December 16, 2007

CEDAR RAPIDS, IOWA . . . Four Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (IIAC) football players were named to the D3football.com All-America Team announced Saturday in conjunction with the NCAA Division III National Championship game in Salem, Va.

Luther College senior offensive guard Jon Stavast (St. Paul, Minn./Eden Prairie) was named to the First Team, Cornell College senior linebacker Chris Gustafson (Lakewood, Colo./Bear Creek) was named to the Second Team, and Central College senior linebacker Greg Altmaier (Iowa City, Iowa/City High) and senior cornerback Guy Dierikx (Port Byron, Ill./Riverdale) were named to the Third Team.

Stavast, a four-time First Team All-IIAC selection, helped anchor an offensive line that paved the way for Tyler Sherden, who ranked sixth in Division III in rushing with a Luther single-season school record 1,575 yards.

Gustafson led the Rams in tackles for the third consecutive season with 135 total stops – 73 solo and 62 assisted. The 6-foot, 243-pound Gustafson established school records for solo tackles in a game (14 at Central, Oct. 27, 2007), tackles-for-loss in a season (20.0, 2007) and solo tackles in a career (219, 2004-07). He stands second on Cornell’s all-time list with 472 career tackles, nine shy of the school mark held by John Crane (481, 1998-2001).

Altmaier racked up 138 tackles, the fourth-highest total in Central history. He tied a school season mark with 74 unassisted tackles. He made 7.5 tackles for loss with 2.5 sacks and three fumble recoveries, including one he returned 52 yards for a touchdown.

Dierikx tied the Central single-season record for interceptions with eight, returning them for 137 yards and two touchdowns. He made 54 tackles, including 36 solos, and had a team-high 14 pass breakups. Dierikx also averaged 15.6 yards on 14 punt returns with one TD and 17.1 yards on eight kickoff returns.

Central senior quarterback Tim Connell (Eldora, Iowa/Eldora-New Providence), Luther senior running back Tyler Sherden (Rochester, Minn./John Marshall) and Coe College junior kick returner Tom Breitbach (Cedar Rapids, Iowa/Xavier) were honorable mention selections by D3football.com.

To view the entire team, visit the D3football.com website at www.d3football.com.

AP Little All-America Team Announced

The Associated Press (AP) Little All-America Team was announced Friday, December 14. Sherden was named to the Third Team as an all-purpose player along with Wartburg senior defensive back Nick Weber (Cedar Rapids, Iowa/Xavier). The AP Little All-America Team recognizes players from NCAA Divisions II and III and the NAIA.

Sherden led the IIAC in rushing with 1,238 yards for an average of 154.8 yards per game. He also led the league in all-purpose yards with 1,764 for an average of 220.5 per contest. After rushing for a single-season school record 1,575 yards in 2007 , Sherden completed his career with 3,362 yards. That ranks third on Luther’s all-time list. Luther Hall of Famer Bernie Peeters established the old single-season yardage mark of 1,442 in 1971. Sherden also tied Peeters single-season record for touchdowns with 16, raising his second-place career total to 41.

Weber, a three-time All-Conference selection, concluded his senior season with 32 tackles, four interceptions, and seven pass break-ups on defense and hauled in 22 receptions for 264 yards and one touchdown on offense. He also ranked among the most dangerous kick returners around, averaging over 14 yards per punt and over 21 yards per kickoff return.

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