Three Crusaders Make the Grade

SELINSGROVE, Pa. - Three Susquehanna University football players have been named to the 2000 Verizon Academic All-District II College Division Football Team, as selected by members of the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) from the district.

Senior center Dave Wonderlick, sophomore quarterback Mike Bowman and sophomore defensive back Antonio Nash were each named to the 24-player team and have qualified for the national ballot. The 2000 Verizon Academic All-America College Division Football Team will be announced on Tuesday, December 5.

To be nominated for the Verizon Academic All-America Team, a student-athlete must be at least a sophomore with a 3.2 cumulative grade-point average, and either a starter or significant reserve on their respective teams. College Division District II includes all NCAA Division II and III schools, as well as NAIA Division II schools from Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and West Virginia.

"I can't say enough about the academic and athletic excellence that Dave, Mike and Antonio have shown while at Susquehanna," said Crusader head coach Steve Briggs. "This honor demonstrates the commitment that each of them has made to football and, more importantly, to their education."

Susquehanna was one of just three schools, along with Allegheny and Waynesburg, to place three players on the All-District team. No other Middle Atlantic Conference school was represented by more than one player on the team.

Wonderlick (Shenandoah, Pa./Shenandoah Valley H.S.), a public relations major with a 4.00 cumulative grade-point average, is a repeat member of the District II All-Academic team. Last season, Wonderlick went one better as he was named a first-team Academic All-American - the only junior selected to the prestigious squad.

A tri-captain, the 5-10. 245-pound Wonderlick was a MAC Commonwealth League Second Team All-Star honors last season, and was also the team's Bob Pittello Offensive Lineman of the Year Award recipient. This season, Wonderlick has helped the Crusaders rank second in the Middle Atlantic Conference in both passing offense (264.2 yards per game) and total offense at 403.7 yards per contest.

Earlier this season, the offensive line was recognized by D3football.com as members of its "Team of the Week" after Crusader backs gained positive yards on 36 of 39 running plays and Bowman threw for a then career-high 306 yards in a 24-13 win over Dickinson on September 23 in the first game at Susquehanna's new Nicholas A. Lopardo Stadium.

In his first season as a full-time starter in 1999, Wonderlick became one of the top performers on a line which helped Susquehanna finish second in MAC rushing offense (163.5 yards per game), and fifth overall (345.7 yards per game). Wonderlick did not allow a sack in 289 pass plays, giving up just three-and-a-half hurries.

In addition to his perfect academic record, Wonderlick is also a University Scholar, was inducted into Alpha Lambda Delta (freshman honor society), is active in the campus chapter of the Public Relations Student Society of America, and has been a corresponding sports writer for both The Pottsville Republican and the Reading Eagle-Times, near his hometown. He was also one of five students chosen for a Susquehanna All-Star team for College Bowl - "the varsity sports of the mind."

Last month, Wonderlick was selected as one of 16 senior football players in the United States as a National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame Scholar Athlete. He will receive an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship and will be honored at the College Football Hall of Fame induction dinner in Manhattan on December 12.

He is the son of Len and Louise Wonderlick.

Bowman (Northumberland, Pa./Shikellamy H.S.), a mathematics major with a 4.00 cumulative grade-point average, has rewritten the Susquehanna football record book in his first full season as the starting quarterback. In nine games, Bowman has completed 174-of-331 passes (52.6 percent) for 2,367 yards and 17 touchdowns to establish single-season records for attempts, completions and yards.

In addition, the 6-foot, 170-pound Bowman has established a Susquehanna career record for pass completions with 285 and has a chance to break the records for career attempts and yards in Saturday's game against Albright. He has thrown for at least 200 yards in seven of nine games this season, including a career-high 407 yards against Moravian on October 28.

Bowman became the starting quarterback five games into his freshman season and has posted a record of 10-5 in his 15 career starts - throwing for at least one touchdown in 13 of those 15 games.

He is a member of the Alpha Lambda Delta freshman honor society and has received a number of academic scholarships. When not on the football field, Bowman serves as a tutor in mathematics.

He is the son of Richard and Janice Bowman.

Nash (Washington, D.C./Springbrook, Md. H.S.), an accounting major with a 3.57 cumulative grade-point average, was a near-consensus All-American as a freshman in 1999 and was been named to no fewer than five preseason All-American teams in 2000.

The 5-9, 170-pound Nash ranks second on the team in tackles with 65, including 48 solo stops, after moving from cornerback to free safety prior to the second game of the season. After leading the MAC and tying the school record for interceptions in a single season with 10 last year, Nash has picked off two passes and broken up seven others this year.

The MAC leader in punt returns as a freshman, Nash ranks eighth in the conference this season with an average of 9.1 yards on 18 returns.

Nash was named the Division III Defensive Back of the Year by Don Hansen's Football Gazette last season and made three of four Division III All-American Teams, earning first-team in two of them. In addition, he was named to the Little All-American Second Team by the Associated Press.

He is the son of Joann and Sampson Nash, Jr.