Three Kats Academic All-Southland football
1/11/2011 4:30:00 PM | Football
Closner, a return specialist and wide receiver from Arlington, and Travis Watson, an offensive lineman from Norman, Okla., both were first team selections. Stewart, a special teams regular and reserve safety, was named to the academic all-league second team.
Closner, a junior kinesiology major with a 3.38 overall grade point average, earned All-Southland Conference second team honors as a punt return specialist. He ranked No. 2 in the league in punt returns and No. 3 in both kickoff returns and all-purpose yards. He also ranked among the top 25 players in NCAA Division I FCS punt and kickoff returns.
His statistics included 33 punt returns for 380 yards (11.5 avg.); 38 kickoff returns for 981 yards (25.8 avg.) and 1,391 all-purpose yards. Closner was the winner of 2010 Blinka Family Scholarship Award, a 2010 ESPN The Magazine/CoSIDA nominee and a Dean's List student.
Watson, a sophomore political science major who has compiled a 3.30 overall GPA, was a second-team All-Southland offensive line selection. He started all 11 games at center for Sam Houston this fall, helping pave the way for the league's top rushing attack and Southland leading rusher Tim Flanders as Flanders earned All-Southland and newcomer of year honors. Watson is a two- year starter. He is a two-time Southland Commissioner's Academic Honor roll member , a 2010 ESPN The Magazine/CoSIDA nominee, Dean's List student and a Sam Houston Student-Athlete Advisory Committee officer.
Stewart is a junior accounting major with a 3.29 overall GPA. He is a three-time letter winner and member of the Southland Commissioner's Academic Honor Roll. Following the season, he was named as the winner of 2010 Dr. Tom Davis Endowment Scholarship. He also receiver 2008 SHSU Lettermen's Association Award, was a 2010 ESPN The Magazine/CoSIDA nominee and is a Dean's List student.
To be nominated for Academic All-Southland Conference, a student-athlete must be a starter or frontline reserve, be in his second full year of competition for the university and maintain a 3.0 or higher overall grade point average. The team is selected by vote of the Southland's head football coaches, academic advisors and sports information directors.
The 2010 Academic All-Southland Conference Squad
|
Offense |
|||||
|
Pos. |
Name |
University |
Class |
GPA |
Major |
|
WR |
Dominique Croom |
Central Arkansas |
So. |
3.57 |
Undergraduate Studies |
|
WR |
Sam Houston State |
Jr. |
3.38 |
Kinesiology |
|
|
RB |
Anthony Blackmon |
Central Arkansas |
So. |
3.52 |
Health Education |
|
RB |
Sam Fairley |
Southeastern Louisiana |
So. |
3.13 |
General Studies |
|
TE |
Justin Aldredge |
Northwestern State |
Jr. |
3.86 |
Accounting |
|
OL |
Austin Emerson |
Central Arkansas |
Sr. |
3.73 |
History |
|
OL |
Brad Jakel |
Central Arkansas |
Jr. |
3.91 |
Consumer Science |
|
OL |
Sam Houston State |
So. |
3.30 |
Political Science |
|
|
OL |
Bart Roussel |
Nicholls |
Jr. |
3.36 |
Allied Health & Science |
|
OL |
Zach Case |
Northwestern State |
Jr. |
3.33 |
Health & Exercise Education |
|
K |
John Shaughnessy |
Northwestern State |
So. |
3.60 |
Biology |
|
Defense |
|||||
|
Pos. |
Name |
University |
Class |
GPA |
Major |
|
DL |
Nathan Clophus |
Southeastern Louisiana |
Sr. |
3.07 |
General Studies |
|
DL |
Jonathan Ward |
Texas State |
So. |
3.13 |
Mass Communication |
|
DL |
Wade Williams |
Northwestern State |
So. |
3.03 |
Psychology |
|
LB |
Yaser Elqutub |
Northwestern State |
Jr. |
3.81 |
Liberal Arts and Science |
|
LB |
Justin Heard |
Central Arkansas |
So. |
3.10 |
Undergraduate Studies |
|
DB |
Marcus Dumas |
Central Arkansas |
So. |
3.61 |
Undergraduate Studies |
|
DB |
Xavier Lee |
Northwestern State |
Sr. |
3.50 |
Electronics Engineering Technology |
|
DB |
Tommy Connors |
Southeastern Louisiana |
Sr. |
3.08 |
Marketing |
|
DB |
Seth Allison |
Central Arkansas |
So. |
3.38 |
Finance |
|
DB |
Sam Houston State |
Jr. |
3.29 |
Accounting |
|
|
P |
Ben Bourgeois |
McNeese State |
Sr. |
4.00 |
Mechanical Engineering |
|
P |
Patrick Dolan |
Nicholls |
Sr. |
.73 |
Marketing |
|
P |
Drew Nelson |
Stephen F. Austin |
Jr. |
3.43 |
Criminal Justice/Accounting |
