Six SAC Football Players Named To Daktronics All-America Team

BROOKINGS, S.D. - Six football players from the South Atlantic Conference have been named to the 2010 Daktronics All America team.

Carson-Newman College offensive lineman Michael Tribue was named to the first team offense, as was Tusculum College placekicker Gareth Rowlands.

Lenoir-Rhyne University offensive lineman Chandler Rearden was named to the second team offense. Also named to the second team offense was Tusculum wide receiver Deonte' Gist.

Newberry College safety Ron Parker and Mars Hill College defensive lineman Maurice Harris were named to the second team defense.

Central Missouri's Eric Czerniewski topped NCAA Division II with 5,207 passing yards and 46 touchdown passes while leading the Mules to an 11-3 mark and a national quarterfinal appearance to earn Ron Lenz Offensive Player of the Year honors.

Valdosta State's Larry Dean led the Blazers to an NCAA Division II postseason appearance tallying 122 tackles in 11 games while becoming the Gulf South Conference's career tackles record holder to gamer Ron Lenz Defensive Player of the Year recognition.

Michael Tribue

Gareth Rowlands

Deonte' Gist

Ron Parker

Chandler Rearden

Maurice Harris

The is in its 18th year of sponsorship by Daktronics, Inc., an acknowledged world leader in scoring, timing and programmable display systems for virtually every sport at every sport at every level of competition. The team is voted on by the NCAA Division II members of the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA), with online nomination and the voting process powered by AthleticSite.com.

Tusculum College

Gareth Rowlands, a 6-1, 215-pound senior from Benllech, Wales, becomes the fifth player in school history to earn First Team All-America recognition (Donald Amaker - 2002; Ricardo Colclough - 2003; Alan Dunn - 2003; Jarrell NeSmith - 2008).

The two-time All-South Atlantic Conference First Team pick enjoyed one of the finest seasons ever by a league kicker. He established school and league single-season records with his 111 points and 21 field goals made. Rowlands leads the nation in field goals made per game (1.91) and is sixth in scoring (10.09 ppg). His 111 points are the most this season by a NCAA II kicker. He went 21-for-26 in field goals, including a string of 10 in a row towards the end of the season, which is a new school record. His streak of 53 consecutive made extra points is also a new school record. He is one of the 10 national finalists for the Fred Mitchell Award, which honors the college division (FCS, DII, DIII, NAIA) placekicker of the year.

Rowlands' 270 points are the most in school history by a kicker and second amongst all Pioneers. The two-time All-Region standout has accounted for 45 career field goals made, which are a new Tusculum record and tied for 25th most in NCAA II history. Rowlands is also a two-time ESPN Academic All-District selection.

Deonte' Gist, a 5-9, 170-pound junior from Wellford, S.C., accounted for one of the greatest seasons for a receiver in SAC history. His 1,183 receiving yards are a new school record and the third most in conference history. The Byrnes High School graduate also established school records with his 96 receptions and 1,713 all-purpose yards.

The 2010 All-SAC First Team honoree averaged a league-best 107.55 receiving yards per game, which are 17th best in the nation this year. His 8.73 receptions per contest were also tops in the league and fourth in the country. Gist tallied 10 or more catches in five games and posted over 100 receiving yards in seven of his 11 contests. He established a school single-game record with 279 all-purpose yards at Catawba, including a 79-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. Gist finished the year with nine touchdowns, including eight TD receptions.

Newberry College

Ron Parker, a native of St. Helena Island, S.C., earns his seventh career All-American honor after earning first team all-Super Region Two laurels earlier this month.

Parker, who was the 2009 South Atlantic Conference Defensive Player of the Year, led the conference in interceptions and fumble recoveries while making 59 tackles in his senior season. Parker finished the regular season ranked 14th nationally in interceptions with 0.56 per game, and was one of fewer than 20 players at all levels of collegiate football to record eight takeaways this season, snagging five interceptions and recovering three fumbles.

