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Niesen named to Capital One Academic All-America® First Team
December 3, 2012
TOWSON, Md. – Senior running back John Niesen of Dakota State (S.D.) was selected to the 2012 Capital One Academic All-America® College Division Football Team, as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).
Niesen, who has a 3.65 as an Elementary Education/Special Education major, was chosen to the first team.
The 25 members of the 2012 Capital One Academic All-America® College Division Football first team have a 3.63 average GPA.
Niesen led the Trojans in rushing with 579 yards and six touchdowns on 172 carries. He also caught 12 passes for 60 yards.
To be eligible for Academic All-America® consideration, a student-athlete must be a varsity starter or key reserve, maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.30 on a scale of 4.00, have reached sophomore athletic and academic standings at his current institution and be nominated by his sports information director.
Senior quarterback Jake Snodgrass of McPherson (Kan.) was recognized as CoSIDA's Academic All-American of the Year.
Since the program's inception in 1952, CoSIDA has bestowed Academic All-America honors on more than 16,000 student-athletes in Division I, II, III and NAIA.
Last September, Niesen was one of the nine NAIA scholar-athletes to be named to the semifinalists for the National Football Foundation (NFF) William V. Campbell Trophy. In addition, he earned the Daktronics-NAIA Scholar Athlete award in 2011.
John is the son of Keith and Patty Niesen of Amherst, S.D.
For more information about the Academic All-America® Teams program, visit www.cosida.com.
Below is a complete listing of the Capital One Academic All-America® teams:
Academic All-American of the Year: Jake Snodgrass - McPherson (Kan.) #
First Team
| Pos. | Name | School | Year | Hometown | GPA | Major |
| QB | Jake Snodgrass (1) | McPherson (Kan.) | SR | Derby, Kan. | 3.89 | Biology |
| WR | Tyler Walker | Northwestern (Iowa) | SR | Arlington, Texas | 3.70 | Accounting/Business Administration |
| WR | Shane Zackery (1) | Saint Xavier (Ill.) | SR | Rockford, Ill. | 3.70 | Business Administration |
| TE | Andrew Friederich | Saint Ambrose (Iowa) | JR | Davenport, Iowa | 3.60 | Chemistry/Pre-Med |
| RB | John Niesen | Dakota State (S.D.) | SR | Amherst, S.D. | 3.65 | Elementary/Special Education |
| RB | Lamont Wims | Robert Morris (Ill.) | SO | Frederick, Md. | 3.83 | Business Administration |
| OL | Alexander Berg | Saint Ambrose (Iowa) | SR | Batavia, Ill. | 3.80 | Physical Education |
| OL | Brice Darling | Saint Francis (Ind.) | SR | New Castle, Ind. | 3.87 | Secondary Education |
| OL | Tyler Klyn (2) | Northwestern (Iowa) | SR | Oskaloosa, Iowa | 3.94 | Business, Finance and Math |
| OL | Nathan Nieuwendorp (1) | Northwestern (Iowa) | SR | Orange City, Iowa | 3.83 | Actuarial Science |
| OL | Mason Woods | William Penn (Iowa) | SR | Williamsburg, Iowa | 3.66 | Business Management |
| K | Aaron Lorraine | Nebraska Wesleyan | JR | Omaha, Neb. | 3.85 | Business Administration |
| DB | Michael Huettner | Nebraska Wesleyan | JR | Verdon, Neb. | 3.95 | Accounting |
| DB | Cody McCallister (1) | Cumberland (Tenn.) | SR | Dickson, Tenn. | 3.84 | Physical Education |
| DB | Logan Schultz | Ottawa (Kan.) | SR | Garden City, Kan. | 3.59 | Accounting |
| DB | Seth Wardyn | Nebraska Wesleyan | SO | Grand Island, Neb. | 3.81 | Biology |
