Thursday, December 14, 2017

NDSU’s Kuhnert Named Top Offensive Lineman



CLEVELAND – North Dakota State right guard Austin Kuhnert was selected as the top offensive lineman in the Division I Football Championship Subdivision on Thursday, Dec. 14, as one of 11 student-athletes named to the FCS Athletic Directors Association All-America Team.

The fifth annual award recognizes the top student-athletes from FCS institutions at 11 different positions. The 2017 class includes student-athletes from 11 different institutions, representing six different conferences. Voting was conducted by a national panel of media and sports information directors.

"On behalf of the FCS ADA I want to congratulate all those recognized for their incredible accomplishments on the football field and even more importantly in the classroom," stated current FCS ADA President Thorr Bjorn, director of athletics at the University of Rhode Island. "These young men are already proving to be great leaders for our future."

Kuhnert, a senior from Sioux Falls, S.D., has started 49 games and played 53 of 58 possible games in four years at three different positions on the offensive line for the Bison.  He led the Bison during this year's regular season with an 86 percent technique grade and was second on the team with 31 knockdowns.  He was a first team All-Missouri Valley Football Conference pick.

No. 2 seed North Dakota State (12-1) hosts sixth-seeded Sam Houston State (12-1) in an NCAA semifinal game at 7 p.m. Friday, Dec. 15, at Gate City Bank Field at the Fargodome.

From the 11 players listed below, a national Offensive Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year will be announced at a later date and recognized at the national championship game in Frisco, Texas, on Jan. 6 during an on-field presentation.

The following student-athletes will earn 2017 All-America honors from the FCS ADA, as the top players from each of their positions:

QB - Jeremiah Briscoe, Sam Houston State (Southland)
RB - Dominick Bragalone, Lehigh (Patriot)
WR - Keelan Doss, UC Davis (Big Sky)
TE - Dallas Goedert, South Dakota State (MVFC)
OL - Austin Kuhnert, North Dakota State (MVFC)
PK - Lorran Fonseca, Nicholls (Southland)
DL - Andrew Ankrah, James Madison (CAA Football)
LB - Brett Taylor, Western Illinois (MVFC)
DB - Mike Basile, Monmouth (Big South)
RS - Rashid Shaheed, Weber State (Big Sky)
P - Joe Zema, Incarnate Word (Southland)

Of the 11 student-athletes, nine participated in the 2017 NCAA Division I Football Championship.

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