Posted: Nov 22, 2011
Those selected were seniors Bradley Carter (El Cajon, Calif.), Caleb Haynes (Higginsville, Mo.), Kyle Gibson (Columbia, Mo.), Jacob Heppner (Mansfield, Mo.), Cody Wallingford (Gower, Mo.), Ryan Adams (Slater, Mo.), Matt Curts (Bolivar, Mo.), and Tyler Belt (Macon, Mo.); �juniors William Eichman (Moreno Valley, Calif.), Cody Davis (Sullivan, Mo.), and Bryan Plenge (Kahoka, Mo.); and sophomores Bryan Pollard (Warrenton, Mo.) and Svein Hansen (Hellvik, Norway).
These players were recognized as some of the nation's top student-athletes for their performances on the field and in the classroom. To be nominated, a student-athlete must be a starter or important reserve with at least a 3.3 GPA at his/her current institution and must have participated in at least 50 percent of the team's games.
Carter, a senior wide receiver, was one of two receivers selected to the first team. Carter is majoring in physical education and currently holds a 3.83 grade-point average (GPA).� He was named the Heart of America Athletic Conference (HAAC) Special Teams Player-of-the-Week Oct. 24. Carter had six receptions on the season for a total of 89 yards. In 2010, he was selected as the CMU Most Valuable Player and CMU'S Outstanding Receiver.
Haynes, a senior running back, was the lone running back selected to the Academic All-District first team for the Collegiate District 5. Haynes is a physical education major with science and mathematics minors, and currently holds a 3.71. He rushed for a total of 443 yards and finished with eight touchdowns on the season. In 2010, Haynes was named to the Academic All-District third team.
Gibson, a senior offensive lineman, was named to the first team. Gibson is majoring in athletic training and minoring in biology, while holding a 3.85 GPA. In 2010, Gibson was named a Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athlete and was also selected to the CMU Champions of Character council. ���
Heppner, a senior defensive back, was one of two CMU defensive backs selected to the first team. Heppner is a mathematics major with an interdisciplinary minor, and currently holds a 4.0. He started eight games this season and had a total of 13 tackles. In 2010, he was named a
Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athlete, as well as received the CMU Peak Performance Award and the CMU Strength & Conditioning Award.
Wallingford, a senior linebacker, was one of four linebackers named to the first team. Wallingford is majoring in mathematics and minoring in physics, while holding a 3.58 GPA. He had a total of 10 tackles on the 2011 season. In 2010, Wallingford was honored as a Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athlete.
Adams, a senior defensive lineman, was one of two CMU defensive linemen named to the All-District first team. Adams is an English major with a 3.57 GPA. He had a total of seven tackles on the season, bringing his career total to 20. Adams has been honored as a 2010 Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athletic, as well as a HAAC Scholar-Athlete in 2010.
Curts, a senior, was the second CMU defensive lineman to be honored to the first team. He is majoring in mathematics and minoring in education, while currently holding a 3.34 GPA. In the 2011 season, he had 37 tackles, bringing his career total to 72 tackles.
Belt, a senior linebacker, has been selected to the CoSIDA All-District team for the second year in a row. He is an athletic training/pre-physical therapy major with a 3.89 GPA. For the season, he had 41 tackles and 1.5 sacks. Belt also had one interception on the season.
Eichman, a junior wide receiver, was one of three receivers selected to the All-District first team. He is a business major and holds a 3.47 GPA. Eichman had 10 receptions on the season for a total of 155 yards.
Davis, a junior offensive lineman, was one of three offensive linemen selected to the first team. He is majoring in history and minoring in physical science, while holding a 3.85 GPA. In 2010, Davis was honored as the CMU Most Improved Offensive Player. He is also a member of the Alpha Lambda Delta Honor Society.
Plenge, a junior defensive back, was selected to the All-District first team. He is a physical education major, currently holding a 3.31 GPA. He was named HAAC Defensive Player-of-the-Week on Sept. 26. Plenge had 33 tackles and one interception on the season.
Pollard, a sophomore offensive lineman, was one of just five sophomores selected to the first team. Pollard is majoring in environmental science and currently holds a 3.3 GPA. He has also been honored on the Dean's List.
Hansen, a kicker, was one of just two kickers selected to the All-District first team. He is a business major with a science minor, currently holding a 3.48 GPA. He had six points after touchdowns for the 2011 season.
