Aug. 15, 2007

BELLINGHAM, Wash. - Western Washington University senior linebacker Shane Simmons (Kent/Kentlake) has been named a second-team preseason All-America and listed among 15 Pro Hopefuls by D2Football.com.

The 6-foot-1, 230-pound Simmons was the NCAA Division II national leader in solo tackles (9.8 avg. per game) and topped the North Central Conference in total tackles (11.2 avg.) through the first five games in 2006 before suffering a season-ending injury.

Simmons was a second-team NCC all-star last season, being named the league's Defensive Player of the Week for his performance in the Vikings' 16-13 upset of No.15 Washburn. In that game, he was credited with 11 tackles and forced a fumble that led to the winning field goal with 2.7 seconds left.

Simmons finished the season with 56 tackles (49 solo), including seven for losses of 26 yards and one quarterback sack for minus-4 yards. He had double-figure tackle totals for four of the five games he competed in.

As a sophomore, Simmons was named a first-team Great Northwest Athletic Conference all-star. He saw action in three games as a true freshman in 2004 at the University of Idaho.

Simmons was the South Puget Sound League North Division Offensive Player of the Year as a senior quarterback at Kentlake High School, earning first-team all-league honors both ways. He also was a first-team all-area pick of the Seattle Times, Seattle P-I and Tacoma News Tribune.

Five other players from the NCC were named to the website's squad, all to the first team. They were Central Washington quarterback Mike Reilly, North Dakota wide receiver Weston Dressler and all-purpose player Ryan Chappell, Nebraska-Omaha offensive lineman Ben Hochstein and South Dakota offensive lineman Christian Morton.

Western opens its season Sept. 1 (12 noon) at UC Davis. The Vikings face preseason North Central Conference favorite North Dakota in their home opener on Sept. 22 at 6 p.m.

2007 D2FOOTBALL.COM PRESEASON ALL-AMERICA TEAM

First Team

Quarterback: Mike Reilly, Jr., Central Washington

Running Back: Xavier Omon, Sr., Northwest Missouri State; Danny Woodhead, Sr., Chadron State (Neb.)

Wide Receiver: Dwayne Croker, Sr., Upper Iowa; Weston Dressler, Sr., North Dakota

Tight End: Mike Peterson, Sr., Northwest Missouri State

Offensive Line: Heath Benedict, Sr., Newberry (S.C.); Mackenzy Bernadeau, Sr., Bentley (Mass.); Christian Morton, Sr., South Dakota; Brandon Barnes, Sr., Grand Valley State (Mich.); Ben Hochstein, Sr., Nebraska-Omaha

Defensive Line: Alex Hall, Sr., St. Augustine's (N.C.); Kurt Hout, Sr., Ferris State (Mich.); Tywain Myles, Sr., Tarleton State (Texas); Andre Bernardi, North Greenville (S.C.)

Linebacker: Anthony Adams, Sr., Grand Valley State (Mich.); Lateef Ferguson, Sr., West Chester (Pa.); Jared Brock, Jr., West Texas A&M; Michael Eubanks, Sr., Delta State (Miss.)

Defensive Back: Brandon Carr, Sr., Grand Valley State (Mich.); Kendall Ricketts, Sr., Central Missouri; Jermaine Moye, Sr., California (Pa.); Brian Witherspoon, Sr., Stillman (Ala.)

Kicker: David Chudzinski, Sr., Wayne State (Mich.)

Punter: Wayne Durham, Sr., Adams State (Colo.)

All-Purpose: Ryan Chappell, So., North Dakota

Second Team

Quarterback: Billy Malone, Jr., Abilene Christian (Texas) Running Back: Joique Bell, So., Wayne State (Mich.); Jamar Brittingham, Sr., Bloomsburg (Pa.)

Wide Receiver: Ashton Gronewold, Sr., Missouri-Rolla; Brahin Bilal, Sr., Bloomsburg (Pa.)

Tight End: Kyle Witucki, Sr., Edinboro (Pa.)

Offensive Line: Reid Kirby, Jr., Northwest Missouri State; Tim McCutcheon, Sr., California (Pa.); Ryan Pope, Sr., Shepherd (W.Va.); Nathan Young, Sr., Abilene Christian (Texas); Mike Butterworth, Sr., Slippery Rock (Pa.)

Defensive Line: Ron Ellington, Sr., Catawba (N.C.); Jake Visser, Jr., Ferris State (Mich.); Kyle Clement, Sr., Northwood (Mich.); Casey Larson, Sr., Saint Anselm (N.H.)

Linebacker: Shane Simmons, Sr., Western Washington; Will Newell, Jr., Newberry (S.C.); Cody Stutts, Sr., Abilene Christian (Texas); Steve Allen, Sr., West Texas A&M

Defensive Back: Monterio James, Jr., Delta State (Miss.); Sevohn Greer, Sr., Harding (Ark.); Josh Jones, Jr., Minnesota State-Moorhead; Darren Banks, Jr., West Liberty State (W.Va.)

Kicker: Sean Sehnem, Jr., Western New Mexico

Punter: Randy Allen, Sr., Albany State (Ga.)

All-Purpose: Brandon Toles, Sr., Southern Connecticut State