Sjoquist Named Football First-Team Academic All-America

From Sports Information Director, December 6, 2011 | Football
by Dan Lukes, dan.lukes@snc.edu, (920) 403-4077

DE PERE - St. Norbert College defensive back Dan Sjoquist has been named to the first team of the 2011 NCAA Division III Academic All-America football team as sponsored by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) and Capital One.

It is Sjoquist's second Academic All-America honor. He was a second-team Academic All-America selection in 2010.

Sjoquist is the fourth St. Norbert football player to receive two Academic All-America awards, and is the first to do so in 22 years. Sjoquist joins Matt Lang (1986 and 1987), Karl Zacharias (1986 and 1987) and Mike Whitehouse (1988 and 1989) as multiple football honorees. St. Norbert now has 12 Academic All-America selections in football.

Sjoquist, a senior from Kingsford, Mich., and a Kingsford High School graduate, owns a 3.89 grade point average while majoring in biology. Sjoquist, a three-time Academic All-Midwest Conference honoree, was also a first-team All-Midwest Conference pick at defensive back in 2010. Sjoquist finished fifth on the team in tackles this season with 43 and also had three interceptions.

St. Norbert finished the 2011 season with a 7-3 record and a 7-2 mark to finish in third place in the Midwest Conference.

The honor marks 50th time a St. Norbert College student-athlete has received Academic All-America mention. St. Norbert's 50 Academic All-Americans are the most among Midwest Conference member schools. Sjoquist's nod was the only football selection in the Midwest Conference this season.

To be eligible for national or regional selection, a student-athlete must be a varsity starter or key reserve, maintain a cumulative grade point average of 3.30 on a scale of 4.0, have reached sophomore athletic and academic standing at his current institution and be nominated by his sports information director. The Academic All-America team is selected after All-District teams are picked from eight geographic regions nationally.