Nov. 10, 2005

BELLINGHAM, Wash. - Two Western Washington University offensive linemen, senior center Loren Winter (Bothell/Juanita) and junior guard Brandon Torrey (Graham/Bethel), were unanimous first-team picks to the Great Northwest Athletic Conference football team as selected by the league's coaches.

Winter, who was named for the second year, and Torrey helped Western average 401.7 total yards per game. The Vikings finished 4-6 overall and placed second in the league standings at 3-3.

In all, Western placed six players on the first team, with senior wide receiver Andy Olson (Chehalis/W.F.West) being named for the third straight year. Olson, who was plagued by injuries throughout the campaign, still managed 33 catches for 510 yards and four touchdowns. He ended his four-year career as the school leader in touchdown grabs with 31 and receptions with 183, and finished second in yards receiving with 2,990.

Rounding out the Viking first-team picks were redshirt freshman defensive tackle Junior Aumavae (Palmer, AK), senior running back Jake Carlyle (Olympia/Capital) and sophomore outside linebacker Shane Simmons (Kent/Kentlake).

Carlyle led Western with 145 carries for 657 yards rushing and six touchdowns. He also caught 25 passes for 238 yards. Carlyle finished seventh among school career rushing leaders with 1,571 yards.

Simmons, a transfer from University of Idaho, was credited with 66 tackles (41 solo), second on the team, including five quarterback sacks for minus-41 yards. He also tied a school record with four forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries, two pass breakups and one pass interception.

Aumavae had 24 tackles (17 solo).

Seven Vikings were second-team choices - senior cornerback Brett Hall (Kennewick), senior middle linebacker Craig Keenan (Salem, MA/Hamilton-Wenham), junior quarterback James Monrean (Bellingham/Sehome), senior kick returner Zach Russell (Bothell/Lake Washington), senior defensive end Chase Schmidtz (Bellingham/Meridian), senior running back Duncan Sherrard (Seattle/Roosevelt) and senior tight end Nick Yoney (Arlington).

Sherrard ran for 503 yards and three touchdowns, finishing fourth among Western career rushing leaders with 2,761 yards. Monrean passed for 2,322 yards, the sixth highest total in school history, and 19 touchdowns, completing 195-of-317 attempts. Yoney had 25 catches for 306 yards and three touchdowns, and Russell returned 16 kickoffs for 324 yards (20.2 avg.).

Keenan was credited with 51 tackles (31 solo) with three pass breakups and one interception; Hall had 40 stops (30 solo) with four breakups, two interceptions and one forced fumble; and Schmidtz had 34 tackles (25 solo) with four quarterback sacks for minus-20 yards and one forced fumble.

Central Washington wide receiver Brian Potucek was named GNAC Offensive Player of the Year and Humboldt State defensive back Kyle Killingsworth and Western Oregon linebacker Jon Apgar shared the league's Defensive Player of the Year honor. Named GNAC Coach of the Year was Central's John Zamberlin.

Western Oregon running back Eliot Vinzant was the GNAC Newcomer of the Year, and Central quarterback Mike Reilly was the GNAC Freshman of the Year.

GREAT NORTHWEST ATHLETIC CONFERENCE

Potucek, Apgar, Killingsworth Earn GNAC Football Player-of-the-Year Awards

SPOKANE, Wash. - Central Washington University wide receiver Brian Potucek has been selected the Offensive Player-of-the-Year and Humboldt State defensive back Kyle Killingsworth and Western Oregon linebacker Jon Apgar are Co-Defensive Players-of-the-Year in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference for the 2005 football campaign.

John Zamberlin, who guided Central Washington to a 8-2 record and its third title in the last four years, was named the GNAC Coach-of-the-Year for the second year in a row.

It is the fourth Coach-of-the-Year award overall for Zamberlin, who also won the award in 2002 and also in the Columbia Football Association in 1998. Zamberlin has a 57-36 record in nine seasons at CWU.

