This week, CoSIDA will be announcing the four 2015-16 Academic All-America of the Year honorees, each representing his or her division (College Division, NCAA Division III, NCAA Division II, NCAA Division I). The four selectees were chosen from all the sport "Academic All-America of the Year" recipients over the course of the academic year.
Mon., July 18:
College Division AAA of the Year Web Release PDF doc
Tue., July 19:
Division III Division III AAA of the Year Web Release PDF doc
Wed., July 20: Division II AAA of the Year below
PDF doc
Thur., July 21: Division I AAA of the Year PDF doc
AUSTIN, Texas- Senior quarterback Jason Vander Laan of Ferris State University has been named as the 2015-16 Division II Academic All-America® of the Year, as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).
The Division II Academic All-America® program is being financially supported by the NCAA Division II national governance structure to assist CoSIDA with handling the awards fulfillment aspects for the 2015-16 Division II Academic All-America® teams program. This the fifth year that CoSIDA has named Division II Academic All-America® teams.
Vander Laan is the fifth student-athlete to earn the Division II Academic All-America® of the Year and the first football performer to earn the award. Clarion University diver
Kristin Day captured the award last year. Women’s basketball player
Lauren Battista (Bentley University) collected the honor in 2013-14. Women’s basketball player
Kari Daugherty (Ashland University) earned the award in 2012-13 while
Bryan Lippincott of the Concordia University, St. Paul baseball team was selected in 2011-12.
“It’s an honor to receive this award and I’m thankful for being chosen,” said Vander Laan. “As student-athletes, we put so much time into performing our best on the field and in the classroom so to be recognized for all of that work is exciting. All of the success I’ve had is a direct reflection on my teammates and coaches, who put so much time into helping us be our best in all phases.”
An applied math and actuarial science major with a 3.76 G.P.A., Vander Laan led the Bulldogs to a second straight undefeated
regular season and Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championship in 2015. The Frankfort, Illinois, native became college football’s greatest rushing quarterback of all-time last fall. His 2,625 passing yards and 1,542 rushing yards in 2015 enabled him to become the first signal caller in NCAA history to both rush and pass for 1,000-plus yards four consecutive years.
“Jason had a huge impact on our institution and we’re proud of him and what he stood for not only as a football player, but also for how he impacted our community for the past four years,” said Ferris State football head coach Tony Annese. “He’s a remarkable young man who has brought distinction to our program and school. Jason is such a humble individual who has represented our program in a first-class manner and I firmly believe there's not been a finer or better person in college football out there. I know he greatly values the impact his teammates and coaches have had on his accomplishments and it truly is an honor for all of us to celebrate his achievements. This is another outstanding honor for him because it not only represents what he's done on the field, but also in the classroom and off the field."
The 2014 and 2015 Harlon Hill Trophy winner, Vander Laan completed 65.6 percent of his passes in 2015, throwing for 27 touchdowns and rushing for 24 scores. As a senior, he became the GLIAC’s all-time career total offense leader by averaging 347.3 yards per game. Vander Laan helped the Bulldogs post an 11-1 overall record as Ferris State, which earned GLIAC championships and NCAA playoff appearances in 2014 and 2015, pushed its regular season win streak to 25 games.
The two-time consensus Division II National Player of the Year was honored as the 2014-15 National Scholar-Athlete of the Year. Vander Laan was named to the All-GLIAC, the GLIAC All-Academic and All-America teams four times each. Vander Laan, who led the Bulldogs to a 37-9 mark as a starter, was twice named the league’s Player of the Year and received the GLIAC Commissioner’s Award twice.
Carroll College’s
Leah Esposito was named the College Division Academic All-America® of the Year Monday (July 18) while Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s
Maryann Gong was selected as the Division III honoree Tuesday (July 19). The Division I Academic All-America® of the Year award winner will be announced Thursday (July 21).
2015-16 SPORT-BY-SPORT DIVISION II ACADEMIC ALL-AMERICA® OF THE YEAR AWARD WINNERS
Name Sport Cl. Hometown Major, G.P.A.
Christian Binger, Southwest Baptist Baseball Sr. Lee’s Summit, Mo. Sports Management, 4.00
Kyle Cooper, Hillsdale M. Basketball Sr. Northville, Mich. Accounting, 3.89
Haley Hatcher, Ouachita Baptist W. Soccer Sr. Maumelle, Ark. Mass Communications, 4.00
Alex Hampel, Indiana (Pa.) M. Track/XC Sr. Middletown, Del. Nursing, Biology
(Psychology), 3.98
Maria Hundley, Seattle Pacific W. At-Large Sr. Littleton, Colo. Psychology, 3.70
Emily Oren, Hillsdale W. Track/XC Sr. Holland, Mich. Economics, 3.71
Keith Sponsler, Missouri S & T M. At-Large Sr. Lincoln, Neb. Nuclear Engineering, 3.92
Johannes Sterobo, Northwood (MI) M. Soccer Sr. Odense, Denmark International Business, 3.93
Carly Tysinger, Catawba Softball Sr. Lexington, N.C. Chemistry, 3.75
Jason Vander Laan, Ferris State Football Sr. Frankfort, Ill. Applied Math Actuarial Science, 3.76
Berkley Whaley, Tampa Volleyball Sr. St. Petersburg, Fla. Advertising and Public Relations, 3.82
Shelby Winkelmann, Central Missouri W. Basketball Gr. Rhineland, Mo. Speech Pathology, 4.00/4.00
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Michael MacEachern, Young Harris College (
mfmaceachern@yhc.edu)
Academic All-America® Vice Co-Chair for Publicity/Communications
(706) 379-5106