ST. LOUIS – Illinois State senior offensive tackle Drew Himmelman was named the Missouri Valley Football Conference Scholar-Athlete of the Year Wednesday, and three Redbirds made the list of 41 student-athletes honored as part of the 2020-21 MVFC All-Academic Teams announced by the league office.
League sports information directors voted on the team by designating 11 players for first-team honors and 11 players for second-team honors. A total of 82 MVFC student-athletes met the criteria for consideration this spring.
Himmelman carried a 3.82 grade point average as an undergraduate in exercise science and has a 4.00 GPA while pursuing a master's degree in biomechanics. He is a repeat MVFC All-Academic Team first-team selection (2019) and was one of 12 national finalists for the 2020 Campbell Trophy, often referred to as the "Academic Heisman."
The Geneseo, Illinois, native started all four games for Illinois State at left tackle during the spring 2021 season and graded out at over 90 percent. He was a key member of the offensive line unit that helped the Redbirds rush for 172 yards per game and aided two different backs in rushing for over 100 yards in a game, including two in the team's win over Western Illinois.
He was joined on the MVFC All-Academic Team by second-team selections Austin Nagel and Zeke Vandenburgh. Nagel carries a 4.0 GPA in political science at Illinois State and had a breakout season for the Redbirds at wide receiver. The Lemont, Illinois, native started all four games at wide receiver for the Redbird and led the team with 188 yards receiving and 23.5 yards per catch on the year. He recorded a career-high 132 yards on five receptions in the season opener against South Dakota and averaged 47.0 yards per game through the air.
Vandenburgh, a 2019 MVFC All-Academic honorable mention team selection, currently maintains a 4.0 GPA in exercise science at ISU. The Freeport, Illinois, native started all four games at linebacker for the Redbirds and finished the season with 13 tackles, a sack and two quarterback hurries. He began the season with a bang, recording five tackles and a sack in the season opener against South Dakota.
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