ST. LOUIS -- Thirty-five student-athletes, including 13 who earned first-team honors, highlight the 2015 all-Missouri Valley Football Conference all-academic team, announced by the league office today.

 Nominees must be starters or important reserves with at least a 3.20 cumulative grade point average (4.0 scale). Student-athletes must have reached sophomore academic and athletic standing at their institutions (freshmen are not eligible) and must have completed at least one full academic year at their institution. League sports information directors voted on the team by designating 11 players for first-team honors and 11 players for second-team honors.

2015 Missouri Valley Football Conference All-Academic Team
(voting by league SIDs)

FIRST TEAM
Student-Athlete, School Ht. Wt. Yr. GPA Major Hometown/High School
DL Isaac Ales, UNI 6-3 268 Sr. 3.43 Physical Education Muscatine (Iowa) High
LB Dylan Cole, Missouri State 6-1 236 Jr. 3.67 Sales Management Rogersville (Mo.) Logan-Rogersville
DL Shayne Gottlob, S. Dakota St. 6-5 255 Jr. 3.96 Economics Salem (S.D.) McCook Central High
QB Mark Iannotti, Southern Illinois 6-2 220 Sr. 3.89 Marketing Schaumburg (Ill.) High
DB Nick Mears, S. Dakota State 5-11 195 Jr. 4.00 Economics Milbank (S.D.) High
DE Greg Menard, N. Dakota State 6-2 239 So. 3.90 Civil Engineering Lakeville (Minn.) Lakeville North
OL Jacob Rathmacher, UNI 6-4 297 Sr. 3.87 Biology & Biochemistry Story City (Iowa) Roland-Story
WR Billy Reed, Southern Illinois 6-1 203 Jr. 3.85 Finance Lockport (Ill.) Lockport Township
DL Karter Schult, UNI 6-2 265 Jr. 3.83 Movement & Exercise Science Tripoli (Iowa) High
WR Zach Vraa, North Dakota State 6-2 202 Sr. 3.56 Sport Management Rosemount (Minn.) High
QB Carson Wentz, N. Dakota State 6-6 235 Sr. 4.00 Health & Physical Education Bismarck (N.D.) Bismarck Century
WR Jake Wieneke, S. Dakota State 6-4 210 So. 3.67 Physical Educ./Teacher Educ. Maple Grove (Minn.) High
DT Steve Zaborsky, Youngstown St. 6-2 275 Sr. 3.71 Mechanical Engineering Mineral Ridge (Ohio) Austintown Fitch

SECOND TEAM
P/PK Miles Bergner, South Dakota 6-0 225 Jr. 3.49 Theatre Production Longmont (Colo.) High
LB Jesse Bobbit, South Dakota St. 6-2 210 Jr. 3.74 Physical Educ./Teacher Educ. Palatine (Ill.) High
LB Jared Farley, UNI 6-1 221 So. 3.47 Business Cedar Falls (Iowa) High
DB David Griffith, Western Illinois 5-11 210 So. 3.88 Exercise Science Avon (Ind.) High
OL Jacob Judd, Western Illinois 6-3 290 So. 3.90 Law Enforcement/Justice Admin. Clinton (Iowa) High
DL Cole Langer, S. Dakota State 6-2 285 Jr. 3.50 Mechanical Engineering Dell Rapids (S.D.) High
RB Chase Morlock, N. Dakota State 6-0 221 Jr. 3.79 Exercise Science Moorhead (Minn.) High
OL Robert Rathje, UNI 6-3 295 Jr. 3.66 Biology Van Horne (Iowa) Benton Community
OL Mark Spelman, Illinois State 6-3 280 Jr. 3.65 Accounting Brookfield (Wis.) Marquette Univ. High
LB Brett Taylor, Western Illinois 6-2 230 So. 3.66 Recreation, Park and Tourism Administration Macomb (Ill.) High
LB Kendall Walker, Indiana State 6-0 235 Sr. 3.54 Sport Management Cincinnati (Ohio) Moeller High

HONORABLE MENTION
Illinois State: LB Alex Donnelly • Indiana State: LS Joshua Appel, LB Jameer Thurman, WR Robert Tonyan, Jr.
Missouri State: OL Jake Lasater • North Dakota State: FB Andrew Bonnet • South Dakota State: OL Bryce Siverling
Southern Illinois: LB Chase Allen • Western Illinois: OL James Torgerson • Youngstown State: TE Shane Kuhn, QB Hunter Wells