CEDAR RAPIDS, IOWA . . . Four Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (IIAC) football players were named to the D3football.com All-America Team announced Saturday in conjunction with the NCAA Division III National Championship game in Salem, Va.
Luther College senior offensive guard Jon Stavast (St. Paul, Minn./Eden Prairie) was named to the First Team, Cornell College senior linebacker Chris Gustafson (Lakewood, Colo./Bear Creek) was named to the Second Team, and Central College senior linebacker Greg Altmaier (Iowa City, Iowa/Iowa City) and senior cornerback Guy Dierikx (Port Byron, Ill./Riverdale) were named to the Third Team.
Stavast, a four-time First Team All-IIAC selection, helped anchor an offensive line that paved the way for Tyler Sherden, who ranked sixth in Division III in rushing with a Luther single-season school record 1,575 yards.
Gustafson led the Rams in tackles for the third consecutive season with 135 total stops – 73 solo and 62 assisted. The 6-foot, 243-pound Gustafson established school records for solo tackles in a game (14 at Central, Oct. 27, 2007), tackles-for-loss in a season (20.0, 2007) and solo tackles in a career (219, 2004-07). He stands second on Cornell’s all-time list with 472 career tackles, nine shy of the school mark held by John Crane (481, 1998-2001).
Altmaier racked up 138 tackles, the fourth-highest total in Central history. He tied a school season mark with 74 unassisted tackles. He made 7.5 tackles for loss with 2.5 sacks and three fumble recoveries, including one he returned 52 yards for a touchdown.
Dierikx tied the Central single-season record for interceptions with eight, returning them for 137 yards and two touchdowns. He made 54 tackles, including 36 solos, and had a team-high 14 pass breakups. Dierikx also averaged 15.6 yards on 14 punt returns with one TD and 17.1 yards on eight kickoff returns.
Central senior quarterback Tim Connell (Eldora, Iowa/Eldora-New Providence), Luther senior running back Tyler Sherden (Rochester, Minn./John Marshall) and Coe College junior kick returner Tom Breitbach (Cedar Rapids, Iowa/Xavier) were honorable mention selections by D3football.com.
The entire 2007 D3football.com All-America Team follows this release.
AP Little All-America Team Announced
The Associated Press (AP) Little All-America Team was announced Friday, December 14. Sherden was named to the Third Team as an all-purpose player along with Wartburg senior defensive back Nick Weber (Cedar Rapids, Iowa/Xavier). The AP Little All-America Team recognizes players from NCAA Divisions II and III and the NAIA.
Sherden led the IIAC in rushing with 1,238 yards for an average of 154.8 yards per game. He also led the league in all-purpose yards with 1,764 for an average of 220.5 per contest. After rushing for a single-season school record 1,575 yards in 2007 , Sherden completed his career with 3,362 yards. That ranks third on Luther’s all-time list. Luther Hall of Famer Bernie Peeters established the old single-season yardage mark of 1,442 in 1971. Sherden also tied Peeters single-season record for touchdowns with 16, raising his second-place career total to 41.
Weber, a three-time All-Conference selection, concluded his senior season with 32 tackles, four interceptions, and seven pass break-ups on defense and hauled in 22 receptions for 264 yards and one touchdown on offense. He also ranked among the most dangerous kick returners around, averaging over 14 yards per punt and over 21 yards per kickoff return.
The entire 2007 AP Little All-America Team follows this release.
