February 11, 2015 Contact: Dan Wilkes, National Chair For Immediate Release (620) 235-4147 or [email protected] 2014 Don Hansen NCAA Division II All-America Team Announced Vander Laan Offensive POY, D. Allen Defensive POY, E. Allen Special Teams POY, Martin Freshman POY, Wristen Coach of the Year PITTSBURG, Kan. — Harlon Hill Trophy winning quarterback Jason Vander Laan of Ferris State and Gene Upshaw Award winning defensive end Darius Allen of NCAA Division II national champion Colorado State-Pueblo headline a talented 2014 Don Hansen NCAA Division II All-America Team. Vander Laan, who captured the Harlon Hill Trophy as the Division II National Player of the Year honors, garnered Don Hansen Offensive Player of the Year accolades. A junior from Frankfort, Ill., Vander Laan rushed for 1,466 yards and 20 touchdowns and he completed 183 of 275 passes for 2,381 yards and 30 touchdowns with just seven interceptions (198.4 rating), helping the Bulldogs to the GLIAC title and an 11-1 overall record. Allen, a senior from Pueblo, Colo., captured the Gene Upshaw Award as the Division II Lineman of the Year for a second straight year. He made 72 tackles (39 solo) with 23.0 tackles-for-loss and 15.5 quarterback sacks during the ThunderWolves’ championship run. Ouachita Baptist return specialist Etauj Allen, who led Division II with three punt returns for touchdowns and averaged 18.5 yards per return, was selected the Don Hansen National Special Teams Player of the Year. Slippery Rock defensive end Marcus Martin, who made 68 tackles (29 solo) with 22.5 tackles-for-loss and 16.0 quarterback sacks, was named the Don Hansen National Freshman of the Year honors. CSU-Pueblo’s John Wristen, who led the ThunderWolves to a 14-1 record and the school’s first NCAA Division II National Championship claimed Don Hansen National Coach of the Year honors. In his seventh season as head coach, Wristen guided his alma mater to the top of the Division II football world with a 13- 0 victory over Minnesota State in the 2014 NCAA Division II National Championship Game on Dec. 20. The Don Hansen Division II All-America Team carries out the legacy of long-time small college football advocate Don Hansen, who passed away at age 75 on Aug. 29, 2010. Hansen, from Brookfield, Ill., started and published Don Hansen’s National Weekly Football Gazette for three decades, selecting NCAA Division II All-America teams for the first time in 1988. The Don Hansen Football Committee selected All-Super Region teams following the season, with the first-team and second-team All-Super Region players advancing to the national ballot. A total of 193 players earned some form of Don Hansen All-America honors. Players from 92 of the 160 football-playing schools in Division II earned Don Hansen All-America accolades. National Champion CSU-Pueblo led the way by placing nine players on the All-America squad, while national runner-up Minnesota State landed eight honorees. FOR MORE INFORMATION contact Don Hansen National Coordinator Dan Wilkes, Associate AD/ Communications at Pittsburg State University, at 620-235-4147 ([email protected]). First Team Offense POS NAME HT WT YR SCHOOL HOMETOWN QB Jason Vander Laan 6-4 241 JR Ferris State Frankfort, Ill. FB Chris Robinson 5-8 205 SR Lenoir-Rhyne Newnan, Ga. RB Anthony Bilal 5-7 170 JR Lake Erie Painesville, Ohio RB Terrell Watson 6-2 240 SR Azusa Pacific Oxnard, Calif. WR Gary Brown 6-1 200 SO California (Pa.) Columbus, Ohio WR Ricky Collins 6-0 200 SR Texas A&M-Commerce Tyler, Texas WR Darius Davis 5-11 212 SR Henderson State Frisco, Texas TE Tim Brown 6-3 235 JR West Chester Clifton Heights, Pa. AP Rahmann Lee 6-0 184 JR Glenville State Capitol Heights, Md. C Josh Meeker 6-2 290 SR Minnesota State Omaha, Neb. OG Perrin Cunningham 6-2 275 SR Ohio Dominican Cincinnati, Ohio OG Andrew Muer 6-3 275 SR Minnesota Duluth Perham, Minn. OT Cole Manhart 6-6 310 SR Nebraska-Kearney Highlands Ranch, Colo. OT Joe Ray 6-1 270 JR Lenoir-Rhyne Atlanta, Ga. PK Anthony Pistelli 5-9 199 SO Valdosta State Thomasville, Ga. First Team Defense POS NAME HT WT YR SCHOOL HOMETOWN DE Darius Allen 6-4 251 SR CSU-Pueblo Pueblo, Colo. DE Josh Gordon 6-2 250 SR Minnesota State Milwaukee, Wis. DG/DT Blake Baker 6-1 250 SR Lenoir-Rhyne Bethlehem, N.C. DG/DT Devin Benton 