Three Crusaders Earn Spots on Academic all-PFL Team
Valparaiso University football players Brian Lang (Chicago, Ill. / Marist), Jarrett Morgan (Cooper City, Fla. / Cooper City) and Jake Simpson (Wyandotte, Mich. / Roosevelt) received recognition from the Pioneer Football League for their accomplishments both in the classroom and on the playing field on Wednesday.
Lang, a redshirt junior offensive lineman, was named to the academic all-PFL first team. The accounting major boasts a 3.89 grade point average. Lang, a captain, is on the academic all-PFL team for the third consecutive year. He qualified for the academic all-PFL first team a year ago and the second team in 2014. Lang started all 11 Valpo games this season.
Morgan, a junior running back, earned academic all-PFL second-team honors by rushing for 576 yards and two touchdowns while notching 30 catches for 285 yards and three TDs. Morgan had three consecutive games with 100 or more rushing yards on Sept. 17, Sept. 24 and Oct. 1, becoming the first Valpo player to do so since Jeff Horton in the final three games of the 2005 season. Morgan is a sports management major with a 3.33 GPA.
Simpson, a junior kicker, collected second-team honors with a 3.35 GPA in psychology. He made five of his eight field-goal attempts this year and went 27-for-27 on PATs. Simpson made a 45-yard field goal against Illinois State, the longest made field goal by a Valpo player in the last 10 years. He also hit a 43-yard field goal against Illinois State, making him the first Valpo kicker since 2008 to hit a pair of 40+ yard field goals in the same game.
Morgan made the academic all-PFL second team for the second consecutive year, while Simpson was a first-time honoree.
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2016 PFL Scholar-Athlete of the Year |
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Christopher Beaschler, Dayton |
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2016 Academic All-Pioneer Football League First Team |
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(as selected by PFL sports information directors) |
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Student-Athlete |
School |
Class. |
Pos |
GPA |
Major (Minor) |
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OFFENSE |
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Cord Collier |
Butler |
Jr. |
TE |
3.90 |
Finance And Management Information Systems |
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Danny Cotter (2) |
Butler |
Sr. |
WR |
3.71 |
Chemistry |
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Lawrence Dickens |
Marist |
Jr. |
WR |
3.49 |
Business Administration: Finance |
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Keegan Gallery (1) |
Drake |
Sr.. |
WR |
3.64 |
International Business |
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Alex Jeske (1) |
Dayton |
Jr. |
QB |
3.82 |
Finance |
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Brian Lang (1) |
Valparaiso |
RJr. |
OL |
3.89 |
Accounting |
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Anthony Lawrence |
San Diego |
So. |
QB |
3.59 |
Accountancy |
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Aaron Melton |
Drake |
RSr. |
OL |
3.46 |
Marketing/Informational Systems |
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Jake Raymond |
Morehead State |
Sr. |
SLOT |
3.35 |
Engineering Technology |
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Brian Stryffeler |
Campbell |
RJr. |
OL |
3.90 |
Exercise & Sports Science |
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Jimmy Vogel (1) |
Dayton |
Sr. |
OT |
3.50 |
Mechanical Engineering |
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Tucker Yinger (1) |
Dayton |
Jr. |
RB |
3.83 |
Mechanical Engineering |
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DEFENSE |
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Christopher Beaschler (3, 1) |
Dayton |
Sr. |
LB |
3.73 |
Mechanical Engineering |
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Davion Belk (1) |
Stetson |
Sr. |
DT |
3.34 |
Marketing |
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Colt Briggs (2) |
Morehead State |
RJr. |
DL |
3.77 |
Biomedical Science |
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Devyn Bryant (1) |
San Diego |
Sr. |
DB |
3.54 |
Mechanical Engineering |
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Nathan Clayberg |
Drake |
Jr. |
DL |
4.00 |
Accounting/Finance |
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Jack Crain (1) |
Dayton |
Sr. |
LB |
3.89 |
Accounting |
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Tanner Evans |
Drake |
Sr. |
DL |
3.84 |
Finance/Politics |
