3 Tommies make Verizon Academic All-America football team

December 10, 2001
Mon. Dec. 10, 2001

7 MIAC players named to elite 2001 Verizon
Academic All-America College Division Football team

The Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) had a remarkable seven players honored among 48 players recognized on the 2001 Verizon Academic All-America® College Division Football Team announced today.

Repeat first-team honorees were University of St. Thomas RB Jake Barkley (JR-Plymouth, Minn./Robbinsdale Armstrong, 3.88 Business) and Gustavus Adolphus LB Brian Bergstrom (SR-Burnsville, Minn., 3.92 Health Fitness/Management).

St. Thomas and Nebraska Wesleyan were the lone teams to have three players honored on the first or second teams. Joining Barkley as Tommie honorees were first-team WR Andrew Hilliard (JR-Woodbury, Minn., 3.98 Math) and second-team DL Andy Kaiser (SR-Mora, Minn., 3.83 Accounting).

MIAC co-champion Bethel had two players honored -- first-team DB Hans Bengston (SR-Northfield, Minn., 3.90 Biology) and second-team DL Jon Foss (SR-Hinton, Iowa, 3.51 Economics/Finance).

Augsburg's honoree was second-team DB Brent Peroutka (SR-Faribault, Minn., 3.77 Business Finance).

The 48-man College Division team includes players from 450 football-playing institutions covering 50 conferences in NCAA Division II and III and NAIA.

This marks the 50th year of the Academic All-America program, as the inaugural team was announced on Dec. 6, 1952. The Verizon Academic All-America program is administered by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). To be eligible for consideration for the Academic All-America award, student-athletes must have a grade-point average above 3.20 (4.0 scale) and have outstanding athletic credentials. First-team Academic All-District selections are named to the national ballot. A 90-member committee of sports information directors from across the nation vote for the Academic All-America teams.

This is the fourth consecutive year that Gustavus has placed at least one player on the Verizon Academic All-America football first team. St. Thomas football players have been honored as Academic All-Americans eight times in the last nine seasons. Augsburg has had eight Academic All-Americans in all men's and women's sports over the last five years.

Here's a bio of the four MIAC first-team honorees:
.Jake Barkley, St. Thomas: A Business major with a 3.88 gpa, Barkley finished fourth nationally in Division III rushing at 143.8 ypg. In nine games this season he rushed for 1,294 yards and nine touchdowns, with a 189-yard game vs. 8-2 St. John's, a 201-yard effort vs. 7-3 Gustavus and a 178-yard outing vs. 7-4 Bemidji State. He rushed for 100-plus yards 14 times in the last two seasons. He became the ninth rusher in MIAC history to surpass 3,000 career yards. With one season left to play, he's gained 3,135 yards rushing and 3,674 all-purpose yards in 28 career games.
.Hans Bengston, Bethel: A senior with a 3.90 gpa in Biology (Pre-Med), Bengtson earned first-team All-MIAC honors this year for the second consecutive year, was a first-team All-West Region player, and was a finalist for the Gagliardi Trophy as Division III Player of the year. Bengtson earned preseason All-American status and finished his senior season with 42 solo tackles, 19 assists, and three interceptions for the Co-MIAC champion Royals. His 14 passes defended were second in the MIAC. A second-team Verizon Academic All-District V member in 2000, he finished his career with 217 total tackles (175 solo, 84 assists) and 12 interceptions. He led the Royals in tackles in both 1999 and 2000. Over his four-year career, Bethel put together a 35-7 overall record, including 31-5 in the MIAC.
.Brian Bergstrom, Gustavus: A Management and Health Fitness double major with a 3.92 gpa, Bergstrom finished 10th nationally in tackles with 12.8 per game (58 solo, 78 assisted, 128 total tackles). A three-time all-conference selection, Bergstrom finished his career as the Gusties all-time leading tackler with 406. He played in 40 consecutive games during his career and started 32 games. He led the MIAC in tackles in 1999 with 128 and in 2000 with 126. Bergstrom set the school record for tackles in a season with 138 in 1999. He was a First Team Lutheran Brotherhood All-America selection and received honorable mention All-America honors on the Hewlett-Packard squad in 2000.
.Andrew Hilliard, St. Thomas: A Pre-Med/Mathematics major with a 3.987 gpa, Hilliard finished 17th nationally in Division III receiving yards per game (108.6). In nine games (missed one with an injury) he caught 13 touchdown passes and made 52 catches for 977 yards. He had 12 receptions of 34 or more yards this season, and twice caught three TD passes in one game. In 29 career games he's had 98 receptions for 1,808 yards and 17 touchdowns with one season left to play. He's a three-time relay All-American in track and field and also qualified for nationals in the 400 hurdles in 2001. he was honored a second-team Verizon Academic All-American on the 2001 spring at-large team.