5-11 270 SR Southwestern Oklahoma Arlington, Texas LB Tanner Botts 6-2 215 SR Lenoir-Rhyne Lawrenceville, Ga. LB Rush Seaver 6-3 250 SR Angelo State Lampasas, Texas LB Bre’Nard Williams 5-11 230 SR Clark Atlanta Omega, Ga. S Zack Mitchell 6-0 185 SR Ouachita Baptist Vilonia, Ark. S Jordan Shaw 6-2 215 JR Shorter Jasper, Ga. CB Solomon St. Pierre 5-11 171 JR Sioux Falls Wagner, S.D. CB Al-Hajj Shabazz 6-2 200 SR West Chester Philadelphia, Pa. RS Etauj Allen 5-9 185 SR Ouachita Baptist San Antonio, Texas P Patrick Carney 6-0 215 SR New Mexico Highlands Chico, Calif. Second Team Offense POS NAME HT WT YR SCHOOL HOMETOWN QB Anthony Abenoja 6-3 217 SR Pittsburg State Overland Park, Kan. FB E’Lon Spight 5-10 200 SR Eastern New Mexico St. Louis, Mo. RB Brock Jones 5-10 210 JR Gannon Peninsula, Ohio RB LaVance Taylor 5-11 195 SR Central Missouri Raytown, Mo. WR Jeff Hill 6-4 215 SR Bentley Mansfield, Mass. WR Gavin Lutman 6-4 201 SR Pittsburg State Peculiar, Mo. WR Xavier Milton 6-0 190 SR Florida Tech Alameda, Calif. TE Cole Spurgeon 6-3 235 JR Colorado Mines Gretna, Neb. AP Marquise Cushon 5-10 162 JR Pittsburg State Kansas City, Mo. C Quincy Awa-Dubose 6-2 320 SR West Georgia Oxnard, Calif. OG Alex Davis 6-4 295 SR Gannon Erie, Pa. OG Garrison Ushery 6-1 335 SR West Georgia Austell, Ga. OT Tory Day 6-1 255 SR Harding Memphis, Tenn. OT Isaiah Shelton 6-2 308 SR Shepherd Temple Hills, Md. PK Saul Martinez 5-9 190 SR Texas A&M-Commerce Pittsburg, Texas Second Team Defense POS NAME HT WT YR SCHOOL HOMETOWN DE Julian Howsare 6-3 255 SR Clarion Altoona, Pa. DE Matt Longacre 6-3 270 SR Northwest Missouri Omaha, Neb. DE Braysean Jones 6-1 205 JR Miles Montgomery, Ala. DG/DT DuVontae Covington 6-2 285 SR Winston-Salem State Greensboro, N.C. DG/DT Anthony McDaniel 6-1 280 JR Bowie State Ft. Washington, Md. LB Leron Furr 6-3 245 SR Fort Valley State Columbus, Ga. LB Tyler Henderson 6-3 235 JR Minnesota State Mankato, Minn. LB Justin Shirk 6-0 240 SR Bloomsburg Harrisburg, Pa. S Nathan Hancock 6-2 195 SR Minnesota State Independence, Mo. S Derrick Johnson 5-10 190 JR Concord (W. Va.) Pleasant Hill, Calif. CB De’Vante Bausby 6-2 179 SR Pittsburg State Kansas City, Mo. CB Curtis Pumphrey 5-8 155 JR Bowie State Laurel, Md. RS L.J. Strohman 5-10 185 SR N.C. Pembroke Hamlet, N.C. P Mike Wenk 6-0 205 SR Southwest Minnesota Hartford, S.D. Third Team Offense POS NAME HT WT YR SCHOOL HOMETOWN QB Sean McCartney 6-2 200 SR West Chester Doylestown, Pa. QB Kevin Rodgers 6-3 215 GR Henderson State Rockwall, Texas FB Jordan Ollis 5-10 230 SR Brevard Columbus, N.C. FB Romo Westbrook 5-10 210 SR Harding Marion, Ark. RB Andy Hibbett 6-0 200 SR Carson-Newman Corryton, Tenn. RB Cameron McDondle 5-8 196 JR CSU-Pueblo Littleton, Colo. WR Vernon Johnson 6-1 190 SR Texas A&M-Commerce Fort Worth, Texas WR Tyler Slavin 6-2 215 SR New Mexico Highlands Corona, Calif. WR T.J. Smith 6-0 175 FR Concord (W. Va.) Charleston, W. Va. TE Lucas Hefty 6-4 240 SR Upper Iowa Traer, Iowa AP Paul Revis 5-9 165 FR Western Oregon Scappoose, Ore. C Jack Abercrombie 6-2 295 SR California (Pa.) Horsham, Pa. OG Michael Gibbs 6-2 300 SR Delta State Brandon, Miss. OG Nick Perez 6-4 290 JR Tarleton State Stephenville, Texas OT Zack Martinez 6-6 301 JR CSU-Pueblo Redlands, Calif. OT Jesse Yancey 6-7 315 SR Valdosta State Claxton, Ga. PK Connor Frazell 5-10 183 SR Pitsburg State Iola, Kan. Third Team Defense POS NAME HT WT YR SCHOOL HOMETOWN DE Derrick Mann 6-3 225 SR Assumption Sharon, Mass. DE Marcus Martin 6-3 235 FR Slippery Rock West Mifflin, Pa. DG/DT Kenny Allen 6-2 294 JR Central Oklahoma Perkins, Okla. DG/DT Brandon Yost 6-2 280 JR Northwest Missouri Omaha, Neb. LB Eric Reimer 6-2 225 SR Northwest Missouri Menomonie Falls, Wis. LB J.J. Sanders 5-10 235 JR Florida Tech Columbus, Ohio LB Tavarius Washington 6-2 230 JR Albany State Keysville, Ga. LB Ronell Williams 6-1 245 SR West Chester Chester, Pa. S Michael Jordan 6-0 200 JR Fort Hays State Kerens, Texas S Jarrod Lacy 6-0 200 SR CSU-Pueblo Boynton Beach, Fla. S Keeston Terry 6-3 203 SR Pittsburg State Blue Springs, Mo. CB O’Neil Blake 5-9 190 SR Lenoir-Rhyne Kissimmee, Fla. CB Travis Lee 6-1 185 SR Miles Atlanta, Ga. RS Torie Wagner 5-9 180 JR Charleston (W. Va.) Severn, Md. P Andrew Cerett 6-5 260 SR California (Pa.) Huntingdon, Pa.