| LB | Michael Bushnell | Saint Xavier (Ill.) | SR | Tinley Park, Ill. | 3.57 | Biology (Pre-Medicine) |
| LB | Zach Eagler | Union (Ky.) | SR | Florence, Ky. | 3.71 | Business Administration |
| LB | Brock Peery | William Penn (Iowa) | JR | Payson, Utah | 4.00 | Secondary Education |
| DL | Cason Christensen (2) | Doane (Neb.) | SR | Raymond, Neb. | 3.93 | Biology |
| DL | Tim Oehring | Peru State (Neb.) | SR | Lincoln, Neb. | 3.82 | Elementary Education/K-12 Special Education |
| DL | Cody Schwerin | Taylor (Ind.) | JR | Flanagan, Ill. | 3.74 | Social Studies Education |
| DL | Russell Walton (1) | Nebraska Wesleyan | SR | Franklin, Neb. | 3.82 | Business Administration |
| P | Zach Antle | Grand View (Iowa) | JR | Alleman, Iowa | 3.82 | Secondary Education |
| P | Kelby Vandenberg (1) | Nebraska Wesleyan | JR | David City, Neb. | 3.73 | Business Administration |
Second Team
| Pos. | Name | School | Year | Hometown | GPA | Major |
| QB | Nick Freeman (2) | Taylor (Ind.) | SR | Gaylord, Mich. | 3.53 | Business Management |
| WR | John Hasty | Marian (Ind.) | SR | Indianapolis, Ind. | 3.76 | History |
| WR | Seth Myers | Kansas Wesleyan | SR | Salina, Kan. | 3.40 | Biomedical Chemistry |
| TE | Byron O'Rourke | McPherson (Kan.) | SR | Holcomb, Kan. | 3.47 | Business Administration |
| RB | Jon Halvorson | Morningside (Iowa) | SO | Sioux Falls, S.D. | 3.87 | Business Administration |
| RB | Evan Ressler | William Penn (Iowa) | JR | Cascade, Iowa | 3.65 | Biology |
| OL | Cody Davis (2) | Central Methodist (Mo.) | SR | Sullivan, Mo. | 3.87 | Social Science Education |
| OL | Skyler Eriksen | Dakota Wesleyan (S.D.) | JR | Presho, S.D. | 3.73 | Elementary Education |
| OL | Heath Hewitt | McPherson (Kan.) | JR | Sterling, Kan. | 3.97 | Biology, Education |
| OL | Jonathan Shipley (2) | Union (Ky.) | SR | Tazewell, Tenn. | 3.36 | Health, Physical Education |
| OL | Mitchell Thornton (2) | Faulkner (Ala.) | SR | Prattville, Ala. | 3.44 | Math Education |
| K | Jared White | Cumberland (Tenn.) | JR | Hartsville, Tenn. | 3.69 | Health & Human Performance |
| DB | Matt Broeckelman | Kansas Wesleyan | JR | Mankato, Kan. | 3.86 | Athletic Training |
| DB | Philip Emminger | Robert Morris (Ill.) | SO | Canton, Mich. | 4.00 | Business Administration |
| DB | Jared Goforth | Morningside (Iowa) | SR | Polk City, Iowa | 3.35 | Business Administration |
| DB | Bryan Plenge | Central Methodist (Mo. | SR | Kahoka, Mo. | 3.43 | Physical Education |
| LB | Matt Gross (2) | Ottawa (Kan.) | SR | Blue Springs, Mo. | 3.94 | Business Administration |
| LB | Aaron Jansen | Northwestern (Iowa) | SR | Orange City, Iowa | 3.49 | History |
| LB | Drew Tondini | Saint Francis (Ill.) | SR | Morris, Ill. | 3.63 | Biology |
| DL | Matt Carden | Saint Francis (Ind.) | SO | Wakarusa, Ind. | 3.97 | Math, Secondary Education |
| DL | Lance Carey | Saint Francis (Ind.) | SR | Leo, Ind. | 3.56 | Secondary Education |
| DL | Andrew Hammond | Jamestown (N.D.) | SR | Lake St. Louis, Mo. | 3.46 | History, French |
| DL | Greg Hayward | Saint Xavier (Ill.) | SO | Oak Lawn, Ill. | 3.71 | Criminal Justice |
# Repeat selection as Capital One Academic All-America® of the Year
(1) Capital One Academic All-America® College Division 1st team in 2011
(2) Capital One Academic All-America® College Division 2nd team in 2011
Nick Huntimer, Dakota State University Sports Information Director