Potucek, who was the GNAC Offensive Player-of-the-Year award winner in 2002, led the conference in receptions with 73 and ranked second in yards with 894. He finished his career with 283 catches for 3,889 yards and also set a GNAC record for career all-purpose yards (4,948) and tied the conference career record for total touchdowns (35). Both his reception and receiving career yard totals rank second in GNAC history.

Apgar is the GNAC leader in tackles with 102 and fumble recoveries (4) and ranks fourth with 9 ½ tackles for losses. Killingsworth has 72 tackles, ranks second in the conference in passes defended (14) and is the leader in punt returns (13.9) and kickoff returns (21.0). Both players have one game remaining as Western Oregon and Humboldt State each play a non-conference game this Saturday to conclude their seasons.

Western Oregon running back Eliot Vinzant and Central Washington quarterback Mike Reilly also earned special awards winning the GNAC Newcomer-of-the-Year and GNAC Freshman-of-the-Year, respectively. Vinzant is the conference leader in rushing (948) and all-purpose running (1,343). Reilly ended the season as the conference leader in passing (2,696) and total offense (3,006) and set GNAC single-season records for passing touchdowns (30) and total offense TDs (33).

Central Washington, which was ranked eighth in the final NCAA Division II Northwest Regional poll, led the conference all-star selections, placing nine players on the first team. Western Oregon placed seven players on the first team, while Western Washington and Humboldt State each earned six.

Killingsworth accounted for three of Humboldt's six, earning first team honors at defensive back, kick returner and punt returner. He was also one on nine unanimous selections to the first team.

Also earning unanimous honors were Reilly, Vinzant, Potucek, Apgar, Western Washington offensive linemen Loren Winter and Brandon Torrey, CWU linebacker Chris Burch and Central defensive back Josiah Wilfong.

Potucek and WWU wide receiver Andy Olson were named to the first team for the third time. Six other players were repeat selections from last year - Killingsworth at both defensive back and kick returner, Winter, Western Oregon tight end Kevin Boss, Humboldt State offensive lineman Michael Dean and WOU defensive back Bret Hughes. Western Washington's Jake Carlyle, who earned first team honors at running back, was a first team selection as a kickoff returner two years ago.

