ST. LOUIS - A total of 50 current and former Illinois State football student-athletes were among more than 300 who earned selection to the 2010-11 Missouri Valley Football Conference Honor Roll, as announced by the league office Tuesday. To qualify for the Honor Roll, a student-athlete must have recorded a minimum 3.0 grade-point average (GPA) for a specified term (Fall 2010), must have been a member of an athletics team, and must have a minimum of 12 hours of enrollment during the fall.
The total of 50 Redbirds named to this year's honor roll is up almost double from last year's number of 29. The trio of Matt Lancaster, Jordan Neukirch and Mike Seefeld highlight the group and were honored with Commissioner's Academic Excellence Award. A total of 104 student-athletes received the league's Commissioner's Academic Excellence Award, which requires a minimum GPA of 3.2 for the previous two semesters (freshmen are not eligible.)
A 2010 Missouri Valley Football Conference All-Academic Second Team selection, Lancaster played in all 11 games for the Redbirds and served as the primary backup quarterback, but also lined up a wide receiver and as the team's holder on placements. A native of West Lafayette, Ind., Lancaster maintains a 3.87 cumulative GPA in geology.
Neukirch, who played in all 11 games and started in five in 2010 as a redshirt freshman for the Redbirds, was the team's primary H-back which is a hybrid of the fullback and tight end positions in the Redbird offense. An Algonquin, Ill., native, Neukirch holds a 3.47 cumulative GPA in business administration.
Rounding out the group is Seefeld, who earned the Commissioner's Academic Excellence Award for the second-straight season. A Cudahy, Wis., native, Seefeld played in two games as a reserve offensive lineman in 2010 and possesses a 3.92 cumulative GPA in special education.
In addition to the trio of Commissioner's Academic Excellence Award winners, defensive lineman Eric Brunner stands out among the large group of Redbirds on the league's honor roll. A 2010 All-Missouri Valley Football Conference First-Team selection and MVFC All-Academic First Team honoree, Brunner also garnered a CoSIDA/ESPN Academic All-District V Team selection and was named to the Football Championship Subdivision Athletics Directors Association (FCS ADA) Academic All-Star Team last season. The Greendale, Wis., native started all 11 games at defensive tackle, ranked fifth on the team with a career-high 53 tackles and led the team with four sacks and 9.5 tackles-for-loss, both career-highs.
Here is a complete listing of Illinois State's 2010-11 MVFC Honor Roll members:
COMMISSIONER'S ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE AWARD - Matt Lancaster; Jordan Neukirch; Mike Seefeld. Nick Aussieker; Garren Beck; Nick Bledsoe; Eric Brunner; Jordan Church; Jayme Comer; Michael Cross; Jake Detmers; Tyler Doering; Dean Eastman; Steven Fetzer; Tyler Finkbeiner; Cliffton Gordon; Mike Greenwood; Brent Gritton, Garin Harcar; Kelvyn Hemphill; Mike Hiestand; Chris Highland; Brent Holtz; Josh Howe; Tré Jones; Michael Khalil; Drew Kiel; Marcus King; Bryce Kiser; Jake Knecht; Casey Kociuba; Scott Kuehn; Matt Lancaster; James Loughlin; Kevin Mazur; Matt Mose; Steve Nelson; Jordan Neukirch; Jon Otto; Adam Rebholz; Chris Riley; Brannon Sanford; Mike Seefeld; Mike Slack; Zach Smith; Tony Trujillo; Mark Turner; Colton Underwood; Henry VandeHay; Brandon Venson; Brett Werner-Powell; Cody White; Mike Wood.
GoRedbirds.com: Your online source for Illinois State Athletics, tickets, Weisbecker Scholarship Fund gifts, multimedia, Redbird merchandise, photos and more.