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Sean Horan (1) |
Butler |
Sr. |
LB |
3.93 |
Economics & Mechanical Engineering |
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David Leisring |
Dayton |
So. |
S |
3.94 |
Finance (Accounting) |
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Max Michaels (1) |
San Diego |
Jr. |
DB |
3.93 |
Accountancy |
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Alec Moreno (2) |
San Diego |
Jr. |
LB |
3.67 |
Accountancy |
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SPECIAL TEAMS |
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Chris Apicella |
Marist |
Jr. |
LS |
3.82 |
Business Administration: Finance & Economics |
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Mike Maccarone (2) |
Marist |
Sr. |
K/P |
3.58 |
Business Administration: Finance |
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Willliam Will |
Dayton |
Sr. |
K |
3.32 |
Finance |
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Notes in parentheses: 3x – player is a three-time first-team Academic All-PFL selection; 1-was a first-team selection in 2015; 2-was a second-team selection in 2015. |
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2016 Academic All-Pioneer Football League Second Team |
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Student-Athlete |
School |
Class |
Pos. |
GPA |
Major (Minor) |
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OFFENSE |
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Gaven Defilippo |
Stetson |
So. |
QB |
3.76 |
Sport Business/Marketing |
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Michael Demos |
Butler |
Sr. |
OL |
3.37 |
Criminology And Sociology |
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Colby Dunn |
Drake |
Sr.. |
OL |
3.47 |
Pharmacy |
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Wes Hegemann |
Dayton |
Jr. |
OG |
3.58 |
Marketing |
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Duvante Lane |
Butler |
Jr. |
RB |
3.47 |
Middle & Secondary Education |
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Grant Menard |
Drake |
Sr.. |
WR |
3.63 |
Marketing |
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Jarrett Morgan |
Valparaiso |
Jr. |
RB |
3.33 |
Sport Management |
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Ian Palin |
Dayton |
Sr. |
TE |
3.52 |
Entrepreneurship |
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Justin Priest |
San Diego |
JR. |
WR |
3.39 |
Finance |
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Jared Ruffing |
Dayton |
Jr. |
RB |
3.46 |
Electrical Engineering |
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Pace Temple |
Butler |
So. |
WR |
3.41 |
Marketing |
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DEFENSE |
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Chad Burdo |
Butler |
Jr. |
DT |
3.85 |
Finance |
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Mike Cerone |
Butler |
Sr. |
DB |
3.60 |
Finance & Risk Management |
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Taylor Coleman |
Drake |
Sr. |
LB |
3.76 |
Finance |
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Cameron Gibson |
Marist |
Sr. |
CB |
3.36 |
Communication: Sports Communication & Public Relations |
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Mike Gray |
Dayton |
Sr. |
DE |
3.32 |
Chemical Engineering |
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Chris Hagan |
Dayton |
Sr. |
S |
3.51 |
Applied Mathematical Economics |
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Scott Miller |
Campbell |
RJr. |
LB |
3.44 |
Exercise & Sports Science |
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Isaak Newhouse |
Butler |
Jr. |
DB/RS |
3.50 |
Accounting |
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Connor Spencer |
San Diego |
So. |
DL |
3.68 |
Electrical Engineering |
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Nick Surges |
Dayton |
Jr. |
DE |
3.30 |
Business |
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Terry Wallen |
Drake |
Jr. |
DB |
3.61 |
Finance |
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SPECIAL TEAMS |
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Mitchell Brown |
Campbell |
Jr. |
K |
3.70 |
Biology (Pre-Med) |
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John Cook |
Davidson |
Sr. |
P/RB |
3.39 |
Biology |
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Pat Disalvio |
Morehead State |
Sr. |
K/P |
3.83 |
Biomedical Science |
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Isaak Newhouse |
Butler |
Jr. |
DB/RS |
3.50 |
Accounting |
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Jake Simpson |
Valparaiso |
Jr. |
K |
3.35 |
Psychology |
