2 Toms repeat as 1st-team FB Academic All-Americans

December 2, 2002
The St. Thomas football team had two players repeat as first-team College Division Verizon Academic All-American --RB Jake Barkley (SR-Plymouth/Robbinsdale Armstrong) and WR Andrew Hilliard (SR-Woodbury). Barkley has a 3.90 gpa in Entrepreneurship, while Hilliard has a 3.987 gpa in Math.

St. Thomas and Rose-Hulman were the lone institutions to have two players on the 26-player first team for football.

The College Division squad is selected from NCAA Divisions II and III and the NAIA. There are approximately 450 schools in D-II (110), D-III (257) and NAIA (91) -- so the 49 players selected on the College Division squad are the elite student-athletes from more than 35,000 players in these divisions.

Four other Minnesota collegians were among 52 players honored -- Gustvaus had two second teamers with senior RB Andy Traetow (3.57 gpa, Elementary Education) and senior LB Ben Spilseth (3.95 gpa, Biochemistry); Northwestern had first-team senior DB Jon Peterson (4.00 gpa, Math); and St. Cloud State had second-team junior QB Keith Heckendorf (3.64 gpa, Physical Education).

Barkley becomes the second St. Thomas football player to make Academic All-America three times, joining Curt Behrns (1993-95). He's also the first Tommie to make first-team Academic All-American three times, as Behrns was a second-team honoree in two of his three seasons.

Hilliard becomes St. Thomas' first four-time Academic All-American -- he's previously been honored twice for track and field and in 2001 for football.

The duo joins women's soccer star Tessie Thompson, a 2002 third-team Verizon Academic All-American. St Thomas has now received 25 Academic All-American honors in the last 13 seasons, including 14 in the last four seasons.

Barkley broke a 25-year-old conference career rushing record in the Nov. 8 season-ending loss to Concordia. He rushed 23 times for 142 yards and finished his career with 3,969 yards. He broke the MIAC record of 3,933 yards set from 1974-77 by St. John's Tim Schmitz. Barkley also had 33 career touchdowns; 4,644 all-purpose yards; and had 20 games of 100 or more rushing yards. Barkley's senior season was marred by a groin injury, or he easily would have surpassed 4,000 yards. He played parts of seven games but only played five full games on the Tommies' 10-game schedule. In the five games in which he was relatively healthy, he gained 786 yards and scored 12 TDs. He finished with 834 rushing yards on the season.

Hilliard was slowed by injuries late in the season but still finished with 49 catches for 737 yards and six touchdowns in nine games. In 38 career starts, he had 23 touchdowns and made 148 catches for 2,547 yards good for No. 2 on the St. Thomas career receiving list. He was one of 14 college football players from all divisions named to the National Scholar-Athlete team by the National Football Foundation. He will receive an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship and be honored at a black-tie dinner in New York City Dec. 10. Hilliard is the second MIAC player in the 43-year history of the award to be honored -- joining Chirs Palmer of St. John's, a 1995 recipient. Hilliard also was named to the "Good Works" team by the American Football Coaches' Association for exceptional community service. Only three Division III players in the nation were recognized. It's the fifth year in a row that St. Thomas has had a player on the Good Works team. He also is among 10 finalists for the Gagliardi Trophy, recognizing the Division III Player of the Year.

The Gustavus winners continued an excellent tradition of Verizon honors for their institution.

Traetow, a Jackson, Minn., native, is a three-time first-team all-conference running back who was selected to the Verizon Academic All-District second team last year. He rushed for 1,230 yards this season and became the first Gustavus player to ever rush for over 1,000 yards in two consecutive seasons. Traetow, who has been named player of the week in the MIAC four times and National Player of the Week two times in his career, holds the school career records for all-purpose yards with 4,901 and kick return yards with 1,270.

Spilseth, a Willmar native, is a three-year starter at linebacker who started seven games this season. He finished the season with 58 tackles (21 solo, 37 assisted) which was fourth best on the team despite missing three games with an ankle injury. Spilseth also compiled nine tackles for loss and three sacks.

This is the fifth consecutive year that Gustavus has had a player selected to the Verizon College Division Academic All-America team -- the second longest streak in the country. The Gusties were represented by Dan Duncan in 1998 and 1999, Brian Bergstrom and Andy Kopperud in 2000, Bergstrom in 2001 and now Traetow and Spilseth in 2002.

The Verizon Academic All-America® Teams are selected by a vote of the 1,800-member College Sports Information
Directors of America. To be eligible, an athlete must be a varsity starter or key reserve and maintain a cumulative GPA of at least 3.20 on a scale of 4.00. Sports information directors nominate eligible athletes from their schools who are named to district teams prior to being voted upon the national level. CoSIDA has been selecting Academic All-America® Teams since 1952.

2002 Fall Verizon Academic All-American Honorees
(Football, Volleyball, Women's Soccer, Men's Soccer)

Minnesotans and Minnesota Collegians (17)
Women's Soccer (4)
College Division
2nd Team
--Leslie Johnson, U. of Indianapolis, SR, MF, Lakeville, Minn., 3.99 gpa, Chemistry/Biology
--Stephanie Johnson, U. of Indianapolis, SR, MF, Lakeville, Minn., 3.99 gpa, Chemistry/Biology
3rd Team
--Tessie Thompson, U. of St. Thomas, SR, MF, West St. Paul, Minn., 3.68 gpa, Biology
--Allison Vroman, MSU, Mankato, SR, GK, Neenah, Wis., 4.00 gpa, English

Volleyball (3)
University Division
3rd Team
--Cassie Busse, U. of Minnesota, JR, OH, Prior Lake, Minn., 3.76 gpa, Family Social Science
College Division
2nd Team
--Emily Buchner, Northwestern (Minn.), SR, OH, Bloomer, Wis., 3.86 gpa, Elementary Education
3rd Team
--Kate Cahill, North Dakota, SR, OH, Blue Earth, Minn., 3.93 gpa, Chemistry

Men's Soccer (1)
College Division
2nd Team
--Mike Novotny, Martin Luther, SR, F, Green Bay, Wis., 3.81 gpa, Theology

Football (9)
University Division
2nd Team
--John Crowther, Notre Dame, SR, OL, Edina, Minn., 3.70 gpa, Finance & Computer Application

College Division
1st Team
--Jake Barkley, U. of St. Thomas, SR, RB, Plymouth, Minn., 3.90 gpa, Entrepreneurship
--Andrew Hilliard, U. of St. Thomas, SR, WR, Woodbury, Minn., 3.98 gpa, Math
--Jon Peterson, Northwestern (Minn.), SR, DB, Wisconsin Rapids, Wis., 4.00 gpa, Math
--Tim Swan, Rose-Hulman, SR, LB, Farmington, Minn., 3.93 gpa, Mechanical Engineering
2nd Team
--Keith Heckendorf, St. Cloud State, JR, QB, Mosinee, Wis., 3.64 gpa, Physical Education
--Dane Lundgren, Wheaton (Ill.), SR, DL, Arden Hills, Minn., 3.39 gpa, English Literature
--Andy Traetow, Gustavus, SR, RB, Jackson, Minn., 3.57 gpa, Elementary Education
--Ben Spilseth, Gustavus, SR, LB, Willmar, Minn., 3.95 gpa, Biochemistry