Rucker named D2CCA Second Team All-American

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WICHITA FALLS, Texas – Slippery Rock senior quarterback Roland Rivers III and Lenoir-Rhyne senior defensive lineman JaQuan Artis headline the 2019 D2CCA All-America squad as the Ron Lenz Players of the Year as released Thursday by the Collegiate Sports Information Directors of America.

Rivers keyed The Rock's run to the NCAA Division II national semifinals setting numerous school single season records in the process.

The Harlon Hill finalist raised program marks in completions (322), passing yards (4,460), passing touchdowns (52) and total offense (5,160). He also set or tied NCAA Division II single-season records for touchdowns responsible for (61), points responsible for (370) and most games with at least three touchdown passes (11).

Rivers ranked first in the nation in passing yards (4,460), passing touchdowns (52), total offense (5,160) and points responsible for (370). He completed 322-of-481 passes for 4,460 yards with 52 touchdowns and just seven interceptions, while also rushing for 700 yards and nine touchdowns.

The 6-3, 230-pound native of Ellenwood, Ga. finished the season with nine games of at least 300 passing yards and threw for 1,051 yards with 12 touchdowns and just one interception in three NCAA playoff games.

Rivers garnered D2CCA Super Region One Offensive Player of the Year honors and was named Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference West Division Athlete of the Year.

As D2CCA Super Region Two Defensive Player of the Year, Artis helped Lenoir-Rhyne to a 13-1 mark as the Bears advanced to the NCAA Division II quarterfinals.

The 6-2, 245-pound defensive end from Kinston, N.C. was finalist for both the Harlon Hill Trophy and Gene Upshaw Award closing his senior campaign with 82 tackles with 23 stops for loss and 14.5 sacks.

The 2019 South Atlantic Conference Defensive Player of the Year finished his collegiate career with a staggering 47.5 tackles for loss and 29 sacks.

The Ron Lenz National Player of the Year award was named for long time South Dakota State sports information director Ron Lenz in 2008. Lenz was instrumental in the foundation of the Division II All-America program beginning in 1993.

The Division II Conference Commissioners Association encourages and promotes Division II athletics and high standards of sportsmanship as important elements of higher education. The CCA is a key communications link among the conferences as they discuss views, policies and regulations that impact Division II intercollegiate athletics and works closely with the NCAA as a communications channel to NCAA Division II member colleges and universities.

Ron Lenz Players of the Year
Offense
2019 - Roland Rivers III (QB), Slippery Rock
2018 - Jayru Campbell (QB), Ferris State
2017 - Luis Perez (QB), Texas A&M-Commerce
2016 - Dustin Dvorak (QB), Colorado School of Mines
2015 - Jason Vander Laan (QB), Ferris State
2014 - Jason Vander Laan (QB), Ferris State
2013 - Franklyn Quiteh (RB), Bloomsburg
2012 - Zach Zulli (QB), Shippensburg
2011 - Jonas Randolph (RB), Mars Hill
2010 - Eric Czerniewski (QB), Central Missouri
2009 - Joique Bell (RB), Wayne State (Mich.)
2008 - Bernard Scott (RB), Abilene Christian

Defense
2019 - JaQuan Artis (DL), Lenoir-Rhyne
2018 - Markus Jones (DL), Angelo State
2017 - Marcus Martin (DL), Slippery Rock
2016 - Lucky Baar (DL), McKendree
2015 - Matt Judon (DL), Grand Valley State
2014 - Darius Allen (DL), Colorado State-Pueblo
2013 - Matt Longacre (DL), Northwest Missouri State
2012 - Ethan Westbrooks (DL), West Texas A&M
2011 - Jamarkus Gaskins (LB), Albany State
2010 - Larry Dean (LB), Valdosta State
2009 - Michael Johnson (LB), North Alabama
2008 - Myles Burnsides (S), Northwest Missouri State

ALL-AMERICANS IN THE TITLE GAME: The 2019 NCAA Division II Championship features three D2CCA All Americans – all from Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference champion Minnesota State. Senior offensive lineman Evan Heim is a two-time, first-team D2CCA All-American, while senior running back Nate Gunn gained first-team honors this season after making the second team in 2018. Senior wide receiver Shane Zylstra garnered second-team honors. The Mavericks' opponent – West Florida – is not represented on the D2CCA All-America team.

