Four Missouri State University football players have been named to the CoSIDA / ESPN the Magazine Academic All-District 7 Team, the College Sports Information Directors of America announced Thursday.
Two Bears, offensive lineman David Arkin and wide receiver Jared Emery, were named to the All-District first team and will be eligible for inclusion on the Division I Academic All-America ballot which will be voted on later this month.
Safety Skylar Smith and punter Jordan Chiles made the second-team.
Arkin, a junior from Wichita, Kan., has a 3.70 grade point average in Construction Management with a minor in Finance and Real Estate. He has started all nine games for the Bears this season and is a preseason All-Missouri Valley Football Conference pick this season after landing a spot on the All-MVFC second team the past two years. He has started 32 straight games and is coming off a season with an 84-percent grade and 43 knock-down blocks. He is also the recipient of the Fall 2008 Missouri Valley Conference State Farm Good Neighbor Award and is a three-time MVFC Offensive Lineman of the Week.
Emery has a 3.74 grade point average in Microbiology and Biotechnology. The senior from Mountain Grove, Mo., has started eight games for the Bears this season and is a two-time Academic All-Missouri Valley Football Conference selection. He earned Missouri State Offensive Player of the Week honors (10/10/09) for his seven receptions for 67 yards and TD vs. South Dakota State. His 19 receptions ranks third on the 2009 squad, while his 306 receiving yards ranks second.
Chiles is a sophomore from Hillsboro, Ill., who has a 3.35 GPA in Exercise and Movement Science. He has been the team's regular punter for all 20 games of his college career and is averaging 39.1 yards per punt through 40 attempts this season. He has four punts of 50 yards or more, including a season-long 72-yarder and has had 10 punts downed inside the 20-yard line.
Smith is a junior from Springfield, Mo. who has started all nine games this season at strong safety and tallied 74 total tackles, which is second on the Missouri State team and seventh in the MVFC. He has two tackles for loss, three pass break-ups, and a 55-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown this season. He was a 2008 All-MVFC honorable mention selection and is second among active MSU players in career tackles with 156.
Selections to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District VII Team are based on votes by members of the College Sports Information Directors of America from South Dakota, North Dakota, Iowa, Nebraska, Missouri, Kansas, Colorado, Wyoming and Montana. Student-athletes must be at least a sophomore in athletic standing, maintain a minimum grade-point average of 3.3 and be a starter or key reserve.
