2002 Verizon Academic All-America Football Teams Announced – Ohio State Buckeyes
12/3/2002 12:00:00 AM | Football
Dec. 3, 2002
STAMFORD, Conn. – Verizon and CoSIDA released today the 2002 Verizon Academic All-America Football Team. Jonathan Vilma and Matt Walters from top-ranked University of Miami (Fla.) make first team defensive honors for linebacker and defensive line, respectively.
Quarterback Kliff Kingsbury from Texas Tech was named Verizon Academic All-America Team Member of the Year in the University Division and quarterback Mike Bowman from Susquehanna College was named Team Member of the Year for the College Division.
In the University Division, the University of Dayton had three players named to the national teams. In the College Division, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology also topped the list with three players on the national teams list.
Seven players from the Big Ten Conference earned Academic All-America honors, including two from Purdue University and two from Ohio State. Ohio State’s quarterback, Craig Krenzel, was named to the second team as a junior. Krenzel, the starting quarterback for the No. 2-ranked Buckeyes, has led the team to a 13-0 record to lead the Big Ten Conference.
Georgia Tech’s punter, Dan Dyke, was named for a fourth time to the Academic All-America first team. Running back Ryan Johnson from Montana State and offensive lineman Jon Stinchcomb from Georgia both were chosen to the Academic All-America first team for the third time.
From the College Division, running back Jake Barkley from the University of St. Thomas was named to the first team for his third time as well. The first team also included Matt Campbell, a defensive lineman from Division III’s top-ranked Mount Union College. Campbell is one of four Academic All-America selections who’ll be participating in NCAA playoff games this weekend. The others are his Mount Union teammate Josh Liddell, Hadley Prince of McNeese State and Brian Lowder of Western Kentucky. The complete list of student-athletes named to the Verizon Academic All-America Teams Program National Football Team is attached (See Attachment A).
The Verizon Academic All-America Teams program recognizes student-athletes who have succeeded on the field and in the classroom. Individuals are selected by votes from CoSIDA, the 1,800-member College Sports Information Directors of America. To be eligible, an athlete must be a varsity starter or key reserve and maintain a cumulative GPA of at least 3.20 on a scale of 4.00. Since the program’s inception in 1952, over 12,000 student-athletes have been honored with the award.
Under an agreement with CoSIDA, Verizon has been the exclusive sponsor of the Academic All-America program since 1985. Verizon, America’s literacy champion, strongly believes that literacy is a key ingredient to success and outstanding achievements in life. The Academic All-America program is part of Verizon Reads, the company’s national campaign to promote literacy through corporate philanthropy, partner collaboration, community outreach, and customer and employee participation.
