A Plethora Of All-MIAC Award Winners
MOORHEAD, Minn. (11/22/11)—Concordia had 17 players earn MIAC postseason honors it was announced by the league office on Tuesday. The Cobber contingent was led by offensive players Tom Knowlton and Bronson Shepherd and defensive standouts Mark Wychor and Bryce Hentges who all earned MIAC All-Conference First Team honors.
Brett Baune, Michael Dunham and Thomas Quist were offensive selections to the MIAC All-Conference Second Team while Paul Streich and Matt Moenkedick earned second team awards on the defensive side.
Finally, Chris Gilson, Tyler Baumann, Luke Gotta, Reed Hefta, Peter Hvidston, Brent Rysdahl and Tyler Spiczka earned All-MIAC Honorable mention honors and Todd Bergeson was the team's representative on the MIAC All-Sportsmanship Team.
Knowlton and Shepherd were part of an offense that finished third in the league in both passing and rushing. The Cobbers averaged 212.5 yards per game through the air and racked up 202.0 yards on the ground in their eight conference games. Overall, the Cobbers were second in the MIAC in total offense (414.5 ypg). Knowlton was the team's starting left tackle who helped open huge holes for the CC ground attack. Shepherd led the conference in receptions per game and was third in receiving yards per game. He averaged 6.38 catches and 82.4 yards per league game.
Wychor and Hentges were a part of a defense that was third against the run and ninth against the pass. The Cobbers were fifth in the MIAC in total defense, allowing 348.4 yards per game. Wychor was the anchor of the defensive line. His all-around defensive game helped him record 24 total tackles, 4.5 tackles for a loss and 1.5 sacks in the eight conference games. Hentges was third on the team in tackles for the league and had a pair of interceptions in conference play. He finished with 47 total tackles and also had 4.0 pass break-ups.
Complete List of MIAC All-Conference Awards
2011 Concordia MIAC Postseason Award Winners
1st Team All-Conference
Tom Knowlton – OT
Bronson Shepherd – WR
Mark Wychor – NT
Bryce Hentges - S
2nd Team All-Conference
Tom Quist – C
Mike Dunham – QB
Brett Baune – FB
Paul Streich – DE
Matt Moenkedick - ILB
All-MIAC Honorable Mention
Chris Gilson – Utility
Tyler Baumann – RT
Luke Gotta – FB
Reed Hefta – DE
Pete Hvidston – ILB
Brent Rysdahl – S
Tyler Spiczka - CB
All-MIAC Sportsmanship Team
Todd Bergeson - WR