Jan. 6, 2003

BELLINGHAM, Wash. - Western Washington University punter Michael Koenen was a first-team pick on the 2002 Daktronics/NCAA Division II All-America football team announced today.

Koenen has now been named to three All-America teams for his performance last fall. Earlier he was picked as a first-team D2football.com All-American and was a second-team Associated Press Little All-America selection.

A sophomore from Ferndale, Koenen led NCAA II nationally in punting with a school-record 44.9 average, including a school-record effort of 73 yards. Five went for touchbacks and 16 were inside the 20-yard line.

Koenen was a first-team choice on the D2Football.com, Daktronics and Don Hansen's Football Weekly West Region all-star teams, and earned Great Northwest Athletic Conference first-team all-star honors as a punter and placekicker.

The 5-foot-10, 180-pound Koenen led Western in scoring for the second straight year with 61 points, making 9-of-17 field goals and converting 34-of-35 extra points.

Western finished 6-4 last fall.

2002 DAKTRONICS DIVISION II ALL-AMERICA TEAM

National champion Grand Valley State put seven players on the 2002 Daktronics Division II All-America football team.

Four GVSU players were elected to the first team - three of them repeat selections from last year - quarterback Curt Anes, wide receiver David Kircus and offensive tackle Dale Westrick. The other first-team selection was defensive lineman Keyonta Marshall.

All four earned Player of the Year honors at their position in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference as did safety Scott Mackey, a second-team selection..

The other two GVSU picks are running back Reggie Spearmon and linebacker Orlando Williams, each on the second team.

This is the tenth year the All-America team has been selected by a vote of sports information directors from NCAA Division II football playing members. Eighty-four members cast ballots this year. Anes was one vote shy of being a unanimous selection while Kircus had 81 votes.

The team is sponsored by Daktronics, Inc., an acknowledged world leader in scoring, timing and programmable display systems for virtually every sport at every level of competition.

Anes, Kircus and Spearmon were the heart of the GVSU offense. Anes won the Harlon Hill Trophy as the top player in Division II after leading the nation in passing efficiency with a 176.6 rating. He threw 47 TD passes and just six interceptions, passing for 3,692 yards in the 14-game unbeaten season.

Kircus was tied for 35th in pass receptions, gettting 5.5 per game, but his 77 catches covered 1,341 yards (putting him 15th in yards per game) for a whopping 35 TDs - he led the nation in scoring with 212 points, 15.1 per game.

And Spearmon was 22nd in DII in rushing, averaging 107.1 ypg with 21 TDs.

In addition to the three from Grand Valley, there are two other repeaters on the first team including offensive guard Chris Booker from Delta State. He's just the third player to earn first-team honors three times, joining North Alabama linebacker Ron McKinnon and Emporia State running back Brian Shay as three-time first-team selections.

One of the three players who moved up from second team to first team is also a three-time selection. Emporia State defensive back Dontaye McCoy has been a second-team selection each of the past two years.

The others who moved up to first team are offensive tackle Seth Wand from Northwest Missouri and cornerback Pete Mendez from Kutztown.

Defensive lineman Aaron McConnell, from Pittsburg State, is on the second team for the second straight year.

Running back Ian Smart from C.W. Post, runner-up to Anes in the voting for the Harlon Hill Trophy, is first-team running back for the second straight year. The other Harlon Hill finalist, Keith Heckendorf from St. Cloud State, is the second team quarterback.

Smart led the nation in rushing, averaging 168.6 ypg (2,023 yards in 12 games). And he was second, behind Kircus, in scoring at 15.0 ppg (180 points).

Heckendorf was sixth in DII in passing efficiency after a season in which he passed for 2,817 yards and 37 TDs. His favorite target was first-team wide receiver Ben Nelson, whose totals were similar to those put up by Kircus: tied for 17th in catches per game at 6.3 but his 69 receptions covered1,072 yards and produced 23 TDs.

The 50-member honor squad has players from 37 different teams. In addition to the players from Grand Valley, other teams with multiple selections are Pittsburg State, with three, plus Central Washington, Northern Colorado, St. Cloud State, Texas A&M-Kingsville, and Winona State, with two each.

Winona State's selections include all-purpose back Kevin Curtin, who led DII in punt returns and all-purpose yards (2,241). He was third in all-purpose yardage at 186.8 per game.

The linebackers included five juniors among the eight players picked. First team selection Dan Holland, a junior from Mansfield, led DII in tackles, averaging 14.1 per game.

