ST. LOUIS, Mo. - Western Illinois landed five Leathernecks on the Missouri Valley Football Conference All-Academic Team, including three First Team selections. The conference office announced the honor on Wednesday (Nov. 30). Student-athletes were selected in a vote by the conference's sports information directors.
Nominees must be starters or important reserves with at least a 3.20 cumulative grade point average. Student-athletes must have reached sophomore academic and athletic standing at their institutions, and must have completed one academic year at the institution.
Sophomore offensive lineman Jimmy Holtschlag (Quincy/Notre Dame), senior wide receiver/punt returner Myers Hendrickson (Macomb/Macomb) and senior linebacker Kevin Palermo (West Chicago/Driscoll Catholic) were selected First Team. Junior fullback Mike Harmon (Peoria/Central) was a Second Team selection and senior offensive lineman Jordan Valle (Peru/LaSalle-Peru) was named Honorable Mention.
Holtschlag, who earlier this month was voted to the Capital One/CoSIDA Academic All-District team, played tackle, right guard and left guard this season. He started in all 10 of his appearances and helped pave way in all five of the 100-yard rushing games by the backfield this year. He owns a 4.0 GPA majoring in Agriculture and Exercise Science.
Hendrickson earned a spot on the conference academic team for the third consecutive year, jumping up a team each season (Second Team Academic All-MVFC in 2010, Honorable Mention in 2009). He played in all 11 games and finished with a team-leading 15 punt returns averaging 3.1 yards per return. Hendrickson also played on special teams and was the holder on all PAT and field goal attempts the last two years. This season he caught an 8-yard pass and made eight tackles on special teams, including two against Southern Illinois and Youngstown State. He owns a 3.90 GPA majoring in Supply Chain Management.
Palermo earned this award for the first time in his career. He posted a team-leading 105 tackles (52 solos/53 assisted), doubling his total from last year, and averaged nearly 11 tackles per game (10.8) in conference play. Three times he recorded career-high 14 tackles and in five conference games recorded 10 or more tackles... One of the team captains, Palermo started in all 11 games, blocked a field goal against South Dakota State, and recorded at least seven tackles in all but one game. Palermo owns a 3.51 GPA majoring in Construction Management.
Harmon played in 10 games, seeing time at fullback and on special teams. In the season finale, due to injuries, he agreed to play nose guard (first time in career playing defense), and played nearly every snap in that North Dakota State game when the starter went down with an injury. He made a tackle in that game as well. Harmon owns a 3.87 GPA majoring in Exercise Science.
A preseason All-Conference selection, Valle was limited to seven games played when he suffered a hand injury early in the season-opener. He returned in mid-October and would start every game he played at center. He helped pave the way for four of the five 100-yard rushing games this year. Valle owns a 3.52 GPA majoring in Accounting.
