ST. LOUIS – A standout trio of Illinois State football players were named to the Missouri Valley Football Conference All-Newcomer Team on Tuesday, as quarterback Zack Annexstad, running back Wenkers Wright and defensive back Deandre Lamont were each selected to the list after strong performances in their first season in a Redbird uniform.
Annexstad finished second in the MVFC Newcomer of the Year vote, just 12 points behind Western Illinois wide receiver Naseim Brantley. The transfer from Minnesota started eight games at quarterback for the Redbirds before missing the final three games of the season due to injury. A two-time MVFC Newcomer of the Week selection, Annexstad completed 62.8 percent of his passes for 1,691 yards with 11 touchdowns and averaged 211 yards passing per game. He led the team with four rushing touchdowns on the year and played particularly well in conference as he completed 63 percent of his passes for nearly 1,100 yards with just two interceptions and seven touchdown passes.
Wright carried the heavy load in the running game for the Redbirds and took over as the starter when Cole Mueller was lost for the season in the season opener at Wisconsin. The redshirt freshman took full advantage of that opportunity and led the team in rushing with 625 yards on 161 carries and was third on the team with a pair of rushing touchdowns. The Floyds Knobs, Indiana, native ranked No. 9 in the MVFC in rushing yards and averaged 3.9 yards per carry on the year. Wright also added 19 receptions for 162 receiving yards out of the backfield while tallying three 100-plus rushing yard efforts on the year including a career-high 180-yard rushing effort in a win at Indiana State.
The All-Newcomer Team honor for Lamont comes a day after he was named an All-MVFC Honorable Mention Team selection. The senior transfer from Central Arkansas ranked third on the team with 68 tackles and finished the year with two sacks and three tackles-for-loss. Lamont also added an interception and three pass breakups in his lone season with the Redbirds and was credited with a season-high 10 tackles against Southern Illinois. Overall, he collected five-plus tackles in nine of the team's 11 games in 2022.
The Missouri Valley Conference will honor its final group of award recipients of the 2022 season on Wednesday, when the leagues' All-Academic Team is announced.
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