There are 16 seniors, 6 juniors and 3 sophomores on the first team; 15 seniors, 9 juniors and 1 sophomore on the second team. The sophomores on the first team are punter Michael Koenen from Western Washington, who led the nation with a 44.4 yard average for 43 attempts; running back Mike Miller, from Nebraska-Kearney, who was fourth in Division II in rushing with 145.5 yards per game; and Marshall on the defensive line.

2002 Daktronics Division II All-America Football Teamselected by a vote of sports information directors
QuarterbackFirst teamCurt Anes, 6-2, 210, Sr., Grand Valley StateSecond teamKeith Heckendorf, 6-1, 200, Jr. St. Cloud State
Running BackFirst teamMike Miller, 5-10, 190, So., Nebraska-KearneyIan Smart, 5-8, 190, Sr., C.W. PostSecond teamKegan Coleman, 5-8, 190, So., Central MissouriReggie Spearmon, 5-9, 190, Sr., Grand Valley State
Wide ReceiverFirst teamDavid Kircus, 6-3, 185, Sr., Grand Valley StateBen Nelson, 6-2, 180, Sr., St. Cloud StateSecond teamAndrew Blakley, 5-9, 175, Sr., Truman StateMichael Oliva, 6-2, 199, Sr., UC Davis
Tight EndFirst teamC.J. Lofton, 6-0, 195, Sr., Valdosta StateSecond-teamKory Wright. 6-2, 225, Jr., Concord
CenterFirst TeamEric Johnson, 6-1, 262, Sr., Pittsburg StateSecond TeamRob Williams, 6-3, 280, Sr., Central Washington
Offensive GuardFirst teamChris Booker, 6-1, 283, Sr., Delta StateConor Riley, 6-3, 310, Sr., Nebraska-OmahaSecond teamPeter Lawton, 6-4, 305, Sr., Minnesota-DuluthMicah Lomas, 6-1, 290, Sr., Northeastern State
Offensive TackleFirst teamSeth Wand, 6-7, 325, Sr., Northwest MissouriDale Westrick, 6-4, 290, Sr., Grand Valley StateSecond teamJosh Kayser, 6-5, 331, Sr., AugustanaWalter Wigfall, 6-6, 365, Sr., Texas A&M-Kingsville
KickerFirst teamDaniel Chappell, 5-9, 167, Sr., Pittsburg StateSecond teamJ.W. Boren, 5-8, 185, Sr., Tarleton State
All-Purpose BackFirst teamKevin Curtin, 5-9, 185, Jr., Winona StateSecond teamGerald Gales, 5-9, 165, Jr., West Alabama
Defensive LineFirst TeamKeyonta Marshall, 6-1, 290, So., Grand Valley StateLance Gibson, 6-5, 247, Sr., Central WashingtonTommy Edwards, 6-3, 235, Jr., Arkansas TechSecond TeamTroy Bowers, 6-0, 285, Jr., ClarionAnthony Dunn, 6-4, 257, Sr., Northern ColoradoAaron McConnell, 6-3, 303, Jr., Pittsburg State
LinebackerFirst TeamKhalid Abdullah, 6-3, 230, Sr., Mars HillKwame Ferguson, 6-0, 210, Jr., East CentralDan Holland, 6-1, 215, Jr., MansfieldDeric Sieck, 6-3, 235, Jr., Winona StateSecond TeamJason Ocean, 5-11, 200, Jr., LivingstoneCabel Rohloff, 6-4, 240, Jr., Northern ColoradoEric "Ebo" Walker, 5-9, 225, Sr., Missouri WesternOrlando Williams, 6-1, 220, Sr., Grand Valley State
Defensive BackFirst TeamRico Cody, 6-1, 190, Sr., Fort Valley StateNicholas Davis, 5-10, 170, Sr., Texas A&M-KingsvilleDontaye McCoy, 6-1, 211, Sr., Emporia StatePete Mendez, 6-3, 200, Sr., KutztownSecond TeamJon Arnold, 6-0, 210, Jr., California, PAMarvin Jackson, 6-0, 180, Jr., Chadron StateScott Mackey, 5-11, 185, Jr., Grand Valley StateDrayton Florence, 6-0, 190, Sr., Tuskegee
PunterFirst TeamMichael Koenen, 5-10, 180, So., Western WashingtonSecond TeamSean McNicholas, 6-5, 239, Sr., Edinboro