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Six Butler Players Named To The Academic All-PFL Team
April 24, 2008
Senior Alex Davis and junior Ryan Schmidtz each earned first team recognition and four other Butler football players were picked to the second team of the 15th annual Academic All-Pioneer Football League squad, released by the league office. Schmidtz was named to the Academic All-PFL first team for the second consecutive year, while Davis was a second team Academic All-PFL pick a year ago. Both Butler defensive backs also were named first team on the ESPN The Magazine/CoSIDA Academic All-District V squad this year. Earning second team Academic All-League recognition for the Bulldogs were senior wide receivers Aaron Shaw and Tom Mulvihill, junior offensive lineman Rob Noel and sophomore defensive back Spencer Summerville. Despite missing four games with injuries, Schmidtz still wound up sharing the team lead in pass breakups with four, and he added one of Butler's 13 pass interceptions on the season. The biology major recorded 15 solo tackles and three assists. Davis, a special education major, was Butler's fifth leading tackler with 40 total stops, and he finished second on the team with two pass interceptions. He also tied for third on the team in pass breakups with three. Shaw, a chemistry major, was Butler's third-leading pass receiver in 2007 with 20 catches for 216 yards and one touchdown, while Mulvihill, a journalism major, finished fifth on the team with 16 receptions for 156 yards and one touchdown. Noel, a secondary education major, started all 11 Butler games at offensive tackle, while Summerville, also a secondary education major, saw action in 10 games and finished eighth on the team in tackles with 34. Summerville also ranked second on the team in kickoff returns and third in punt returns.
Pioneer Football League athletic directors established the Academic All-PFL squads in 1993 as a way to recognize the league's outstanding student-athletes. To be nominated, the student-athlete must be a starter or important reserve with at least a 3.00 cumulative grade-point average (on a 4.0 scale) for his career. No athlete is eligible until he has reached sophomore athletic and academic standing at his institution. |
