MITCHELL, S.D. – In 2011, the Dakota Wesleyan University football team made history. The Tigers put together their first start since 1992, made it up to No. 13 in the NAIA Top 25 Coaches' Poll and left their fingerprints all over the school's record books and all-time career charts.
DWU also put together its 12th winning in the past 55years and the 36th winning season in the 114-year history of Tiger football with a 6-4 overall record. After its big season, Dakota Wesleyan landed 18 different players on the All-Great Plains Athletic Conference football teams, it was announced by the league Tuesday morning. Five Tigers earned All-GPAC First Team honors, six landed on the second team and seven earned honorable mention status. This marks the sixth straight year DWU has had 10 or more players earn All-GPAC honors.
Headlining the Tigers' All-GPAC selections was junior Anthony Muilenburg who, for the second straight year, earned all-conference honors at two positions. He earned All-GPAC First Team honors as a slot receiver and second team special teams honors as a punt return specialist. Josh Endres, Euedell Clayton and Nathan Little all earned first-team offense honors, Aaron Rolen was named All-GPAC First Team Defense and Derek Carlson was named to the first team special teams. Jon Bane earned All-GPAC Special Teams Offense honors, and Zach Reker, Mike Barnaud, Dustin Bergmeier and Jesse Holz all earned second team defense accolades.
David McGuires, Tom Jarding, Marco Mora, Leif Evers, Russell McGuire, Jeff Maassen and Kevin Calsbeek all earned All-GPAC Honorable Mention status.
Muilenburg, a junior wide receiver and punt return specialist from Sioux Falls, S.D., earned his third straight All-GPAC honor after the most successful season in his three-year varsity career. He caught a team-high 64 passes for 855 yards and led the team with 15 touchdowns. He set school records for receiving yards in a game (233), and also set a record for the longest reception (99 yards). He averaged 13.4 yards per carry and was first in the league in receptions (6.4) and third in receiving yards (85.5) per game.
After three seasons, Muilenburg – who earned honorable mention accolades as a freshman and first team offense honors last season – is second on the career receptions list (160), third on the career receiving chart (1,793), sixth on the single-season receiving yards list (855), third on the single-season receptions chart (64) and tied for 10th on the school's career scoring list (114).
Muilenburg also earned special team honors for the second straight year. He returned eight punts for 91 yards and averaged 11.4 yards per return and earned second-team honors. Last season, Muilenburg became the first Tiger football player to earn first-team honors at two different positions.
Endres, a junior running back from Ethan, S.D., earns the second first-team honor of his career after leading DWU's running game for the second straight season. He carries the ball 221 times for 851 yards and eight touchdowns. He averaged 3.9 yards per carry, and was third in the GPAC with an average 85.1 yards per game on the ground. Endres also finished the season third in the league in all-purpose yards per game (129) and fourth in receptions per game (4.8). He caught 48 passes for 439 yards and four touchdowns and averaged 43.9 receiving yards per game.
Clayton, a senior from Los Angeles, Calif., earned his first All-GPAC honor after leading the Tigers in receiving yards in 2011. He finished the year second on the team in catches with 53, but led the squad with 873 receiving yards. Clayton averaged 16.5 yards per carry and was second in the league with an average 87.3 yards per game. He scored four touchdowns, and ends his stellar two-year career with DWU fourth on the single-season receiving yards chart (873) and 10th on the single-season receptions chart (53).
Little, a junior and Aberdeen, S.D., native, earned his second straight All-GPAC honor after anchoring an offensive line that allowed the Tigers to be one of the most explosive offensive teams in the league. Little, who earned All-GPAC Second Team honors in 2010, helped allow the Tigers run for 1,152 yards this season and throw for a school-record 2,944 yards. Thanks to Little's dominant presence on the front line, Dakota Wesleyan was first in pass offense (294.4), second in total offense (409.6) and fourth in scoring offense (33.9). The Tigers racked up 4,096 yards of total offense.
Rolen, a junior from Bogata, Texas, wrapped up his third and final season with Dakota Wesleyan with the second All-GPAC honor of his career. The defensive end recorded 21 tackles, including 7.5 for a loss of 34 yards, and 4.5 sacks for a loss of 26 yards. He also had one pass breakup. Rolen earned All-GPAC Honorable Mention honors in 2010.
Carlson, a junior punter from Sioux Falls, S.D., earned the second all-conference honor of his career after leading the league in punting much of the season. Carlson, who earned All-GPAC Second Team Special Teams honors his freshman season in 2009, earned first-team honors after averaging a league-high 40.8 yards per punt in 2011. He was eighth in the NAIA in average yards per punt, and helped keep the Tigers' opponents out of DWU territory.
