ST. PAUL, Minn. - The Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference has released the 2009 All-NSIC Teams and individual award winners. Concordia junior tight end Hayden Vavra (Cambridge, Minn.) headlines the Golden Bears as the All-NSIC South First Team Tight End while three others were named All-NSIC South Second Team and three more were Honorable Mention selections. ALL-NSIC RELEASE
The second team selections were junior inside linebacker Trevor Glomski (Wabasha, Minn.) and junior specialists Steven King (K, Johnston, Iowa) and T.G. Schoenberg (P, Woodbury, Minn.). The three honorable mention picks were senior defensive end Will Brown (Shoreview, Minn.), sophomore tackle Tyler Hendrickson (St. Paul, Minn.) and junior wide receiver Calvin Simon (Shakopee, Minn.).
Vavra was one of the more consistent players for Concordia's offense despite the inconsistency of his position. In his third year on the gridiron for CU, Vavra is in his third different position. Named an h-back in the Golden Bear offense, Vavra rewarded the coaching staff with his versatility, lining up in the backfield as a blocking back, on the line as a prototypical tight end and even lining up in the slot. Vavra's contributions rarely were noticed in headlines, as he never posted more than 50 yards in a game. He produced his season-high in receiving on just three receptions in the finale against Bemidji State and didn't have a touchdown reception. However, his consistency and ability to play multiple spots on the field make him an invaluable asset to the program. He caught at least one ball in the final 10 games of the season and on the kickoff return team, he was a solid blocker that also had three kick returns for 28 yards in the middle of the field. On the season, Vavra hauled in 29 passes for 298 yards with a long of 29.
Glomski finished 2009 on a roll with three straight games with 11 or more tackles including a pair of sacks in the last game against Bemidji State. He also had a pair of interceptions in consecutive weeks, taking one back for a touchdown against Southwest Minnesota State in a road victory. He finished the season third on the team in tackles with 78. He had 5.5 tackles for loss, 5.0 of them coming in the final three games. He also broke up four passes and had four QB hurries.
King came on strong for the Golden Bears despite not breaking camp with the team at the outset. Although he has been a student-athlete for three years at Concordia, King is a first year football player, joining the team in time for the third game of the season while simultaneously playing fall baseball. After missing his first PAT attempt, King delivered three field goals and 11 total points. The three field goals tied the single game school record and he matched it two more times throughout the season including a 15 point performance in a road win at Upper Iowa. He went on to set the single season field goals made record at CU and is the 10th-leading kicker in Division II football in field goals made per game, hitting 13 in nine games this season.
Schoenberg averaged 38.8 per punt on 38 kicks in 2009. He entered the year as the D2Football.com All-NSIC Preseason First Team punter and didn't disappoint. He had five games averaging over 40 yards a kick and had his best performance against the defending Division II champs, Minnesota Duluth. In that game at UMD, Schoenberg booted nine punts for a 43.9 yard average, nailing a 60 yarder, two over 50 with four being placed inside the 20. He also forced seven fair catches in the game. He finished as the third-leading punter in the league, the second ranked punter in the South Division.
Brown has been a force on the CU defensive line all season, leading the league in tackles for loss with 21.5 while leading all NSIC defensive linemen in tackles with 81. He's the third leading sack artist in the league as well with 6.5. His 21.5 tackles for loss rank fourth in NCAA Division II football as well.
Hendrickson has turned into a dominating force on the right side of the CU offensive line. His incredible size, a 6-8, 320 pound frame, provides the leverage necessary to dominate opposing defensive ends and outside linebackers. He earned CU Offensive Lineman of the Week honors four times in 2009.
Simon broke the 2,000 career receiving yard barrier in the last week of the season and with one more year ahead of him, is already ranked fourth in school history in career receiving yards and cracked the NSIC leaders in career receptions (league games only). He had a big year averaging 17.0 per catch including a career-high 200 yard game at Upper Iowa on just six receptions including two touchdowns of 75 and 54 yards. He also had an 80 yard touchdown at Augustana in a 10 catch, 153 yard performance with two scores. He finished the year with 46 catches for 784 yards and four TD's.