2005 GREAT NORTHWEST ATHLETIC CONFERENCE ALL-STARS
Offensive Player-of-the-Year - Brian Potucek, Central WashingtonDefensive Player-of-the-Year - Kyle Killingsworth, HSU, and Jon Apgar, WOUNewcomer-of-the-Year - Eliot Vinzant, Western OregonFreshman-of-the-Year - Mike Reilly, Central WashingtonCoach-of-the-Year -  John Zamberlin, Central Washington 4th time; also wonin 1998, 2002 and 2004)
OFFENSE
First TeamQB - *Mike Reilly, CWU (6-4, 201, Fr., Kalispell, MT)RB - *Eliot Vinzant, WOU (6-0, 215, Jr., Scappoose, OR)RB - Jake Carlyle, WWU (5-7, 195, Sr., Olympia, WA)WR -  ++*Brian Potucek, CWU (6-0, 193, Sr., Lakewood, WA)WR -  ++Andy Olson, WWU (6-2, 210, Sr., Chehalis, WA)WR - Nate Brookreson, CWU (6-1, 195, Sr., Lacey, WA)TE - +Kevin Boss, WOU (6-7, 255, Jr., Philomath, OR)OL - +*Loren Winter, WWU (6-3, 270, Sr., Bothell, WA)OL - *Brandon Torrey, WWU (6-3, 290, Jr., Graham, WA)OL - +Michael Dean, HSU (6-2, 280, Sr., Santa Barbara, CA)OL - Aaron Gilbert, CWU (6-4, 305, Fr., Auburn, WA)OL -  Paul Wright, WOU (6-4, 280, So., Portland, OR)K - Bruces Voges, WOU (6-2, 210, So., Grants Pass, OR)KR - +Kyle Killingsworth, HSU (5-11, 185, Jr., Ferndale, CA)
Second TeamQB - James Monrean, WWU (6-1, 230, Jr., Bellingham, WA)RB -  Landon Hall, CWU (5-11, 225, Sr., Edmonds, WA)RB - Duncan Sherrard, WWU (5-9, 200, Sr., Seattle, WA)WR - Joey Stein, HSU (6-0, 170, Jr., Fresno, CA)WR - Tyler Knudsen, WOU (5-9, 175, Jr., Portland, OR)WR - Luke Carter, WOU (5-9, 175, Jr., Hermiston, OR)TE - Nick Yoney, WWU (6-3, 240, Sr., Arlington, WA)OL - Sam Himmelman, CWU (6-1, 275, So., Mukilteo, WA)OL -  Matt Coffman, CWU (6-4, 251, Fr., Othello, WA)OL - Buddy Anderson, CWU (6-1, 308, Fr., Port Orchard, WA)OL -  Ryan Belcher, WOU (6-4, 320, Jr., Salem, OR)K -  Coby Sadler, CWU (5-11, 166, Jr., Ellensburg, WA)KR -  Zach Russell, WWU (6-2, 180, Jr., Bothell, WA)
DEFENSE
First TeamDL - Kellen Becker, CWU (6-3, 288, Jr., Corpus Christi, TX)DL -  Josh Chance, CWU (6-0, 273, So., Battle Ground, WA)DL - Dane Wagner, WOU (6-4, 250, Sr., Salem, OR)DL - Junior Aumavae, WWU (6-1, 280, Fr., Palmer, AK)LB - *Jon Apgar, WOU (6-3, 250, Sr., Toledo, OR)LB - *Chris Burch, CWU (6-1, 202, Jr., Inchelium, WA)LB - Shane Simmons, WWU (6-1, 215, So., Kent, WA)LB - Josh Costa, HSU (6-2, 240, Jr., Visalia, CA)DB - +*Kyle Killingsworth, HSU (5-11, 185, Jr., Ferndale, CA)DB - *Josiah Wilfong, CWU (5-9, 185, Sr., Kalama, WA)DB - Brandon Kennedy, CWU (5-9, 163, Fr., Spokane, WA)DB -  +Bret Hughes, WOU (6-1, 225, Sr., Salem, OR)P -  Blake Moorman, HSU (6-1, 200, Jr., Palm Desert, CA)PR - Kyle Killingsworth, HSU (5-11, 185, Jr., Ferndale, CA)
Second TeamDL - Chris Hegler, HSU (6-1, 275, Jr., Stockton, CA)DL - Sean Sherbert, HSU (6-6, 270, Jr., Moraga, CA)DL -  Anthony Marin, WOU (6-0, 260, Fr., Salem, OR)DL -  Chase Schmidtz, WWU (6-1, 210, Sr., Bellingham, WA)LB - Brian Iriye, HSU (6-0, 220, Jr., Lindsey, CA)LB - Simon Iniguez, CWU (5-9, 214, Jr., Spanaway, WA)LB -  Tyler York, WOU (6-2, 215, So., Redmond, OR)LB - Craig Keenan, WWU (6-0, 225, Sr., Salem, MA)DB - J.R. Jamerson, CWU (5-11, 185, Fr., Pasco, WA)DB - Jason Gran, CWU (6-1, 195, Fr., Buckley, WA)DB - Jamil Wynn, WOU (6-3, 190, Jr., Myrtle Point, OR)DB -  Brett Hall, WWU (5-7, 175, Sr., Kennewick, WA)P -  Coby Sadler, CWU (5-11, 166, Jr., Ellensburg, WA)PR - Tyler Knudsen, WOU (5-9, 175, Jr., Portland, OR)
*Unanimous+Repeater++Two-time repeater  (Potucek from 2002 and 2004)