Nine Trojan Football Student-Athletes Named to DAC All-Conference

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Nine Trojan Football Student-Athletes Named to DAC All-Conference

November 13, 2008

(Madison, SD) – Five Trojan Football players have been recently honored as All-Conference by the Dakota Athletic Conference (DAC). Donald Strand, Tristan Simmons, and Austin Hanten were named to 1st Team. Andrew Fatten and Aaron Aylward tabbed as 2nd Team. Four Trojan Football student-athletes were named to DAC All-Conference Honorable Mention – Joe Whealy, Brenton Hunter, Brandon Stahl, and Pat Spielmann.

Strand, senior quarterback/wide receiver, completed his successful career at Dakota State as he was named to DAC All-Conference 1st Team At-Large Quarterback/Wide Receiver. As a quarterback role for the Trojans, he was 72 for 147 (49% completion) with 799 yards and seven touchdowns. In receiving, Strand had 22 receptions for 238 yards (10.8 yards per reception) with three touchdowns. Donald is the son of Terry and Carol Strand of Tracy, MN, and majors in Exercise Science at Dakota State University.

Simmons, native of Houston, TX was tabbed as DAC All-Conference 1st Team Special Teams and 2nd Team Defense. He played a role in special teams as a punt returner for the Trojans this season. He returned 19 times for 232 yards (12.2 yards average) with 1 punt return for touchdown. In addition, Simmons returned 12 kickoffs for 106 yards (8.8 yards average). Simmons recorded 37 tackles with one interception and five broken up passes for Trojans’ defense. Tristan is the son of Deborah Simmons of Houston, TX and is a senior Physical Education major at Dakota State University.

Hanten, sophomore punter from Brandon, SD, earned DAC 1st Team All-Conference Special Teams. For the season, he punted 43 times for 1548 yards, 36.0 average, and recorded his longest punt for 64 yards. In addition, he punted the ball inside the 20-yard line 11 times. Austen is the son of Kerin Hanten and Pat Hanten-Daerr, and is taking general studies at Dakota State University.

Fatten, senior running back from Placerville, CA, was named DAC 2nd Team All-Conference Running Back. He had a stellar season as he was the nation’s rushing leader for few weeks. For the season, Fatten rushed 151 times for 1082 yards, 7.2 rushing yards per attempts, and scored nine rushing touchdowns. According to the NAIA DakStats statistical website, he is sixth in the nation in rushing yards per game, 120.2 yards. Andrew is the son of Brian Fatten and Karen MacPherson and majors in Physical Education at Dakota State University.

Aylward, native of Arlington, SD, was honored as DAC 2nd Team All-Conference Defensive Line. He recorded 48 tackles this season for the Trojans. Aylward had 11.5 tackles for loss for 58.5 yards and ranks 31st in the nation in tackles for loss per game, 1.3. He led the team in sacks, 4.5 sacks for 37.5 yards. Aaron is the son of Tom and Linda Aylward of Arlington, SD and is a senior Exercise Science major at Dakota State University.

DAC All-Conference Honorable Mention goes to Joe Whealy, Brenton Hunter, Brandon Stahl, and Pat Spielmann.

Whealy is a sophomore running back from Madison, SD and rushed 72 times for 232 yards with four touchdowns for the Trojans. He is the son of Mark and Lisa Whealy and majors in Education at Dakota State University.

Hunter, native of Omaha, NE is a defensive back for the Trojans and is the fourth leading tackler. He recorded 47 tackles with 2.5 tackles for loss of 16.5 yards. In addition, he recorded one sack for nine yards and intercepted one pass. Brandon is the son of Stacy and Teresa Hunter of Omaha, NE and is a senior Business Management at Dakota State University.

Stahl, junior defensive lineman from Hitchcock, SD, recorded 46 tackles for the Trojans this season. He tackled for loss 11.5 times for 58.0 yards. Stahl sacked the quarterback 3.5 times for 39.5 yards. Brandon is the son of Alan and Cathy Stahl and majors in Pre-Physical Therapy at Dakota State University.

Spielmann, native of Tracy, MN, led the team in receptions and yards this season. He caught 31 passes for 406 yards, 13.1 yards average, and scored three touchdowns. Pat is the son of Ken Spielmann and Sheila Meehan and is a senior Business Finance at Dakota State University.

Nick Huntimer, Dakota State Sports Information Director