| 2002-2003 VERIZON ACADEMIC ALL-AMERICA FOOTBALL TEAM (UNIVERSITY DIVISION) | |||||
| First-Team Offense | |||||
| NAME | SCHOOL | POS | YR | HOMETOWN | GPA/MAJOR |
| Kliff Kingsbury** | Texas Tech | QB | Gr. | New Braunfels, TX | 3.78/Management |
| Ryan Johnson | Montana State | RB | Sr. | Fort Collins, CO | 3.99/Pre-Physical Therapy |
| Jason Wright | Northwestern | RB | Jr. | Diamond Bar, CA | 3.25/Psychology, Pre-Medicine |
| Kyler Randall | Eastern Washington | WR | Jr. | Ferndale, WA | 3.89/Education |
| John Standeford | Purdue | WR | Jr. | Monrovia, IN | 3.51/Elementary Education |
| Erick Streelman | Nevada | TE | Sr. | Bellflower, CA | 3.97/Secondary Education |
| Travis Barclay | Ball State | OL | Jr. | Iowa City, IA | 3.98/Physics |
| Kyle Eaton | Oklahoma State | OL | Gr. | Rogers, TX | 4.00/Management Information Systems |
| Joe Iorio | Penn State | OL | Sr. | Sylvania, OH | 3.70/Info & Science Technology |
| Rodney Reed | Louisiana State | OL | Jr. | West Monroe, LA | 3.93/Accounting |
| Jon Stinchcomb | Georgia | OL | Sr. | Lilburn, GA | 3.73/Microbiology |
| Nick Browne | TCU | PK | Jr. | Garland, TX | 4.00/Finance-Real Estate |
| First-Team Defense | |||||
| NAME | SCHOOL | POS | YR | HOMETOWN | GPA/MAJOR |
| Jordan Carstens | Iowa State | DL | Jr. | Bagley, IA | 3.60/Agricultural Business |
| Vince Crochunis | Pittsburgh | DL | So. | Schuylkill Haven, PA | 3.78/Political Science |
| Jon Montoya | Montana State | DL | Jr. | Brandon, SD | 3.60/Elementary Education |
| Matt Walters | Miami (Fla.) | DL | Sr. | Melbourne, FL | 3.45/Mechanical Engineering |
| Hunter Hillenmeyer | Vanderbilt | LB | Sr. | Nashville, TN | 3.70/Economics/Human & Org. Devlpmt. |
| Eric Pauly | Colorado State | LB | Jr. | Conway Springs, KA | 3.78/Bus. Admin./Computer Info. Sys. |
| Jonathan Vilma | Miami (Fla.) | LB | Jr. | Coral Gables, FL | 3.34/Finance |
| Mark Kasmer | Dayton | DB | Sr. | Brecksville, OH | 3.94/Computer Engineering |
| Brian Lowder | Western Kentucky | DB | Jr. | Bowling Green, KY | 4.00/Government/Sociology |
| Hadley Prince | McNeese State | DB | Sr. | Sulphur, LA | 3.61/Agricultural Science |
| Justin Rosato | Monmouth | DB | Sr. | Old Bridge, NJ | 3.88/Business Finance |
| Dan Dyke | Georgia Tech | P | Sr. | Winter Springs, FL | 3.84/Electrical Engineering |
| Second-Team Offense | |||||
| NAME | SCHOOL | POS | YR | HOMETOWN | GPA/MAJOR |
| Craig Krenzel | Ohio State | QB | Jr. | Utica, MI | 3.56/Molecular Genetics |
| Jay Bailey | Austin Peay | RB | Sr. | Clarksville, TN | 3.22/Health & Human Performance |
| Mike Hilliard | Duquesne | RB | Jr. | Homer Center, PA | 3.59/Finance |
| Rob Turner | Central Michigan | WR | Sr. | Fort Lauderdale, FL | 3.96/Business/Mgt. Info. Systems |
| Jack Whitver | Iowa State | WR | Jr. | Grinnell, IA | 3.69/Exercise & Sport Science |
| Ben Hartsock | Ohio State | TE | Jr. | Chillicothe, OH | 3.73/Biology |
| John Crowther | Notre Dame | OL | Sr. | Edina, MN | 3.70/Finance & Computer Applications |
| Nathan Frowsing | Saint Marys | OL | Sr. | Madera, CA | 3.96/Politics |
