Three SAC Football Players Named Daktronics All-Americans
WICHITA FALLS, Texas - Daktronics released its 2011 football All-America Team on Wednesday, which included three student-athletes from the SAC. Mars Hill running back Jonas Randolph was named to the First Team, while Lenoir-Rhyne offensive lineman Chandler Rearden and Tusculum return specialist Deonte Gist earned second-team honors.
In addition to his first-team accolades, Randolph was also named the Daktronics Ron Lenz Division II Offensive Player of the Year. The Harlon Hill Trophy finalist led all NCAA divisions in rushing this year, breaking both the SAC's single-season and career rushing yards records.
Behind Randolph, Mars Hill won a share of the SAC championship and received its first NCAA Division II Football Championship selection in program history.
Rearden, the 2011 SAC Jacobs Blocking Award winner, earned second team All-America honors from Daktronics after anchoring a Lenoir-Rhyne line that produced the conference's top scoring offense.
L-R split the 2011 SAC championship with Mars Hill after going 7-3 overall and 6-1 in the conference.
Gist, meanwhile, led the SAC in kickoff return average this season at 29.43 yards-per-return - a number that was also the seventh best in Division II. He returned two kicks for touchdowns, both of which were for more than 90 yards.
All three student-athletes were All-SAC First Team selections in 2011 as well.
Rearden was also a Daktronics All-American in 2010, while Gist earned Daktronics All-America accolades as a wide receiver last year.