NORMAL, Ill. - Illinois State football junior defensive tackle Eric Brunner was recognized for his work on and off the field Thursday, when he was selected to the CoSIDA/ESPN Academic All-District V Team by the Academic All-America® Committee.
Brunner, a Greendale, Wis., native was one of 23 players named to the District V University Division team in the vote conducted by members of the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). Brunner maintains a 3.48 cumulative grade point average (GPA) in accounting at Illinois State and was named the W.F. Ruebush Endowed Scholarship recipient for the 2010-11 school year.
"Eric is a great role model for our student-athletes and is exactly what we look for in players in our program," ISU head coach Brock Spack said. "This is a well-deserved honor for Eric. He's a hard worker, a great student, a tough guy and he takes care of business on and off the field. He does a lot of great things for our program in every aspect and I am very proud of him."
A 2009 Missouri Valley Football Conference All-Academic Second-Team selection, Brunner has improved his game during his junior season. He leads all Redbird linemen with 40 tackles on the season and leads the team with four sacks and 8.5 tackles-for-loss in 2010. Brunner has posted seven tackles in four games this season and has posted a pair of games with 2.5 tackles for loss. His best performance of the season to date came against No. 14 North Dakota State, when he recorded two sacks and 2.5 tackles-for-loss against the Bison.
CoSIDA classifies schools into a University Division (Division I programs) and a College Division (DII, DIII, NAIA, NJCAA programs). Three Academic All-District teams are chosen in each district, with those on the All-District first teams placed on the national ballot for Academic All-America consideration.
To be nominated for the CoSIDA/ESPN Academic All-District Team, a student-athlete must be a starter or important reserve with at least a 3.30 cumulative grade point average (on a 4.0 scale) at his/her current institution. Nominated athletes must have participated in at least 50 percent of the team's games at the position listed on the nomination form and no student-athlete is eligible until he/she has completed one full calendar year at his/her current institution and has reached sophomore athletic eligibility.
The voting period for the Academic All-America® ballot begins on Tuesday, Nov. 9.
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