Academic honors announced for Football
East Central punter Curtis Lilly and Abilene Christian wide receiver John Brock were honored Friday as Lone Star Conference officials announced the league's football academic awards.
Lilly was named LSC North Division Academic Player of the Year after leading the league in punting with a 45.2 average, while Brock earned LSC South Division Academic Player of the Year honors after catching 32 passes for 477 yards.
The two were amid 22 football players named to the LSC All-Academic Teams, which recognize both academic and athletic achievement.
The All-Academic Teams are voted upon by the league's sports information directors. To be eligible for LSC academic honors, student-athletes need at least a 3.20 grade point average and must be at least a sophomore. All qualifying student-athletes not voted to the All-Academic Team are then placed on the Commissioner's Honor Roll.
Altogether, 46 football players were honored through the league's academic awards program, including representative from 11 of the LSC's 13 football-playing member institutions.
NCAA playoff bound ACU had six players on the South Division All-Academic Team and three more on the Commissioner's Honor Roll for a league-high nine honorees, while LSC champion and NCAA playoff participant West Texas A&M added three All-Academic Team selections.
ECU had five picks on the North Division All-Academic Team, while Northeastern State added three players. The Tigers had the most selections in the North, with five on the All-Academic Team and one on the Commissioner's Honor Roll.
With Lilly on the North Division All-Academic Team were teammates Chris Mims, Cody Fagan, Scott Copeland and Steven Marshall, NSU's Kevin Christian, Kyle Murray and Brett Sowers, Southwestern Oklahoma's Tyson Bryant and Ryan Huddleson, plus Jairus Martin of Southeastern Oklahoma.
On the South Division All-Academic Team with Brock were fellow Wildcats Nathan Young, Sam Collins, Travis Carpenter, Cody Stutts and Matt Adams, WTAMU's Jared Brock, Charly Martin and Nick Ashley, Angelo State's Josh Hammerquist and Eastern New Mexico's Brandon Harper.