Here's a bio of the three MIAC second-team honorees:
.Jon Foss, Bethel: A first-team All-MIAC player and first-team All-West Region honoree, Foss carries a 3.51 gpa in Economics and Finance. Foss was Bethel's leading tackler with 45 solo tackles and 29 assists. After just playing baseball as a freshman, Jon Foss joined the football team and made an immediate impact on special teams as a sophomore before being a dominant defensive end in 2000 and 2001. Foss finished his senior season, although he has one year of eligibility remaining, with 127.5 career tackles (101 solo, 53 assists), 32.5 tackles for loss, and 20.5 sacks. He earned All-MIAC first-team honors in both 2000 and 2001. Foss was named the MIAC's Defensive Player of the Week following Bethel's 36-21 win over Gustavus and was also named to the d3football.com national Team of the Week following the same game. In his three years on the football team, the Royals are 27-5 overall, including 24-3 in the MIAC.
.Andy Kaiser, St. Thomas: An Accounting major with a 3.83 gpa, Kaiser started all 40 games in his career and helped the Tommies post a 27-9 record vs. Division III opponents during that stretch. He started both on the offensive and defensive line the last six games of 2001 and helped the Tommies close 7-3 with a third-place MIAC finish. He had five tackles for losses among his 57 tackles in 2001. Kaiser finished his career with 244 tackles, 17.5 sacks, three interceptions and three fumble recoveries while scoring four touchdowns. He joins a select group of players to earn first-team All-MIAC honors three consecutive seasons. He was among 40 players named to Division III All-Star Team for the Dec. 15 Aztec Bowl, sponsored by the American Football Coaches' Association. He's the second family member to earn football Academic All-America honors -- his brother Greg, a three-year starter at QB, was chosen second-team in 1997.
.Brent Peroutka, Augsburg: A Business Finance major with a 3.772 grade-point average, Peroutka started in the defensive backfield all four years for the Auggies, the last two as a free safety. He finished the season with 33.0 tackles (24 solo), sixth-best on the team, along with team highs of five interceptions and 13 passes defensed. He was sixth in the MIAC in interceptions and fourth in passes defensed this year. He finished his career with 11 interceptions, fifth-most in school history, and 136 tackles (adjusted to new standards).

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2001 Verizon Academic All-America®
College Division Football Team

First Team Offense

Pos., Name, School, Yr., Hometown, GPA , Major
QB--Eddie Eviston, Georgetown (Ky.), Sr., Newport, Ky., 3.92 , Accounting
WR--Andrew Hillard, St. Thomas (Minn.), Jr., Woodbury, Minn., 3.98, Mathematics
WR--Adam Lilla Winona State, Jr., Winona, Minn., 3.91, Biology/Allied Health
TE--Jay Thomas, Washington & Lee, Jr. , Houston, Texas, 3.77, Business Administration
RB--Jake Barkley, St. Thomas (Minn.), Jr., Plymouth, Minn., 3.88, Business
RB--Chuck Moore, Mount Union, Sr., Mogadore, Ohio, 3.79, Business Administration
OL--Mike Bestul, Wisconsin-Eau Claire, Jr., Chippewa Falls, Wis., 3.93, Kinesiology
OL--Matt Kish, Baldwin-Wallace, Jr., Brookpark, Ohio, 3.98, History/Education
OL--Grant Leach, Nebraska Wesleyan, Jr., Aurora, Neb., 3.93, History
OL--Eugene Ochap, Bethany, Sr., Wheeling, W.Va., 3.72, Biology
OL--Seth Roberson. Wartburg, Sr., New Hampton, Iowa, 3.60, Physics
PK--Austin Lepper, Truman State, Jr., Ames, Iowa, 3.96, Business/Finance

