Nov. 14, 2007

Complete Lone Star Conference All-Academic Team in PDF Format

CANYON, Texas - In addition to leading the Buffalo football team to its third consecutive Lone Star Conference Championship with his talented efforts on the gridiron, West Texas A&M junior quarterback Keith Null has been honored for his achievements in the classroom as Wednesday he was selected as Lone Star Conference South Academic Player of the Year. Null joins a league-high contingency of five Buff players to be recognized as LSC South All-Academic performers.

Null, a sports & exercise science major from Lampasas, Texas, has put up All-American type numbers in his first season as the Buffs' starting signal caller, leading the LSC in passing yards at 3,276 and touchdowns through the air at 33, while maintaining a 3.89 GPA in the classroom. In the North Division, Southeastern Oklahoma offensive lineman Cliff Eddings garnered LSC North Academic Player of the Year accolades.

The two were amongst 23 football players named to the LSC All-Academic Teams, which recognize both academic and athletic achievement.

The All-Academic teams are voted upon by the league's sports information directors. To be eligible for LSC academic honors, student-athletes need at least a 3.20 grade point average and must be at least a sophomore. All qualifying student-athletes not voted to the All-Academic team are then placed on the Commissioner's Honor Roll.

Altogether, 56 football players were honored through the league's academic awards program, including representative from 10 of the LSC's 13 football-playing member institutions.

Also garnering LSC All-Academic accolades for the Buffs were sophomore receiver Kolt Kittley (sports & exercise science), junior linebacker Jared Brock (accounting), junior receiver Charly Martin (sports & exercise science) and sophomore linebacker Mark Ford (sports & exercise science). Junior defensive back Mathew Manley was also honored by the league as he was selected to the LSC South Commissioner's Honor Rolll.

NCAA playoff participants WTAMU and Abilene Christian each had a leauge-high five players on the South Division All-Academic team.

The LSC Academic Player of the Year is the third in the last year for West Texas A&M as both Emily Brister of Lady Buff basketball, and Tyler Cooper, from the WT men's hoops team, both received the honor following the 2005-06 season.