Wednesday, December 3, 2014

Valley Football Names Six NDSU Bison to All-Academic Team


ST. LOUIS, Mo. - Six North Dakota State University student-athletes were named to the Missouri Valley Football Conference all-academic team Wednesday, Dec. 3, by a vote of the league's sports information directors.

Defensive end Kyle Emanuel, center Jesse Hinz, linebacker Esley Thorton, wide receiver Zach Vraa and quarterback Carson Wentz were voted to the first team.  All five were previously voted to the Capital One Academic All-District 6 team.

Free safety Christian Dudzik was named to the MVFC all-academic second team.  Kicker Adam Keller and running back Chase Morlock were honorable mentions.

Emanuel, a senior from Schuyler, Neb., is the MVFC Defensive Player of the Year and this is his second straight appearance on the MVFC all-academic team.  He has a 3.66 cumulative grade-point average in construction management.  The Buck Buchanan Award finalist ranks second nationally in sacks (16.5) and tackles for loss (27.0).

Hinz, a senior from Beatrice, Neb., has a 3.71 GPA in criminal justice and Spanish and was voted to the all-conference first team.  He started all 12 games at center and is part of an offensive line unit that allowed the fewest sacks in the Missouri Valley Football Conference.

Thorton, a senior from Bismarck, N.D., has a 3.92 GPA in exercise science.  He has started all 12 games at linebacker and made 54 tackles with 2.0 sacks, 4.0 tackles for loss, three quarterback hurries, two forced fumbles, one recovery and an interception.  He made a career-high 10 tackles in the win at Missouri State.

Vraa, a senior from Rosemount, Minn., has a 3.51 GPA in sport management.  He is NDSU's leading receiver with 38 catches for 574 yards and four touchdowns, including a career-high nine catches for 119 yards and two scores in the win over Indiana State.

Wentz, a junior from Bismarck, N.D., has a 4.00 GPA in health and physical education.  The first-year starting quarterback leads the MVFC in completion percentage (.636) and has passed for 2,287 yards with 19 touchdowns and nine interceptions.  He had 247 yards and a school-record five TD passes at Missouri State, and has rushed for 100 yards each of the last two games.

Dudzik, a senior from Omaha, Neb., has a 3.48 GPA in sport management and philosophy and was voted to the all-conference first team.  He leads the MVFC with four interceptions and has five pass breakups and two forced fumbles.  He was named MVFC Defensive Player of the Week after a season-high eight tackles, two interceptions and a forced fumble against Youngstown State.

North Dakota State (11-1) won a share of its fourth straight conference championship with a 7-1 league record and earned the No. 2 seed for the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs.  The Bison host South Dakota State (9-4) in a second round game at 2:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 6.

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