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2007 D3football.com All-America Team
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Offensive Player of the Year: Justin Beaver, RB, UW-Whitewater
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Defensive Player of the Year: Jerrell Freeman, LB, Mary Hardin-Baylor
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Coach of the Year: Lance Leipold, UW-Whitewater
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| Offense |
First Team |
Second Team |
| QB |
Greg Micheli, Jr., Mount Union |
Bobby Swallow, Jr., Washington and Jefferson |
| RB |
Justin Beaver, Sr., UW-Whitewater |
Jarvis Thrasher, Sr., Mary Hardin-Baylor |
| RB |
Nate Kmic, Jr., Mount Union |
Andy Moriarty, Sr., UW-Oshkosh |
| WR |
Jack Phelan, Jr., Hartwick |
Jake Allen, Sr., Mississippi College |
| WR |
Pierre Garcon, Sr., Mount Union |
Royce Winford, Jr., Augsburg |
| TE |
Nolan Swett, Sr., Colorado College |
Bryan Bergman, Sr., Carthage |
| T |
Brennan Fortune, Sr., St. John Fisher |
Cuyler Groth, Jr., Brockport State |
| G |
Derek Blanchard, Sr., Mount Union |
Jordan Hataway, Sr., Mary Hardin-Baylor |
| C |
Eric Safran, Sr., Mount Union |
Brent Allen, Sr., UW-Whitewater |
| G |
Jon Stavast, Sr., Luther |
Michael Robinson, Sr., Trinity (Conn.) |
| T |
Caleb Woodall, Sr., Mary Hardin-Baylor |
Dave Erdman, Jr., Wesley |
| Defense |
First Team |
Second Team |
| DE |
Bryan Robinson, Sr., Wesley |
Jarrell Chandler, Jr., Salisbury |
| DT |
Pat McCullough, Sr., Mount Union |
Joe King, Sr., New Jersey |
| DT |
Ryan Ogrizovich, Sr., UW-Whitewater |
Nick Gunderson, Jr., St. John's |
| DE |
Mike Czerwien, Sr., Waynesburg |
Ken Bevington, Jr., John Carroll |
| LB |
Jerrell Freeman, Sr., Mary Hardin-Baylor |
Chris Gustafson, Sr., Cornell |
| LB |
Adi Pynenberg, Sr., Wabash |
Lenny Trusnik, Sr., Ohio Northern |
| LB |
Kyle Follweiler, Sr., Wilkes |
A.J. Raebel, Sr., UW-Whitewater |
| CB |
Pete Ittersagen, Jr., Wheaton |
James Starks, Sr., Capital |
| S |
Matt Kostelnik, Sr., Mount Union |
Jay Tully., Sr., Whitworth |
| S |
Brandon Carr, Sr., Bethel |
Derrick Williams, Jr., Mary Hardin-Baylor |
| CB |
Steve Stepnick, Sr., St. John Fisher |
Ben Farley, Sr., UW-Whitewater |
| Specialists |
First Team |
Second Team |
| K |
Jeff Schebler, So., UW-Whitewater |
Joel Munoz, Sr., Mary Hardin-Baylor |
| P |
Alex Groh, So., Occidental |
Kevin Soflkiancs, Sr., Baldwin-Wallace |
| RET |
Larry Beavers, Jr., Wesley |
Pete Ittersagen, Jr., Wheaton |
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| Offense |
Third Team |
Honorable Mention |
| QB |
Chad Rupp, Jr., Franklin |
Tim Connell, Sr., Central |
| RB |
Mike Pennewell, So., Wesley |
Robert Heller, Fr., Waynesburg |
| RB |
Vinson Hendrix, So., Alfred |
Tyler Sherden, Sr., Luther |
| WR |
Drew Smith, Sr., Hampden-Sydney |
Luke Dillon, Sr., Defiance |
| WR |
Horace Gant, Sr., St. Olaf |
P.J. Theisen, Sr., St. Thomas |
| TE |
Matt Johnson, Sr., Muhlenberg |
Jon Lanouette, Jr., Wesley |
| T |
Brandon Bennett, Sr., Willamette |
Grant Weller, Sr., Concordia-Moorhead |
| G |
Don Kasper, Sr., North Central |
Randy Gyllin, Sr., UW-La Crosse |
| C |
Tyler Hykel, Sr., Mary Hardin-Baylor |
Andrew Salvato, Sr., St. John's |
| G |
Nick Hartmann, Sr., Coast Guard |
Matt Houy, Jr., Washington and Jefferson |
| T |
Adam Persing, Sr., Capital |
James Arnold, Sr., Hardin-Simmons |
| Defense |
Third Team |
Honorable Mention |
| DE |
Jay Arndt, Sr., St. Norbert |
William Dewease, Sr., Mary Hardin-Baylor |
| DT |
Jonathan Spring, Sr., Capital |
Casey Younger, Sr., Millsaps |
| DT |
Tom Pinto, Sr., Curry |
LeeRon Boykin, So., North Carolina Wesleyan |
| DE |
Andrew Eisentrout, Sr., Pacific Lutheran |
Ryan Yaple, Sr., Lycoming |
| LB |
Eric Dube, Sr., Dickinson |
Courtney Pearson, Jr., Tri-State |
| LB |
Greg Altmaier, Sr., Central |
Adam Hay, Jr., Centre |
| LB |
Tom Brew, Sr., Case Western Reserve |
Erik Woodring, Sr., Middlebury |
| CB |
James Alexander, Sr., Hobart |
Chet Turner, Jr., Wesley |
| S |
Dave Wicklund, Sr., UW-Eau Claire |
Matt Christ, Jr., Albright |
| S |
Michael Terranova, Jr., Olivet |
Bo Osburn, Sr., Illinois Wesleyan |
| CB |
Guy Dierikx, Sr., Central |
Orlando Brown, Sr., Widener |
| Specialists |
Third Team |
Honorable Mention |
| K |
Alex Lachman, Fr., Johns Hopkins |
Scott Birkhofer, Jr., Linfield |
| P |
Jesse Harms, Sr., Coast Guard |
Ryan Patten, So., Olivet |
| RET |
Jason Chier, Jr., Ithaca |
Tom Breitbach, Jr., Coe |
2007 AP Little All-America Team
FIRST TEAM
Offense
Quarterback — David Knighton, junior, 6-foot-1, 225 pounds, Harding.
