AUSTIN, Texas – Southwest Minnesota State University seniors Davontay Stevens and Donovan Woods have been named to the 2015 Academic All-America Division II football first team on Wednesday, as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).

Stevens and Woods are two of just 24 NCAA Division II football student-athletes to earn first team Academic All-America honors. Stevens is one of two running backs, while Woods is one of four defensive backs to earn first team accolades.

Stevens and Woods are just the sixth and seventh SMSU student-athletes in school history to earn first team CoSIDA Academic All-America honors. Football player Bruce Saugstad was the first SMSU student-athlete to earn the honor in 1988. Baseball players Brendan Rokke and Chris Eichten earned the honor in 2004 and 2012 respectively, volleyball Brooke Burmeister earned the award in 2012, while softball player Amy Dreessen received the honor in 2013. 

SMSU now has 17 student-athletes who have earned CoSIDA first, second or third team Academic All-America honors in school history, including 10 since 2009.

Stevens, native of Jacksonville, Fla., carries a 3.65 cumulative GPA in sports management and recreation. This season, he led the NSIC in rushing with 1,066 yards on 237 attempts and tied for second with 13 total touchdowns (11 rush, 2 rec.). He also finished sixth in the league in all-purpose yards with 113.5 per game. Stevens, whose 1,066 rushing yards ranks as the third highest in team history, also caught 15 passes for 182 yards and two touchdowns.
 
Woods, a native of Belleville, Wis., has a GPA of 3.75 in political science and business management. He started all 11 games this season and ranked fifth on the team with 55 tackles, including 2.5 for loss. He led SMSU with 10 pass break-ups and had one forced fumble and recovered two fumbles.
 
Senior quarterback Jason Vander Laan from Ferris State University was named the NCAA II Football Academic All-American of the Year.

To be eligible for Academic All-America® consideration, a student-athlete must be a varsity starter or key reserve, maintain a cumulative G.P.A. of 3.30 on a scale of 4.00, have reached sophomore athletic and academic standings at his/her current institution and be nominated by his/her sports information director.

Since the program's inception in 1952, CoSIDA has bestowed Academic All-America honors on more than 20,000 student-athletes in Divisions I, II, III and NAIA, covering all NCAA championship sports.

For more information about the Academic All-America® program, please visit www.cosida.com.
 
SMSU's All-Time CoSIDA Academic All-Americans
 
Baseball
2003 - Brendan Rokke, 2nd Team
2004 - Brendan Rokke, 1st Team
2009 - Greg Laughlin, 3rd Team
2012 - Chris Eichten, 1st Team
2012 - Adam Thygesen, 3rd Team

Football
1988 - Bruce Saugstad, 1st Team
1999 - Jason Jacobs, 2nd Team
2015 - Davontay Stevens, 1st Team
2015 - Donovan Woods, 2nd Team
 
Men's Basketball
1980 - Jeff Johannesen, 2nd Team

Soccer
2011 - Kelly Fitzgerald, 3rd Team

Tennis
1992 - Leslie Jacobsen, 3rd Team

Volleyball
2009 - Sara Graf, 2nd Team
2010 - Cara Carson, 2nd Team
2012 - Brooke Burmeister, 1st Team

Women's Basketball
2005 - Michelle Bruns, 2nd Team
 
Softball
2013 – Amy Dreessen, 1st Team