College Sports Information Directors of America

2011 Capital One Academic All-America Division III Football Team (PDF)

TOWSON, Md. – Senior wide receiver Michael Zweifel of the University of Dubuque headlines the 2011 Capital One Academic All-America® Division III Football Team, as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). The announcement was made Tuesday, Dec. 6.

A health, wellness and recreation major with a 3.90 grade point average (G.P.A.), Zweifel has been chosen as the winner of the Division III Academic All-America® of the Year award for the football team.

The Capital One Division III Academic All-America® program is being financially supported by the NCAA Division III national governance structure to assist CoSIDA with handling the awards fulfillment aspects for the 2011-12 D-III Academic All-America® teams program.

Zweifel led all three NCAA divisions with 12.7 receptions and 174.1 yards per game while scoring 25 touchdowns. A native of Whitewater, Wis., he is the only Division III finalist among the 16 William V. Campbell Trophy candidates. Formerly known as the Vincent DePaul Draddy Trophy, it is awarded by the National Football Foundation to the American college football player with the best combination of academics, community service, and on-field performance. He is also a finalist for the 2011 Gagliardi Trophy, presented to the most outstanding football player in Division III by Jostens and the J-Club of Saint John's University of Minnesota.

An All-American selection, Zweifel set an NCAA Division III record with 140 catches as a senior. He finished the year with 140 receptions for 1,915 yards and 25 touchdowns. He finished his career with 463 catches for 5,979 yards. Named as the 2011 Most Valuable Player of the Iowa Conference, he led the Spartans to a 9-2 record and their first conference championship in 31 years. He currently holds 13 school, conference, and NCAA records.

The 25 members of the Capital One Academic All-America® Division III first team have an average of 3.83.

A pair of Zweifel’s teammates at Dubuque, junior tight end Miles Hookstead and senior running back Justin Spaulding, were also named to the Capital One Academic All-America® Division III football first team.

A health, wellness and recreation major with a 3.70 G.P.A., Hookstead earned second team all-conference honors. A native of Whitewater, Wis., he caught 33 passes for 349 yards and six touchdowns for Spartans. A business and accounting major with a 3.66 G.P.A., Spaulding carried the ball 216 times for a school record 1,340 yards, an average of 121.8 yards per game. A first team all-conference selection, he scored 13 touchdowns.

Graduate student and quarterback Dan Pitcher of Cortland State University is the quarterback on the 2011 Capital One Academic All-America® first team. A graduate student in sports management, he maintained a 4.08 G.P.A. as a psychology undergraduate student and entered the fall with a 4.03 GPA in his graduate studies. A finalist for the Gagliardi Trophy, Pitcher led Cortland State to a 9-2 record while throwing for 2,712 yards. Named as the New Jersey Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Year, Pitcher completed 62.1% of his passes and averaged 246.5 yards per game. A native of Cortland, N.Y., he threw 31 touchdown passes.

A physical education major with a 3.88 G.P.A., T.J. Denehy of Kean University is the second wide receiver on the Capital One Academic All-America® Division III football first team. A native of Monroe Township, N.J., Denehy helped Kean post a 10-2 record and reach the second round of the NCAA Division III playoffs. He led the team with 60 receptions for 793 yards and five touchdowns.

A marketing major with a 3.46 G.P.A., junior Scottie Williams of Elmhurst College joins Spaulding as the running backs on the Capital One Academic All-America® Division III football first team. A first-team All-College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin selection in 2011, Williams ranks 11th in the nation with 1,374 yards on 224 and ten touchdowns. A native of Woodridge, Ill., Williams was named as the CCIW Offensive Player of the Week this season.

Five seniors have been named to the Capital One Academic All-America® Division III first team offensive line.

Derrick Arbogast led Heidelberg College to an 8-2 record. An honorable mention all-conference selection, the Tiffin, Ohio native contributed to a Heidelberg offense that averaged 35.4 points per game as the Student Princes posted the best mark since 1993. He is an education major who carries a 3.91 G.P.A.

One of two repeat selections from the 2010 Capital One Academic All-America® Division III football first team is Dan Chapman of St. Thomas of Minnesota. He has helped St. Thomas post a 13-0 and earn a berth in the national semi-finals. A political science and economics major with a 3.88 G.P.A., Chapman is a three-year starter who earned first team all-conference honors. In his career, he has started 36 games and the Tommies have won 33 of them.

A two-time All-Ohio Conference selection, Brett Ekkens of Mount Union College is also a member of the first team offensive line. An education major with a 3.66 G.P.A., he has helped the Purple Raiders to a 13-0 record and a 17th consecutive berth in the national semi-finals. A native of Kentwood, Mich., Ekkens has helped the Purple Raiders average 39.7 points per game.

An economics major with a 3.93 G.P.A., James Lambert of Pomona-Pitzer is also part of the offensive line. A two-time Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference selection, he helped the Sagehens average 21.2 points per game.

A mathematics major with a 3.69 G.P.A., Roland Massimino of Johns Hopkins University helped the Blue Jays post a 10-1 record in 2011 and earn an NCAA playoff berth. A first team All-Centennial Conference selection, he helped the Blue Jays win the Centennial Conference title while averaging 39.8 points per game.

Senior Tommy Wilczynski of Rowan and junior Allen Cain (Texas Lutheran) tied for the place kicker spot on the Capital One Academic All-America® Division III football first team. A biological sciences major carrying a 3.98 G.P.A., Wilczynski was Rowan’s second-leading scorer with 45 points. He connected on six-of-nine field goal attempts and had a season long 41-yard kick. The native of Pine Hill, N.J. made 27-of-30 conversions.

