Valparaiso University had three football players named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District V First Team as voted upon by CoSIDA.  Matt Watkins (Mason, Ohio/Mason H.S.), Ryan Koepke (Fort Wayne, Ind./Homestead H.S.), and Adam Rundh (Aalborg, Denmark/Ojanskolan [Sweden] H.S.) all earned the accolades for the Crusaders.

            Watkins, a defensive back, ranks third on the team in tackles with 64, including 38 solo stops.  A redshirt junior, he has recovered a pair of fumbles, forced another, and intercepted two passes.  A marketing major, he has a 3.43 grade point average and has twice been named to the Pioneer Football League’s Academic Honor Roll.

            Koepke leads the Crusaders in tackles with 74 on the season, including five for loss.  He ranks fifth in the PFL in stops on the season.  A redshirt junior linebacker, he has intercepted two passes and forced a fumble.  A mechanical engineering major, he has a 3.59 GPA and was a First Team Academic All-PFL pick last year.

            Rundh is tied for 15^th in NCAA I-FCS in sacks per game, and has 7.5 total on the year.  A defensive lineman, the sophomore has 33 total tackles, including 14.5 behind the line of scrimmage.  In the classroom, the international business major has tallied a 3.94 GPA and was on the Academic Honor Roll for the PFL last fall.

            To be eligible for Academic All-District and Academic All-America, student-athletes must hold at least sophomore status, own a minimum grade-point average of 3.20, and be either a starter or key reserve.  District V consists of schools in Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Ontario, and Manitoba.