The University of Sioux Falls football team placed 11 on the all-Great Plains Athletic Conference team and earned all three major recognitions, announced by the conference office Tuesday morning.

Head coach Kalen DeBoer earned GPAC Coach of the Year. This season DeBoer coached the Cougars to an 11-0 overall and 10-0 GPAC record, including wins at FCS Division I University of North Dakota and NAIA No. 4 Morningside College. It is DeBoer’s third GPAC Coach of the Year award in his five season head coaching career that has seen a 63-3 overall record.

Senior quarterback Lorenzo Brown (Bristol, Conn.) is the 2009 GPAC Offensive Player of the Year and additionally was placed on the all-GPAC first team. Brown had some of his best games against top competition this year, throwing for 2,562 yards with 33 touchdowns to just two interceptions. He also leads the nation in pass efficiency rating at 203.0. Brown added 589 yards rushing and 13 touchdowns, both second on the team. Brown’s 286.5 total yards per game average is first in the conference and seventh nationally.

Senior safety Trevor Holleman (New Holland, S.D.) is the GPAC Defensive Player of the Year and was named to the all-GPAC first team. Holleman helped USF achieve a No. 1 national ranking in almost every defensive statistical category, making 26 solo tackles and 21 assisted stops. He added five tackles for a loss and led the Cougars with 10 pass deflections, six interceptions, and four pass break ups. Holleman also had a forced fumble and blocked kick.

Joining Holleman and Brown on the GPAC first-team is senior running back Ryan Lowmiller (Crystal Lake, Ill.), junior receiver Jon Ryan (Watertown, S.D.), senior tight end Scott LeBrun (Dell Rapids, S.D.), senior offensive linemen Kyle Staudt (Charles City, Iowa) and T.J. Wendt (Harrisburg, S.D.), senior defensive lineman Mike Hartley (Rapid City, S.D.), junior defensive lineman Brandon Koolstra (Sioux City, Iowa), junior linebacker Dominic Studzinski (Fort Atkinson, Wisc.), and senior Lavell Jackson (Harvey, Ill.) earned a spot at punt returner.

Lowmiller led the Cougars in rushing with 925 yards, averaging 6.8 yards per carry and scored 15 touchdowns. He added 23 receptions for 219 yards and one touchdown. Ryan had a break-out season at receiver, making 46 catches for 804 yards (17.5 yards per catch) and 15 touchdowns, all team-leading marks. From his tight end spot LeBrun had 17 receptions for 270 yards (15.9 yards per catch) and made five touchdown catches. Staudt and Wendt provided excellent blocking throughout the season, as they paved way for the nation’s No. 4 rushing attack (248.2 yards per game). The offensive line gave up five sacks in 11 contests.

Hartley has 12 solo tackles and eight assisted tackles from his defensive tackle position so far this season. Seven of those tackles were for a loss and three were sacks. Hartley had two pass break-ups and two pass deflections. Fellow-defensive lineman Brandon Koolstra has made 11 solo stops, nine assisted tackles, seven tackles for a loss, four quarterback hurries, one fumble recovery and a team-leading six sacks. At linebacker Dominic Studzinki is currently second on the team with 27 solo stops and 23 assisted tackles, making nine tackles behind the line of scrimmage. He has four quarterback sacks, two pass break-ups, two pass deflection, three quarterback hurries, two fumble recoveries and one forced fumble.

Jackson is the lone Cougar on the first team GPAC special teams. This season Jackson had 481 yards on punt returns, averaging 16.6 yards per punt return and took a punt back for a 69 yard touchdown in a 69-0 rout of Dordt College. Jackson also serves as the Cougars main return man on kickoffs, averaging 24.6 yards per return.

Earning second team all-GPAC honors is sophomore offensive lineman Casey Peters (Little Rock, Iowa), senior defensive lineman Drew DeGroot (Doon, Iowa) and senior linebacker Marlon Lobban (Pittsburg, Calif.). DeGroot has 1.5 sacks and four quarterback hurries and Lobban is second on the team with 7.5 tackles for a loss.

Earning honorable mention GPAC recognition is junior safety Dan Schmeichel (Odessa, Minn.), freshman kicker/punter Braden Wieking (Sioux Falls, S.D), senior cornerback Cody Cavender (Redding, Calif.), junior receiver Alex Anderson (Sioux Falls, S.D.), sophomore offensive lineman Kyle Wasson (Gillette, Wyo.) and senior offensive lineman Travis Beaver (Sioux Center, Iowa).

USF will play No. 14 Minot State University (8-2) in the first round of the NAIA playoffs this Saturday, November 21 at the USF Sanford Complex. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. and tickets are on sale.

Courtesy: Matt Stull, USF Sports Information