Nov. 14, 2008

RICHARDSON, Texas - West Texas A&M wide receiver Charly Martin and Southwestern Oklahoma quarterback Steve Day and were honored, Friday, as Lone Star Conference officials announced the leagues football academic awards.

Martin, a senior from Farmington, N.M., has a 3.85 GPA in graduate level Sports & Exercise Science. He has already earned his bachelor's in Broadcast Communications. Martin became the all-time LSC receiving yardage leader this season and now has 3,613 career receiving yards, surpassing Central Oklahomas Dee Dee Carter (3,357). He also holds the LSC career receiving touchdown mark, as well as the WT career and single-season receiving yard marks, the career receiving touchdown and career receptions record.

Day, a junior from Edmond, Okla., has a 3.59 grade point average in Kinesiology. Day guided the Bulldogs offensive, throwing for 2,561 yards to set the SWOSU single season record.

The two were amongst 22 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 leagues sports information directors. To be eligible for LSC academic honors, student-athletes need at least a 3.20 GPA and must be at least a sophomore. All qualifying student-athletes not voted to the All-Academic Team are then placed on the Commissioners Honor Roll. Altogether, over 60 football players were honored through the leagues academic awards program, including representative from all of the LSCs 13 football-playing member institutions.

NCAA playoff participants Abilene Christian and WTAMU had two and three players, respectively, on the South Division All-Academic Team, while Eastern New Mexico added three, Midwestern had two and Angelo State one. Southeastern Oklahoma had four selections on the North Division All-Academic Team, while Northeastern State and SWOSU each added three and East Central one. With Day on the North Division All-Academic Team were teammates Evan Jarrett and Steve Thekona, NSUs Jared Homer, Joe Kok and McCoy Campbell, SOSUs Brandon McCain, Jerrod Temple, Jerome Hewitt and Jerrod Anderson plus ECUs Corey Dozier. On the South Division All-Academic Team with Martin were fellow Buffs Keith Null and Jared Brock, ACUs Matt Adams and Sam Collins, ENMUs Nathan Uland, Karlton Graves and Michael Carrasco, MSUs Michael Mejia and Marcus Mathis and ASUs Ian Ritchey.

2008 LSC Football All-Academic Awards

SOUTH DIVISION ALL-ACADEMIC TEAM (Player, Pos. Team Year Major Hometown)

Charly Martin, WR West Texas A&M Sr. Sports & Exercise Science Farmington, N.M.

Keith Null, QB West Texas A&M Sr. Sports & Exercise Science Lampasas, Texas

Jared Brock, LB West Texas A&M Sr. Accounting Abernathy, Texas

Matt Adams, PK Abilene Christian Sr. Biology Abilene, Texas

Nathan Uland, LB Eastern New Mexico So. Finance Denton, Texas

Ian Ritchey, LB Angelo State Jr. Kinesiology Boyd, Texas

Karlton Graves, OT Eastern New Mexico So. Political Science Brownwood, Texas

Sam Collins, C Abilene Christian Sr. Mathematics Denton, Texas M

Michael Mejia, DB Midwestern State So. Biology Mesquite, Texas

Marcus Mathis, RB Midwestern State So. Education Rockwall, Texas Michael Carrasco, WR Eastern New Mexico Sr. Criminal Justice Albuquerque, N.M.

SOUTH DIVISION SPECIAL RECOGNITION

Academic Player of the Year: Charly Martin, West Texas A&M

SOUTH DIVISION COMMISSIONERS HONOR ROLL: Abilene Christian: Emery Dudensing, Sr., FB; Alan Jay Copeland, Sr., FB; Adam Myer, Jr., OL; Jody Walker, Jr., LB; Eric Edwards, So., LB; Angelo State: Jason Watson, Sr., TE; Sam Tindol, Sr., WR; Pete Parker, Jr., LB; Terrell Lee, Sr., RB; Dylan Wiggs, So., P/K; Michael McLeod, Sr., S; Nate Bayless, So., TE; Eastern New Mexico: Tillman Stevens, So., DB; Jessie Poku, Jr., WR; Carlos Downey,Sr., OG; Timmell McFalls,So., LB; Devin Sweet, Jr., OLB; TJ Cleavinger, So., OG; Dustin Bohannan,Jr., LB; Midwestern State: Lance Calloway, Jr., C; Andy Tanner, Jr., WR; Tarleton State: Brandon Johnson, So., CB; Dustin Washburn, Jr., OL; Texas A&M-Kingsville: Timothy Byerly, Texas A&M-Kingsville, Jr., C West Texas A&M: Mark Ford, Jr., LB; Matthew Manley, Sr., DB/H; Daniel Sherwood, So., OL; Brett Watson, Jr., DE

NORTH DIVISION ALL-ACADEMIC TEAM (Player, Pos. Team Year Major Hometown)

Steve Day, QB Southwestern Oklahoma State Jr. Kinesiology Edmond, Okla.

Jared Homer, K Northeastern State Jr. Elementary Education Mustang, Okla.

Joe Kok, P Northeastern State Jr. Math Education Broken Arrow, Okla.

Brandon McCain, QB Southeastern Oklahoma State Sr. Criminal Justice Carrollton, Texas

Jerrod Temple, TE Southeastern Oklahoma State Jr. Occ. Safety and Health Carrollton, Texas

Evan Jarrett, LB Southwestern Oklahoma State Sr. Marketing Visalla, Calif.

Corey Dozier, K East Central So. Mass Communications Tecumseh, Okla.

Jerome Hewitt, KR Southeastern Oklahoma State Jr. HPER Gainesville, Texas

Jerrod Anderson, OL Southeastern Oklahoma State Jr. Business Management Allen, Texas

McCoy Campbell, DE Northeastern State Jr. Social Studies Education Owasso, Okla.

Steve Ihekona, RB Southwestern Oklahoma State Sr. Business Edmond, Okla.

NORTH DIVISION SPECIAL RECOGNITION

Academic Player of the Year: Steve Day, Southwestern Oklahoma

NORTH DIVISION COMMISSIONERS HONOR ROLL: Central Oklahoma: Lee VonTungeln, Jr., WR; East Central: Cody McDaniel, Jr., C; Ryan McGuire, Sr., TE; Trevor Carpenter, So., DB Texas A&M-Commerce: Elliot Jones, Sr., DB; Southeastern Oklahoma: Brad Chesshir, So., LB; Zac Hale, So., DB; Welton Johnson, So., CB Northeastern State: Shantel Mackey, So., LB; Kevin Smart, So., SS