Running backs — Xavier Omon, senior, 5-11, 220, Northwest Missouri State; Danny Woodhead, senior, 5-9, 200, Chadron State.
Wide receivers — Weston Dressler, senior, 5-8, 164, North Dakota; Almonzo Banks, senior, 6-2, 220, West Liberty State.
Tight end — Kolo Kapanui, senior, 6-5, 255, West Texas A&M
Linemen — Ben Hochstein, senior, 6-4, 298, Nebraska-Omaha; Heath Benedict, junior, 6-6, 320, Newberry; Brandon Barnes, senior, 6-2, 322, Grand Valley State; Mackenzy Bernadeau, senior, 6-4, 303, Bentley; Tim McCutcheon, senior, 6-4, 305, California, Pa.
All-purpose player — Ashton Gronewold, senior, 5-10, 190, Missouri-Rolla.
Kicker — Jared Guberman, junior, 5-10, 190, West Georgia.
Defense
Linemen — Brandon Swain, junior, 6-4, 255, West Texas A&M; Curtis Johnson, senior, 6-3, 245, Clark Atlanta; Kurt Kissner, senior, 6-3, 245, Mesa State; Bryan Robinson, senior, 6-3, 292, Wesley.
Linebackers — Michael Eubanks, senior, 6-2, 225, Delta State; Jerrell Freeman, senior, 6-2, 205, Mary Hardin-Baylor; Anthony Adams, senior, 6-2, 240, Grand Valley State.
Defensive backs — Randy Kush, junior, 5-10, 189, Nebraska-Omaha; Cary Williams, senior, 6-2, 190, Washburn; Kendall Ricketts, senior, 5-10, 190, Central Missouri; Matt Kostelnik, senior, 6-1, 198, Mount Union.
Punter — Michael Podobnik, junior, 6-0, 230, Arkansas Tech.
SECOND TEAM
Offense
Quarterback — Mark Nicolet, senior, Hillsdale.
Running backs — Bernard Scott, junior, Abilene Christian; Justin Beaver, senior, Wisconsin-Whitewater.
Wide receivers — Scott Peters, senior, Winona State; Cedric Jones, sophomore, Valdosta State.
Linemen — Brandon Bennett, senior, Williamette; Derek Blanchard, senior, Mount Union; Tony Burson, senior, Midwestern State; Vince Cashdollar, senior, Ashland; Christian Morton, senior, South Dakota.
Tight end — Mike Peterson, senior, Northwest Missouri State.
All-purpose player — De'Audra Dix, senior, Johnson C. Smith.
Kicker — Tyler Lorenz, sophomore, California, Pa.
Defense
Linemen — Louis Ellis, junior, Shaw; Mike Czerwien, senior, Waynesburg; Jake Visser, junior, Ferris State; Dan Skutta, junior, Grand Valley State
Linebackers — Jared Brock, junior, West Texas A&M; Lateef Ferguson, senior, West Chester; Adrian Pynenberg, senior, Wabash.
Defensive backs — Ranardrick Phillips, senior, Tarleton State; Brandon Carr, senior, Grand Valley State; Brandon Carr, senior, Bethel; Sherard Reynolds, junior, Valdosta State.
Punter — Alex Groh, sophomore, Occidental.
THIRD TEAM
Offense
Quarterback — Greg Micheli, junior, Mount Union.
Running backs — Nate Kmic, junior, Mount Union; Dervon Wallace, senior, Shepherd.
Wide receivers — Elfren Quiles, senior, Kutztown; Jake Allen, senior, Mississippi College.
Tight end — Bryan Bergman, senior, Carthage.
Linemen — Caleb Woodall, senior, Mary Hardin-Baylor; Reid Kirby, junior, Northwest Missouri State; Patrick Gildea, senior, Southern Connecticut; J.D. Whited, senior, North Alabama; Brennan Fortune, senior, St. John Fisher.
All-purpose player — Tyler Sherden, senior, Luther.
Kicker — Jeff Schebler, sophomore, Wisconsin-Whitewater.
Defense
Linemen — Don Miller, senior, Alfred; Ron Ellington, senior, Catawba; Kirby Griffin, junior, California, Pa.; Pat McCullough, senior, Mount Union.
Linebackers — Will Clewis, senior, Central Oklahoma; Kyle Follweiler, senior, Wilkes; Jared Erspamer, senior, Northwest Missouri State.
Defensive backs — Nick Weber, senior, Wartburg; Clay Hamblen, senior, Georgetown, Ky.; Broderick Mondy, senior, Northeastern State; Chris Hemphill, senior, Central Washington.
Punter — Brandon Larkin, senior, Clark Atlanta.
