Three Bengals Named CoSIDA Academic All-District Team

POCATELLO, Idaho- Three Idaho State Bengal student-athletes have been named to the CoSIDA Academic All-District 7 first-team. Tressa Lyman from the volleyball team, Cody Sorensen from football and Chris Edwards from the football team received the honor. All three are eligible for academic All-American honors which will be voted on later this month.

Lyman is an elementary education major and carries a 3.97 overall GPA. She has also excelled on the volleyball court, as she has gathered two first team all-conference awards in addition to being named the Big Sky Conference MVP in 2014. This season she is averaging 4.03 kills and 2.81 digs per set and is climbing the ranks of ISU career records. Currently, ranks first in total points (1,862.5), second in kills (1,599), second in attacks (4,553), third in kills per set (3.51) and eighth in digs (1,191).

This is Sorensen's third-straight year receiving this honor as he carries a 3.85 GPA and is a mechanical engineering major. In 2014 he was also named to the FCS ADA Academic all-star team. Earlier this fall he was named a semi-finalist for the Campbell Trophy and nominated for the AFCA Good Works Team.  The Bengal senior is also a three-time Big Sky Conference all-academic team member.  Sorensen is a three-year starter who is third on the team in tackles with 69.

This is Edwards time being named to the academic all-district team. As a starter in 2015 he has 41 tackles and one tackle for loss.  He is a three-time member of the Big Sky Conference all-academic team. After coming to Idaho State as walk-on he has earned a scholarship and been a valuable contributor on the defensive line.  He has a 3.89 GPA and is a physical education major.

The Academic All-District™ teams are divided into eight geographic districts across the United States and Canada.  This is the fifth year of the expanded Academic All-America® program as CoSIDA moved from recognizing a University Division (Division I) and a College Division (all non-Division I) and has doubled the number of scholar-athletes honored. The expanded teams include NCAA Division I, NCAA Division II and NCAA Division III participants, while the College Division Academic All-America® Team combines NAIA, Canadian and two-year schools.

Volleyball
NCAA DIVISION I (CO, ID, KS, MT, NE, NM, OK, TX, WY)
FIRST TEAM
Name                                             School                                               Yr.       Hometown                         GPA    Major
Avery Acker                                  SOUTHERN METHODIST             Sr.       Poth, Texas                         3.95    Accounting / pre-med
Katie Brand                                   KANSAS STATE                              Sr.       Grand Island, Neb.            3.56    Life sciences
Allison Doerpinghaus                 HOUSTON BAPTIST                       Sr.       Palo Alto, Calif.                  4.00    Kinesiology
Cecilia Hall                                   NEBRASKA                                      Sr.       Linkoping, Sweden           3.67    Biochemistry
Kersten Kober                              KANSAS STATE                              Jr.        Southlake, Texas               4.00    Accounting
Tressa Lyman                              IDAHO STATE                                  Sr.       St. George, Utah                3.96    Elementary education
Leah Mikesky                               RICE                                                   Jr.        Schulenburg, Texas          4.11    Kinesiology
 
Football
NCAA DIVISION I (CO, ID, KS, MT, NE, NM, OK, TX, WY)
FIRST TEAM
Pos.    Name                                 School                                               Yr.       Hometown                         GPA    Major
QB      Conner McQueen            TEXAS A&M                                     Jr.        Klein, Texas                        3.84    Accounting
WR      Josh Reynolds                 SAM HOUSTON STATE                 Sr.       Axtell, Texas                       4.00    Mass communication
WR      Nelson Spruce                 COLORADO                                     Sr.       Westlake Village, Calif.    3.58    Business (finance & management)
TE       Jake Hardee                     BOISE STATE                                  Sr.       Boise, Idaho                       3.60    Political science / criminal justice
RB       Glenn Gronkowski           KANSAS STATE                              Jr.        Amherst, N.Y.                     3.80    Management / marketing
RB       Chad Newell                    MONTANA STATE                          Jr.        Billings, Mont.                     3.35    Mechanical engineering
OL       Steven Baggett                BOISE STATE                                  Jr.        Arlington, Texas                 3.77    Construction management
OL       Ty Darlington                    OKLAHOMA                                     Gr.       Apopka, Fla.                       3.91    Planned prog.(UG) / adult & higher ed.(G)
OL       Spencer Drango              BAYLOR                                            Gr.       Cedar Park, Texas            3.71    Finance / MBA
OL       Brad Lundblade               OKLAHOMA STATE                        So.      Argyle, Texas                     4.00    Marketing
OL       Garrett Stafford                TULSA                                               Gr.       Tulsa, Okla.                         3.70    Electrical engineering
K         Jack Cantele                    KANSAS STATE                              Sr.       Wichita, Kan.                      3.53    Civil engineering / business
DB      Tyler Bloyer                      NORTHERN COLORADO              Jr.        Aurora, Colo.                      3.80    Sports & exercise science
DB      Daryl Irby                           INCARNATE WORD                        Jr.        Pearland, Texas                3.79    Management
DB      Cody Sorensen               IDAHO STATE                                  Sr.       Spokane, Wash.                3.85    Mechanical engineering
DB      Marlon Walls                    STEPHEN F. AUSTIN STATE       So.      Pearland, Texas                4.00    Engineering physics
LB       Padyn Giebler                  INCARNATE WORD                        Sr.       Ivan, Texas                         3.82    Engineering
LB       Bryan Stansbury              NORTHERN COLORADO              Jr.        Vacaville, Calif.                  4.00    Sports & exercise science
LB       Chris Weber                     NEBRASKA                                      So.      Omaha, Neb.                      3.97    Nutrition science
DL       Derek Crittenden             MONTANA                                        Sr.       Whitefish, Mont.                 4.00    Chemistry
DL       Chris Edwards                IDAHO STATE                                  Sr.       Meridian, Idaho                 3.89    Physical education / exercise science
DL       Derrick Luetjen                TULSA                                               Sr.       Hennessey, Okla.              3.62    Exercise & sports science
DL       Connor Thomas              MONTANA STATE                          Sr.       Kalispell, Mont.                  3.49    Biomedical sciences
P         Sean Wale                        BOISE STATE                                  Jr.        La Habra, Calif.                 3.80    Health science