He had a career-best 16 tackles at Mars Hill and had a defensive takeaway in six of his nine games played, including two straight games with two takeaways and three straight games with a fumble recovery, including a 72-yard fumble return for a touchdown against Catawba.

Lenoir-Rhyne University

Chandler Rearden, a junior offensive tackle, was selected to the Daktronics All-America second team after helping the Bears lead NCAA Division II in rushing at 319.5 yards per game.

Rearden also won the Jacobs Blocking Trophy, given annually to the top offensive lineman in the South Atlantic Conference. Rearden, a two-time all-league performer, is the first L-R player to garner such honors.

Carson-Newman College

Michael Tribue, a senior from Antioch, Tenn., paved the way for an Eagle offense that finished the season averaging 311.2 yards per game rushing, good for second nationally. The Eagles ran behind Tribue on the two-point conversion that ended up being the deciding points in the season finale, a 49-48 win at Tusculum.

He was the 2009 SAC Jacobs Blocking Trophy winner.

Mars Hill College

Maurice Harris, a senior from Hendersonville, N.C., led the South Atlantic Conference with 11 sacks. He finished the year with 70 total tackles.

2010 Daktronics Football All-America Team

Special Honors
Offensive Player of the Year - Eric Czerniewski, Central Missouri
Defensive Player of the Year - Larry Dean, Valdosta State

Offense
First Team
TE, Ryan Travis, West Liberty State
OL, Cameron Bradfield, Grand Valley State
OL, Trevis Turner, Abilene Christian
OL, Brandon Fusco, Slippery Rock
OL, Michael Tribue, Carson-Newman
OL, Kyle Thornton, North Alabama
WR, Jamorris Warren, Central Missouri
WR, Fred Williams, St. Cloud State
QB, Eric Czerniewski, Central Missouri
RB, Franklyn Quiteh, Bloomsburg
RB, Phil Milbrath, Michigan Tech
RS, Garrett Tidwell, Angelo State
PK, Gareth Rowlands, Tusculum

Second Team
TE, DeMarco Cosby, Central Missouri
OL, Orion Matthies, Nebraska-Kearney
OL, Chandler Rearden, Lenoir-Rhyne
OL, Matt Desotell, Michigan Tech
OL, Amini Silatolu, Midwestern State
OL, Harrison Lingenfelter, Nebraska-Omaha
OL, Dennis Bergland, Nebraska-Omaha
WR, Edmund Gates, Abilene Christian
WR, Deonte' Gist, Tusculum
QB, Zach Amedro, West Liberty State
RB, Isaac Odim, Minnesota-Duluth
RB, Josh Birmingham, Central Oklahoma
RS, D.J. Winfield, Minnesota-Duluth
PK, Steve Ivanisevic, Washburn

Defense
First Team
DL, Marc Schiechl, Colorado Mines
DL, Courtney Harris, North Alabama
DL, Malcolm Jenkins, Elizabeth City State
LB, Larry Dean, Valdosta State
LB, Travis Brisco, Urbana
LB, Nate Dreiling, Pittsburg State
LB, Kiel Fechtelkotter, Minnesota-Duluth
S, Tillman Stevens, Eastern New Mexico
S, Jeremy Jones, Wayne State (Mich.)
CB, Stevie Harden, Valdosta State
CB, Ryan Jones, Northwest Missouri
P, George Shamblin, Angelo State

Second Team
DL, Armonty Bryant, East Central
DL, Aston Whiteside, Abilene Christian
DL, Maurice Harris, Mars Hill
LB, Tressor Baptiste, Texas A&M-Kingsville
LB, Matt Freed, East Stroudsburg
LB, Chad Kilgore, Northwest Missouri
LB, Harrison Bryant, North Alabama
S, Craig Ray, Indianapolis
S, Ron Parker, Newberry
CB, Keon Robinson, Shepherd
CB, Chad Daniel, North Alabama
P, Kevin Berg, Chadron State