REPEAT AFTER ME: Minnesota State's Evan Heim and Notre Dame's Jaleel McLaughlin lead a pack of seven repeat performers on the D2CCA All-America team. Heim and McLaughlin earned first-team honors in 2018 and 2019, while Valdosta State's Adonis Sealey, Minnesota State's Nate Gunn and Concordia-St. Paul's Chris Garrett made the move to the first team after claiming second-team mention last year. Notre Dame's Jimmy Burchett and Mars Hill's Craig Rucker were once again second-team D2CCA All-America performers. McLaughlin becomes the first student-athlete to earn first-team honors following his true freshman and sophomore campaigns in the program's 27-year history.

PLAYER OF THE YEAR TRENDS: A quarterback claimed Ron Lenz Offensive Player of the Year honors for the sixth consecutive year as Slippery Rock's Roland Rivers III follows Ferris State's Jayru Campbell (2018), Texas A&M-Commerce's Luis Perez (2017), Ferris State's Jason Vander Laan (2014, 2015) and Colorado School of Mines' Dustin Dvorak (2016). Bloomsburg running back Franklyn Quiteh was the last non-signal caller to earn the honor. A defensive lineman garnered Ron Lenz Defensive Player of the Year for the eighth consecutive season as Lenoir-Rhyne's JaQuan Artis follows West Texas A&M's Ethan Westbrooks (2012), Northwest Missouri State's Matt Longacre (2013), Colorado State-Pueblo's Darius Allen (2014), Grand Valley State's Matt Judon (2015), McKendree's Lucky Baar (2016), Slippery Rock's Marcus Martin (2017) and Angelo State's Markus Jones (2018). Albany State linebacker Jamarkus Gaskins was last stand-up player to claim top defensive honors as a linebacker in 2011.

A FRESHMAN RE-VAVAL: In the first 25 years of the D2CCA Football All-America program, no true freshman earned first-team honors. Now, Missouri Western's Trey Vaval makes it one in consecutive years following Notre Dame running back Jaleel McLaughlin, who was the program's first true frosh in 2018. Vaval gained top honors as a return specialist after leading the nation with 1,335 combined returned yards. The Blue Springs, Mo. native ranked second nationally averaging 21.1 yards per punt returns and was third in kickoff return average at 34.3 yards.

DUAL THREAT: Texas A&M-Commerce junior Dominique Ramsey becomes the first student-athlete in D2CCA Football All-America history to earned honors at two separate positions in the same year. The Converse, Texas native gained second-team honors at both return specialist and safety. Ramsey returned a punt and kickoff for a touchdown this season averaging 32.4 yards on 17 kick returns and 12.6 yards on 21 punt returns. He also accounted for 39 tackles with three interceptions, while breaking up five passes.

IT'S ALL ABOUT THE ROCK: Slippery Rock topped the heap with five D2CCA All-America selections advancing to the NCAA Division II semifinals this season. The Rock boasted four first-teamers including Ron Lenz Offensive Player of the Year Roland Rivers III who was joined by senior offensive lineman Chris Larsen and junior wide receiver Henry Litwin on offense, while senior linebacker Brad Zaffram earned first-team accolades on defense. Junior defensive lineman Chad Kuhn gained second-team honors. Slippery Rock becomes the first program to produce both a Ron Lenz Offensive and Defensive Player of the Year as Rivers joins Marcus Martin, who gained defensive player of the year honors in 2017.

THE SUPER REGION: Super Region Four boasted a total of 17 All Americans followed by Super Region 1 with 13. SR3 totaled 12 players on the D2CCA All-America squad followed by SR2 with nine.

CONFERENCE COUNTS: The Lone Star Conference (LSC) led the way with eight total selections including two first-team pics. The Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) was next with seven total selections with a program best four first-team picks. The PSAC was followed by the Mid-America Athletic Association (MIAA), the South Atlantic Conference (SAC) and Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) with six selections each.