Ohio Valley Conference

TTU's D.J. Bleisath

Six Ohio Valley Conference football players have been named to the Associated Press 2001 I-AA All-America Team.

Eastern Kentucky safety Yeremiah Bell, Tennessee Tech defensive lineman D.J. Bleisath and Murray State kicker Shane Andrus were selected to the first team by a panel of I-AA media members. Eastern Illinois quarterback Tony Romo and linebacker Nick Ricks, along with EKU defensive lineman Marcus Adams, were named to the third team.

Bell, a junior from Winchester, Ky., was the conference's defensive player of the year. He led the OVC with six interceptions and was tops in the league with 22 passes defended and four recovered fumbles. Andrus, a senior from Murray, Ky., hit 15-of-22 field goal attempts and all 21 of his extra point tries. Tech defensive lineman D.J. Bleisath, a junior from Canton, Ga., led all of I-AA with 24 tackles for loss and was second with 10 sacks.

Eastern Illinois junior quarterback Tony Romo, the OVC’s offensive player of the year, joins teammate Nick Ricks on the third team. Romo, from Burlington, Wisc., led all of I-AA in passing efficiency in 2001, while Ricks, a sophomore linebacker who hails from Deerfield Beach, Fla., finished as the nation's sixth-leading tackler with 125 stops. He also had 10 tackles for loss and three sacks.

Eastern Kentucky defensive lineman Marcus Adams, a senior from Indianapolis, was the conference's third selection to the third team. Adams had 63 tackles, 11 of which went for losses, six sacks and a pair of forced fumbles.

In all, 74 players from 12 different conferences were selected to either the first-, second-, or third-team, along with four players from independent programs. Voting was conducted among I-AA Sports Information Directors and selected I-AA media, with more than 100 ballots being cast.

FIRST TEAM - OFFENSE
Quarterback - Rocky Butler, Hofstra. Running backs - Jesse Chatman, Eastern Washington; Adrian Peterson, Georgia Southern. Receivers - Drew Amerson, Cal State-Northridge; Jonathon Cooper, Sam Houston State; Kahmal Roy, Hofstra. Linemen - Eamonn Allen, Villanova; Pat Crummey, Youngstown State; Donnie Littlejohn, Furman; Chris Polinder, Eastern Washington; Thatcher Szalay, Montana. Place-kicker - Shane Andrus, Murray State. All-purpose - Brian Westbrook, Villanova.

FIRST TEAM - DEFENSE
Linemen - D.J. Bleisath, Tennessee Tech; Josh Jeffries, Appalachian State; Freddy Pesqueira, Georgia Southern; Travis White. Linebackers - Stephen Cooper, Maine; Derrick Lloyd, James Madison; Tracy White, Howard; Adam Vogt, Northern Iowa. Backs - Yeremiah Bell, Eastern Kentucky; Abdul Byron, Lehigh; Vince Huntsberger, Montana; Mel Mitchell, Western Kentucky. Punter - Eddie Johnson, Idaho State.


SECOND TEAM - OFFENSE
Quarterback - Marcus Brady, Cal State-Northridge; Running backs - Yohance Humphery, Montana; Louis Ivory, Furman. Receivers - Chas Gessner, Brown; Chad Hayes, Maine; Etu Molden, Montana. Linemen - Tyler Elkins, Appalachian State; Qasim Mitchell, North Carolina A&T; Marty Priore, Furman; Eric Willman, Dayton; Dan Zorger, Hofstra. Place-kicker - MacKenzie Hoambrecker, Northern Iowa. All-purpose - Curtis DeLoatch, North Carolina A&T.

SECOND TEAM - DEFENSE
Linemen - Clenton Ballard, Southwest Texas; Jeran Crawford, St. Peter's; Ryan Fletcher, Hofstra; Jonathan Wilfong, Richmond. Linebackers - Tory Atkins, Gardner-Webb; Will Bouton, Furman; Erik Dandy, Western Kentucky; Robert Taylor, Grambling. Backs - Keith Davis, Sam Houston State; LeVar Greene, Youngstown State; Joe Judge, McNeese State; Bobby Perry, Prairie View A&M. Punter - David Beckford, Alabama State.

THIRD TEAM - OFFENSE
Quarterback - Tony Romo, Eastern Illinois. Running backs - Ryan Fuqua, Portland State; Maurice Hicks, North Carolina A&T. Receivers - Terry Charles, Portland State; Carl Morris, Harvard; T.C. Taylor, Jacksonville State. Linemen - Jason Ball, New Hampshire; Jeff Hatch, Pennsylvania; Tango McCauley, Alabama State; Chris Price, Western Kentucky; Wayne Smith, Appalachian State. Place-kicker - Taylor Northrop, Princeton. All-purpose - Brian Bratton, Furman.

THIRD TEAM - DEFENSE
Linemen - Marcus Adams, Eastern Kentucky; Valdamar Brower, Massachusetts; Ryan Watson, Appalachian State; Ahmad Willis, Northwestern State. Linebackers - Greg Pitts, Southwest Texas; Nick Ricks, Eastern Illinois; Travis Stephens, The Citadel; Dustin Wilson, Austin Peay. Backs – Leigh Bodden, Duquesne; Jerry Cowan, Southern Utah; Doug Shanahan, Hofstra; Lance Small, Rhode Island. Punter - Aaron Wall, Arkansas-Pine Bluff.