First Team Defense
Pos., Name, School, Yr., Hometown, GPA , Major
DB--Todd Baldwin, Augustana (Ill.), Sr., Aledo, Ill., 4.00, Accounting/Economics
DB--Hans Bengston, Bethel, Sr., Northfield, Minn., 3.90, Biology (Pre-med)
DB--Lance Dorsey, Truman State, Sr., Hannibal, Mo., 4.00 Biology/Pre-Med
DB--T.J. Hess, Widener, Sr., Providence, Utah, 4.00, Accounting
LB--Brian Bergstrom, Gustavus Adolphus, Sr., Burnsville, Minn., 3.92 , Health Fitness/Management
LB--Justin Buresh, Nebraska Wesleyan, Sr., Valparaiso, Neb., 3.93 Business Administration
LB--Brant Haverdink, Kalamazoo, Sr., Hamilton, Mich., 3.85, History
DL--Robert (B.J.) Bayer, Arkansas Tech, Sr., Gentry, Ark., 3.73 , Engineering
DL--Peter Katz, Wisconsin-Whitewater, Sr., Manitowec, Wis., 3.98, Biology (Pre-med)
DL--Casey Seyfert, Fort Hays State, Sr., Beloit, Kan., 3.79, History
DL--Caleb White, Pittsburg State, Jr. , Kingsdown, Kan., 3.68, Biology
P--Mark Rowand, Franklin & Marshall, Sr., York, Pa., 3.63, Chemistry

Second Team Offense
Pos., Name, School, Yr., Hometown, GPA , Major
QB--Dusty Bonner, Valdosta State, Sr., Valdosta, Ga., 3.48, Business Management
WR--John Bennink, Albion, Sr., Coopersville, Mich., 3.52, German
WR--Luke Klinker, Nebraska Wesleyan, Jr., Ralston, Neb., 3.97, English
TE--Jared McNeilly, Allegheny, Sr., Andover, Ohio, 3.29, Physics
RB--Josh Ranek, South Dakota State, Sr., Tyndall, S.D., 3.62 HPER
RB--Mike Smith, Dickinson, Sr., Bangor, Pa., 3.83 Political Science/History
OL--Charles Hermansen , Northern State, Sr. , Eureka, S.D., 3.89 , Chemistry/Sec. Education
OL--Bob Montgomery, Massachusetts-Lowell, Sr., Lowell, Mass., 3.78, Plastics Engineering
OL--Mac Schneider, North Dakota, Jr., Fargo, N.D., 3.96, History
OL--Ken Taylor, RPI, Sr., Danvers, Mass., 3.90 , Engineering
OL--Joshua Veigel, Marietta, Sr., Canton, Ohio, 3.80, Petroleum Engineering
PK--Ben Tuck, Univ. of the South, Jr., Pell City, Ala., 3.89 Pre-Medicine

Second Team Defense
Pos., Name, School, Yr., Hometown, GPA , Major
DB--Mike Oswald, Northern Michigan, Jr., Hillman, Mich., 3.90, Construction Management
DB--Brent Peroutka, Augsburg, Sr., Faribault, Minn., 3.77, Business Finance
DB--Eric Totten, Western Washington, Sr., Maple Valley, Wash., 3.73, Business/Economics
DB--Lamar Watson, Adams State, Sr., Aurora, Colo., 3.90, Business Marketing
LB--Alex Daecher, Kutztown, Sr. , Lititz, Pa., 3.90, Elementary & Special Educ.
LB--Brian Kowalski, Rochester, Sr., Liverpool, N.Y., 3.82, Political Science/History
LB--Brandon Roberts, Washington (Mo.) , Jr. , Akron, Ohio, 3.59, Biomedical Engineering
DL--Jon Foss, Bethel, Sr., Hinton, Iowa, 3.51, Economics/Finance
DL--Andy Kaiser, St. Thomas (Minn.), Sr., Mora, Minn., 3.83, Accounting
DL--Curt Kimmel Missouri-Rolla, Jr., Ringling, Okla., 4.00, Civil Engineering
DL--Chad Winters, Wartburg, Sr., Waterville, Iowa, 3.84, Physical Education
P--Pat Amon, Emporia State, Sr., Holton, Kansas, 3.21, Physical Education

Verizon Academic All-America® of the Year
T.J. Hess - Widener