This is the first GPAC honor for Bane, a sophomore quarterback from Rogers, Texas. In his second season at DWU, he led the league in passing average (281.7) and total offense (289.2) and was also fourth in the NAIA in both categories. He finished the year 231-for-394 for 2,817 yards, 28 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. He set school records for longest pass (99) and passing offense in a season. After two seasons, Bane is fourth on the school's career passing chart (4,737) and fifth on the career offense list (4,883).
This year's honors mark the second for Reker, a junior defensive lineman from Adrian, Minn., and Holz, a senior defensive back from Rapid City, S.D. Holz, who earned honorable mention honors last season, finished the year third on the team with 63 total tackles and led the team with 43 solo tackles. He also had 3.5 tackles for a loss of 33 yards, two interceptions and six quarterback hurries. Reker was sixth on the team with 49 total tackles, including 8.5 for a loss of 19 yards. He also had one sack, two fumble recoveries and two forced fumbles. Reker also earned honorable mention honors in 2010.
Barnaud, a junior linebacker from Belle Fourche, S.D., and Bergmeier, a defensive back from Omaha, Neb., earned the first All-GPAC honors of their careers this season. Bergmeier, who transferred to Dakota Wesleyan from the University of Sioux Falls prior to the 2011 season, was a constant threat to opposing offenses from his safety position. He finished the season with 41 tackles, including three for a loss, and two interceptions that he returned for 34 yards. He also had three quarterback hurries. Bergmeier earned one GPAC Defensive Player-of-the-Week honor. Barnaud is in his second season with the Tigers, and finished the year at the top of the defensive charts. He recorded 82 total tackles, including 42 solo, and 11.5 tackles for a loss of 59 yards. He led the team with 7.5 sacks and also recovered two fumbles. Barnaud finished the year fifth in the GPAC with an average 8.2 tackles per game.
This season's honorable mention honor marks the fourth straight for Russell McGuire, a senior from Chula Vista, Calif. McGuire has been one of the most versatile players for the Tigers for the past four seasons, seeing time at quarterback, receiver and return specialist. This season, he led the team with 13 kick returns for 248 yards and averaged 19.1 yards per return. Evers, a senior from Mitchell, was also honored for his special teams play. The second-year Tiger went 34-for-38 on extra-point attempts and 10-for-14 on field-goal attempts, and finished third on the team in scoring with 64 points. He set the record for field goals in a season (10) and a career (17) and made his way to ninth on the career scoring chart (116).
This marks the second honor for Mora, Jarding and Calsbeek. Calsbeek, a junior offensive lineman from Hartford, S.D., was a consistent force on the front line for the Tiger offense this season, and he played a large role in the success of Bane and the entire offense. Calsbeek also earned honorable mention status last season as a sophomore. Mora, a senior defensive lineman from San Gabriel, Calif., spent four seasons with the Tigers and his presence helped the Tiger defense be so successful this season. He finished the year with 22 total tackles, including two sacks for a loss of 16 yards, and two forced fumbles. Mora, who dealt with injuries throughout his career, also earned honorable mention status in 2008.
Jarding transferred to DWU from Augustana College prior to the 2009 season and made his presence known in all three seasons with the Tigers. He finished his senior year fourth on the team with 57 solo tackles and also recorded two tackles for a loss, two interceptions, six quarterback hurries and one blocked punt.
This marks the first honor for senior David McGuire and freshman Jeff Maassen. McGuire, a defensive back and the twin brother of Russell McGuire, played two seasons with the Tigers after transferring from Southwestern College. The Chula Vista, Calif., native, finished the year fifth on the team with 50 tackles, including two for a loss, and two interceptions. He also had a team-high eight quarterback hurries and two forced fumbles. Maassen, a Brandon, S.D., native, had a spectacular freshman season. The linebacker was second on the team with 65 tackles, including 33 solo tackles, and led the team with 15.5 tackles for a loss of 80 yards. He also had 5.5 sacks, three pass breakups, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery.
The Tigers return 10 of their All-GPAC selections in 2012, including Muilenburg, Endres, Little, Bane and Carlson. The DWU defense will take a hit to graduation and they will have to find someone to take over kicking duties, but the Tigers return a talented group of individuals who will look to continue the success the program experienced in 2011.
Doane quarterback Anthony Dunn was named the GPAC's Offensive Player-of-the-Year. Morningside's Colby Henderson earned defensive player-of-the-year honors and Mustang head coach Steve Ryan was named coach-of-the-year. Morningside was the only GPAC team to make the NAIA playoffs.