2012 CAPITAL ONE ACADEMIC ALL-DISTRICT FOOTBALL TEAMS (CoSIDA)
CAPITAL ONE ACADEMIC ALL-AMERICA PROGRAM
MINNEAPOLIS -- Augsburg College center
Chad Thompson (JR, Maple Grove, Minn.) and linebacker
Bryce Vee (SR, Coon Rapids, Minn./Blaine HS) were recently named to the Capital One Academic All-District 6 Football Team, as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).
A management/accounting major with a 3.70 cumulative grade-point average, Vee was named to the district squad for the second straight year, while Thompson, an accounting/finance major with a 3.90 cumulative GPA, earned the academic honor for the first time in his career.
Vee led the Auggies in tackles for the second straight year, compiling 99 total tackles (30 solo), including 5.0 tackles-for-loss and 0.5 sacks. He also had an interception, two pass breakups, two fumble recoveries and a quarterback hurry this season. He claimed at least nine total tackles in nine of Augsburg's 10 games this season, including four double-digit efforts -- 13 tackles in games against Hamline (three solo) and Macalester (eight solo), 11 (seven solo) against St. Thomas, and 10 (four solo) against Carleton. Vee's 99 tackles ranked sixth among
Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference players in overall statistics.
A three-year starter for the Auggies, Vee finished his career with 293 total tackles (85 solo), with 11.5 tackles for-loss, 2.5 sacks, two interceptions, nine pass breakups, three fumble recoveries, two forced fumbles and a blocked kick. He had at least one tackle in each of his 39 career games, while recording 11 double-digit tackle efforts in his career. Vee earned All-MIAC second-team honors in 2011, when his 108 tackles were tied for the most among conference defenders. He ended his career third on a list of 10 Auggies who have recorded 200-plus career tackles since the 2000-03 seasons. Vee was also an Academic All-MIAC selection in both 2010 and 2011.
A two-year starter on the offensive line, Thompson was part of an Auggie unit that finished ranked
second in the MIAC's overall statistics and
22nd among all NCAA Division III teams nationally in total offense, averaging 471.2 yards per-game this season. Augsburg produced 400-plus yards of total offense in nine of its 10 games, eclipsing the 500-yard barrier five times. Augsburg's rushing offense was ranked third among MIAC teams and 27th among NCAA Division III teams nationally in rushing offense (237.9 yards per-game), eclipsing the 200-yard mark in rushing offense in six games this season.
Augsburg's offensive line allowed just 31.0 tackles for-loss this season -- a total that was third-fewest among all Division III teams nationally in the regular season -- and just 6.0 sacks, tied for the eighth-fewest nationally among Division IIi teams. Thompson was an All-MIAC second-team and Academic All-MIAC selection in 2011.
The Capital One Academic All-District team is part of the
Capital One Academic All-America program, as selected by
CoSIDA. Top student-athletes from Division III programs in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan are eligible for inclusion on the District 6 team. Student-athletes must have a grade-point average above 3.30 (4.0 scale) and have outstanding athletic credentials. College sports information directors in the district vote for the teams.
This is the second year of the expanded Academic All-America program, as CoSIDA has moved from recognizing a University Division (Division I) and a College Division (all non-Division I), doubling the number of scholar-athletes honored. The teams include NCAA Division I, NCAA Division II and NCAA Division III participants, while the College Division team combines NAIA, Canadian and two-year schools. First-team Academic All-District members advance to the Academic All-America ballot, voted on by a committee of CoSIDA members.
Under eighth-year head coach
Frank Haege, Augsburg finished 7-3 overall, 5-3 in MIAC play -- the best overall record for the Auggies since finishing 10-2 overall (9-1 MIAC) in its 1997 MIAC championship season. The 7-3 record also marks Augsburg's second straight above-.500 overall finish -- the first time Augsburg has finished above-.500 in consecutive seasons since a three-year stretch from 1997 to 1999.