A mathematics major with a 3.59 G.P.A., Cain scored 83 points for Texas Lutheran. He connected on 17-of-21 field goal attempts, including a season-long 53-yard kick. A finalist for the 2011 Fred Mitchell Outstanding Placekicker Award, he also made 32 straight conversion kicks.

On defense, seniors Shane Eachus of Ursinus, Jared Kiesow (Wisconsin-Whitewater), Brad Kruckeberg of Gustavus Adolphus and Dan Sjoquist of St. Norbert are the four defensive backs on the Capital One Academic All-America® Division III first team.

Eachus, who has a double major of media and communication studies and psychology, has a perfect 4.0 G.P.A. at Ursinus. An All-Centennial All-Academic selection, he helped Ursinus post a 6-4 record by making 22 tackles and forcing a fumble. A native of Aston, Pa., Eachus is the sports editor of the campus newspaper and belongs to Theta Chi and Psi Chi honor societies.

A member of two national championship teams at Wisconsin-Whitewater, Kiesow is an elementary education major with a 3.89 G.P.A. A starter in 12 games, he has led the Warhawks to a 13-0 record and a berth in the NCAA Division III semi-finals. The winner of the NCAA Elite 88 Award last year, the Horicon, Wis. native has made 37 tackles this season.

A second team All-MIAC selection, Kruckeberg was a three-year starter and team captain at Gustavus Adolphus. A two-time All-MIAC pick, he intercepted two passes and was second on the team with 48 tackles. A biology major with a 3.88 G.P.A., the Ellendale, Minn. native ranks among the program’s all-time leaders with 11 interceptions. Sjoquist, a biology major with a minor in chemistry and a 3.89 G.P.A., made 43 tackles to tackles to finish fifth on the team at St. Norbert’s. A first team all-conference selection last year, the Kingsford, Mich. native led the Green Knights with three interceptions.

Seniors Herman Brito of Trinity (Conn.), Richard Doolin (Case Western Reserve), Brett Hutter (Redlands) and Steve Mauk (Adrian College) comprise the first team defensive line.

A starter in all eight games at defensive end, Brito is a public policy and law major with a 3.59 G.P.A. A first team All-NESCAC selection as a junior and senior, the Wayland, Mass. native led Trinity to a 7-1 record by making 37 tackles with 4.5 quarterback sacks.

The other repeat selection from the 2011 Capital One Academic All-America® Division III football first team, Doolin helped Case Western Reserve post a 9-1 record and win the University Athletic Association championship. An accounting major with a 3.97 G.P.A., he made 43 tackles with 3.5 quarterback sacks.

A communicative disorders major with a 3.89 G.P.A., Hutter was named first team All-Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference as a senior. While leading Redlands to an 8-2 record, he made 47 tackles and 4.5 sacks. A native of Ontario, Cal., he led the team with 13 tackles for lost yardage.

Mauk is an exercise science major with a 3.95 G.P.A. who came back from major surgery to have an outstanding senior season. While leading Adrian to an 8-2 record, he earned first team All-MIAA notice by making 33 tackles, including seven sacks. A native of China, Mich., he also made 12.5 tackles for lost yardage.

Senior A.J. Albert of Salve Regina heads the linebacking corps. A business major with a 3.85 G.P.A., he started all 11 games for the Seahawks who were 8-3 on the season and won the ECAC North-West Bowl. An All-NEFC selection, he made 104 tackles with 8.5 sacks and 26 tackles for lost yardage.

A biology and chemistry major with a 3.88 G.P.A., linebacker Craig Sykes helped Heidelberg to an 8-2 record. An All-Ohio Athletic Conference selection, Sykes ranked among the OAC leaders with 88 tackles. He also intercepted four passes and forced two fumbles.

A starter in all 12 games, senior Mike Valentine led Western New England to a 10-2 record and the NEFC championship. A mechanical engineering major with a 3.94 G.P.A., earned All-NEFC honors with 44 tackles. A native of Newington, Conn., Valentine also had one sack and recovered a fumble.

Senior punter Kris Rosholt of unbeaten Wisconsin-Whitewater rounds out the Capital One Academic All-America® Division III first team. A physical education major with a 3.77 G.P.A., he is a two-time all-league pick who averaged 37.6 yards per punt. A native of Reedsburg, Wis., he put 19 punts inside the 20-yard line.

Capital One Financial Corporation (www.capitalone.com) is a financial holding company whose subsidiaries, which include Capital One, N.A. and Capital One Bank (USA), N. A., had $122.2 billion in deposits and $197.5 billion in total assets outstanding as of December 31, 2010. Headquartered in McLean, Virginia, Capital One offers a broad spectrum of financial products and services to consumers, small businesses and commercial clients. Capital One, N.A. has approximately 1,000 branch locations primarily in New York, New Jersey, Texas, Louisiana, Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia. A Fortune 500 company, Capital One trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "COF" and is included in the S&P 100 index.

Capital One, an NCAA Corporate Champion, began its affiliation with college sports with the sponsorship of the 2001 Capital One Florida Citrus Bowl (now the Capital One Bowl) and ESPN’s Capital One Bowl Week. In 2010, Capital One launched the Capital One Cup, a prestigious new program rewarding NCAA Division I athletics programs for their cumulative on-field performance across multiple men’s and women’s sports. In addition, Capital One sponsors the ABC College Football Halftime Report, Capital One All-America Mascot Team, all 88 NCAA Championships including the Division I Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships, and numerous other collegiate programs.