Three senior Viking football players have been named to the 2012 Big Sky Preseason All-Conference Team in a release from the league today. All-American kicker
Zach Brown, linebacker
Ian Sluss and special teams star
Nevin Lewis have all been recognized in a preseason vote of Big Sky media.
Being named to the team this year is a more prestigious honor than in the past as the Big Sky Conference has expanded to 13 member schools from the previous nine. There were 31 total players named from the 13-team league.
Brown, a 2011 consensus All-American, has already been named by The Sports Network as a preseason first team All-American for 2012. Brown, from Keizer's McNary High School, led the nation by making 24-27 field goals last season. He holds 10 PSU kicking records.
Sluss was a second team All-Big Sky Conference selection in 2011 for the Vikings. A native of Vista, CA, Sluss had 55 tackles, 13.5 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks and two forced fumbles last season.
Lewis, a talented wide receiver from Culver, OR, made an even bigger splash as a special teams performer. Last season, he averaged 23.7 yards on kick returns, blocked three punts, stopped a fake punt and made three special teams tackles. He was a first team All-Big Sky selection at the special teams position.
• The Big Sky Conference preseason polls will be released on Tuesday morning from the Big Sky Football Kickoff event being held in Park City, UT. The Big Sky will unveil its new logo on Monday.
2012 Big Sky Preseason All-Conference Team
Offensive MVP - Brad Sorensen, Sr., QB, Southern Utah
Defensive MVP – Jody Owens, Sr., LB, Montana State
OFFENSE
QB Brad Sorensen Sr. Grand Terrace, Calif. Southern Utah
RB Zach Bauman Jr. Chandler, Ariz. Northern Arizona
RB Cody Kirk Jr. Frenchtown, Mont. Montana State
FB Tevia Tolutau So. Provo, Utah Weber State
OL Zach Brackus Sr. Murray, Utah Southern Utah
OL Tytan Timoteo Sr. Wainae, Hawai'I Weber State
C Ray Wilburn Sr. San Bernardino, Calif. UC Davis
OL Danny Kistler Jr. Seattle, Wash. Montana
OL Will Post Sr. Portland, Ore. Eastern Washington
TE Greg Hardy Sr. Fairview, Mont. Montana
WR Nicholas Edwards Sr. Tacoma, Wash. Eastern Washington
WR Rodrick Rumble Sr. Oak Harbor, Wash. Idaho State
WR Greg Hardin Sr. Bellevue, Neb. North Dakota
WR Brandon Kaufman Jr. Denver, Colo. Eastern Washington
K Zack Brown Sr. Keizer, Ore. Portland State
Ret. Dominic Gunn Sr. Aurora, Colo. Northern Colorado
DEFENSE
DE Bobby Daly Jr. Helena, Mont. Montana State
DE Bobby Erskine Sr. San Diego, Calif. UC Davis
DT *Zach Minter Sr. Glendale, Ariz. Montana State
DT Cody Larsen Sr. Draper, Utah Southern Utah
LB *Jody Owens Sr. Mesquite, Texas Montana State
LB Ian Sluss Sr. Vista, Calif. Portland State
LB Kennith Jackson Sr. Santa Clara, Calif. Cal Poly
LB Clarence Bumpas Jr. Colorado Springs, Colo. Northern Colorado
LB Todd Davis Jr. Palmdale, Calif. Sacramento State
CB *T.J. Lee III Jr. Seattle, Wash. Eastern Washington
CB Darius Jones Sr. Rockwall, Texas Montana State
S Keyvin Lewis Sr. Sacramento, Calif. UC Davis
S Joel Fuller Sr. Libby, Mont. Montana State
P Colton Schmidt Sr. Bakersfield, Calif. UC Davis
ST Nevin Lewis Sr. Culver, Ore. Portland State
*Unanimous Selection
