2 220 Jr. 3.92 Exercise Science Camby (Ind.) Mooresville High
DB Conrad Kjerstad, South Dakota St. 6-0 195 So. 3.90 Pre-Economics Wall (S.D.) High
DB Tom Krupko, Youngstown State 5-7 170 Sr. 3.92 Biology/Pre-Med. Homeworth (Ohio) Marlington High
FS Mike McElroy, Southern Illinois 6-1 199 So. 3.94 Biological Sciences Lowell (Mich.) High
QB Nick Mertens, North Dakota State 6-1 215 Jr. 3.76 Business East Grand Forks (Minn.) High
P Gabe Mullane, Indiana State 6-2 180 So. 3.93 Physical Education Massalin (Ohio) Jackson High
P Ben Nowicki, Youngstown State 5-10 175 Jr. 3.57 Chemistry Gilbert (Ariz.) Mesquite High

HONORABLE MENTION

Illinois State: OL Jonathan St-Pierre • Indiana State: OL Jack Byrne • Missouri State: DE Clayton Dickehut, WR Jared Emery
UNI: OL Bob Swift • South Dakota State: OL Nick Flesner, LB Chris Johnson, P Dean Priddy • Southern Illinois: QB/WR Joe Allaria, OC Mike Farrell
Western Illinois: TE Drew Helt • Youngstown State: OL Brad Samsa

^ - ESPN the Magazine Academic All-America Selections (1st Team); # - ESPN the Magazine Academic All-America Selections (2nd Team)

[musicman]

Re: MVC All-Academic Team Announced

Just proves we have great thinkers as well as great athletes. I am sure the Mo Valley is more then happy with this as it needs the help on the academic side of things.

[JackrabbitGuy]

Re: MVC All-Academic Team Announced

I think this is outstanding, and shows the value that SDSU places in maintaining integrity and academic importance at the Division I level.

This is where the payoff comes with the Division I move in athletics. Athletic success generates regional/nation exposure and that combined with this type of academic excellence publicity by those same student athletes only serve to generally increase the image of SDSU as a first rate academic (and athletic) institution.

SDSU has been an excellent institution for a long time, but this publicity increases both the stature of the university in the state/region widens the sphere of influence of the university to a more regional/national level.