| Grant Moody | U.S. Naval Academy | OL | Sr. | Eureka, KA | 3.93/Quantitative Economics |
| Gene Mruczkowski | Purdue | OL | Sr. | Cleveland, OH | 3.75/Movement and Sport Sciences |
| Chris Tuminello | Toledo | OL | Sr. | Boardman, OH | 3.93/Civil Engineering |
| Nate Kaeding | Iowa | PK | Jr. | Coralville, IA | 3.54/History & Secondary Education |
| Second-Team Defense | |||||
| NAME | SCHOOL | POS | YR | HOMETOWN | GPA/MAJOR |
| Andy Bentley | Dayton | DL | Sr. | Marion, OH | 3.56/Secondary Education, Math |
| Shawn Johnson | Duke | DL | Jr. | Fairport, NY | 3.40/Biological Anthropology & Anatomy |
| Trent Karn | Dayton | DL | Sr. | Piqua, OH | 3.50/Secondary Education, Social Studies |
| Kenny King | Alabama | DL | Sr. | Daphne, AL | 3.24/Business Marketing |
| Brooks Bahr | Utah | LB | Sr. | Bountiful, UT | 3.95/Biology, MBA |
| Michael Dulaney | Tulsa | LB | Sr. | Turpin, OK | 3.86/Sociology |
| Drew Wood | Colorado State | LB | Jr. | Buena Vista, CO | 3.63/Psychology |
| Rodney Johnson | Furman | DB | Sr. | Marion, NC | 3.54/Health and Exercise Science |
| Nathan Jones | Rutgers | DB | Jr. | Scotch Plains, NJ | 3.73/Finance |
| Ryan MacLean | Albany | DB | Sr. | Colden, NY | 3.72/Management Information Systems |
| Joe Pavlick | Duquesne | DB | Jr. | Canton, OH | 3.97/Information Technology |
| Mark Gould | Northern Arizona | P | Jr. | Boise, ID | 3.51/Marketing |
| ** Denotes Verizon Academic All-America Team Member of the Year – University Division | |||||
| 2002-2003 VERIZON ACADEMIC ALL-AMERICA FOOTBALL TEAM (COLLEGE DIVISION) | |||||
| First-Team Offense | |||||
| NAME | SCHOOL | POS | YR | HOMETOWN | GPA/MAJOR |
| Mike Bowman ** | Susquehanna | QB | Sr. | Northumberland, PA | 4.00/Mathematics |
| Jake Barkley | St. Thomas | RB | Sr. | Plymouth, MN | 3.90/Entrepreneurship |
| Tyler Paul | Emporia State Univ. | RB | Jr. | Enterprise, KS | 3.93/Business Administration |
| Andrew Hilliard | St. Thomas | WR | Sr. | Woodbury, MN | 3.97/Math, Secondary Education |
| Flynn Cochran | Rensselaer Poly Inst | WR | Jr. | Kent, WA | 3.80/Mgmt Info Technology |
| Landon Trusty | Central Arkansas | TE | Jr. | Hot Springs, AR | 4.00/Finance |
| Mike Bestul | Wisconsin-Eau Claire | OL | Sr. | Chippewa Falls, WI | 3.93/Kinesiology |
| Ben Bristol | Springfield College | OL | Sr. | South Hadley, MA | 3.83/Sociology |
| Matt Kish | Baldwin-Wallace | OL | Sr. | Brookpart, OH | 3.983/Education |
| Mike Liberski | Wilkes University | OL | Jr. | Exeter, PA | 3.94/Mechanical Engineering |
| John Melillo | Washington & Lee | OL | Sr. | Forney, TX | 4.00/English |
| Mac Schneider | North Dakota | OL | Gr. | Fargo, ND | 3.97/History |
| Ben Tuck | Univ. of the South | PK | Sr. | Pell City, AL | 3.90/Latin |
| First-Team Defense | |||||
| NAME | SCHOOL | POS | YR | HOMETOWN | GPA/MAJOR |
| Trevor Alexander | Capital University | DL | Sr. | Ashland, OH | 3.957/Economics, Political Science |
| Matt Campbell | Mount Union | DL | Sr. | Massillon, OH | 3.418/History |
| Patrick Ryan | Benedictine Univ. | DL | Sr. | Chicago, IL | 3.63/Accounting |
| Justin Schneider | Wisconsin-Oshkosh | DL | Sr. | West Bend, WI | 3.706/Accounting, Finance |
| Ben Laarman | Northern Michigan | LB | Sr. | Appleton, WI | 3.97/Physical Education |
| Cliff Mason | Gettysburg College | LB | Sr. | Greenville, PA | 4.00/Health and Exercise Science |
| Tim Swan | Rose-Hulman | LB | Sr. | Farmington, MN | 3.93/Mechanical Engineering |
| Todd Baldwin | Augustana College | DB | Sr. | Aledo, IL | 3.97/Finance, Economics |
| Jesse McQuiston | Rose-Hulman | DB | Sr. | Walton, IN | 3.96/Mechanical Engineering |
| Jon Peterson | Northwestern | DB | Sr. | Wisconsin Rapids, WI | 4.00/Math |
| John Yurisinec | Gannon University | DB | Sr. | Irwin, PA | 3.95/Business Administration |
| Jarrod Edelen | South Dakota | P | Jr. | Vermillion, SD | 3.70/Computer Science, Economics |
| Second-Team Offense | |||||
| NAME | SCHOOL | POS | YR | HOMETOWN | GPA/MAJOR |
| Keith Heckendorf | Saint Cloud State | QB | Jr. | Mosinee, WI | 3.64/Physical Education |
| Kevin Clive | Hillsdale | RB | Sr. | Clarence, NY | 3.70/Pre-Med |
| Andy Traetow | Gustavus Adolphus | RB | Sr. | Jackson, MN | 3.57/Elementary Education |
| Luke Klinker | Nebraska Wesleyan | WR | Sr. | Omaha, NE | 3.98/English, History |
| Justin Wilder | Greensboro College | WR | Sr. | Wednell, NC | 4.00/Business Admin, Economics |
| Josh Liddel | Mount Union | TE | Sr. | Bemus Point, NY | 3.692/History |
| Joe Harbour | Baldwin-Wallace | OL | Jr. | Upper Sandusky, OH | 3.93/Secondary Education |
| David Laudner, | Buena Vista Univ. | OL | Sr. | Rockwell, IA | 4.00/Political Science |
| Bob Paulin | Augustana College | OL | Sr. | Naperville, IL | 3.49/Accounting, Computer Science |
| Daniel Schwartz | Rose-Hulman | OL | Gr. | New Palestine, IN | 3.63/Electrical Eng., Biomedical Eng. |
| Austin Lepper | Truman State | PK | Sr. | Ames, IA | 3.96/Business Administration |
| Second-Team Defense | |||||
| NAME | SCHOOL | POS | YR | HOMETOWN | GPA/MAJOR |
| Louis Jamison | Slippery Rock | DL | Sr. | Scottdale, PA | 3.629/Health and Physical Education |
| Curt Kimmel | Missouri-Rolla | DL | Sr. | Ringling, OK | 4.00/Civil Engineering |
| Dane Lundgren | Wheaton College | DL | Sr. | Arden Hills, MI | 3.39/English Literature |
| Caleb White | Pittsburgh State | DL | Sr. | Kingsdown, KS | 3.60/Biology, Pre-Med |
| Mike Oswald | Northern Michigan | LB | Sr. | Hillman, MI | 3.91/Construction Management |
| Ben Spilseth | Gustavus Adolphus | LB | Sr. | Willmar, MN | 3.95/Biochemistry, Chemistry |
| Tameem Yehyawi | Truman State | LB | Jr. | Keokuk, IA | 3.95/Biology |
| Adam Guy | Augustana College | DB | Jr. | Muscatine, IA | 3.91/Physics |
| Aaron Hight | Pittsburgh State | DB | Sr. | Riverton, KS | 3.75/Construction Management |
| Garrett Rettig | Wartburg College | DB | Sr. | Tripoli, IA | 3.96/Biology |
| Ty Touchstone | Eastern New Mexico | DB | So. | Lubbock, TX | 4.00/Business Administration |
| Ryan Hartschuh | College of Wooster | P | Sr. | Akron, OH | 3.838/Physics, Mathematics |
| ** Denotes Verizon Academic All-America Team Member of the Year – College Division |
