Rowlands, Gist named Football All-Americans

BROOKINGS, S.D. – Tusculum College’s Gareth Rowlands and Deonte’ Gist have been named to the 2010 Daktronics NCAA Division II All-America Football Team announced officials Tuesday.  Rowlands was named the First Team placekicker, while Gist was tabbed as one of the Second Team wide receivers.

Rowlands, a 6-1, 215-pound senior from Benllech, Wales, becomes the fifth player in school history to earn First Team All-America recognition (Donald Amaker – 2002; Ricardo Colclough – 2003; Alan Dunn – 2003; Jarrell NeSmith – 2008).
                                                                                                                  

The two-time All-South Atlantic Conference First Team pick enjoyed one of the finest seasons ever by a league kicker.  He established school and league single-season records with his 111 points and 21 field goals made.  Rowlands leads the nation in field goals made per game (1.91) and is sixth in scoring (10.09 ppg).  His 111 points are the most this season by a NCAA II kicker.  He went 21-for-26 in field goals, including a string of 10 in a row towards the end of the season, which is a new school record.  His streak of 53 consecutive made extra points is also a new school record.  He is one of the 10 national finalists for the Fred Mitchell Award, which honors the college division (FCS, DII, DIII, NAIA) placekicker of the year.

Rowlands’ 270 points are the most in school history by a kicker and second amongst all Pioneers.  The two-time All-Region standout has accounted for 45 career field goals made, which are a new Tusculum record and tied for 25th most in NCAA II history.  Rowlands is also a two-time ESPN Academic All-District selection.

Gist, a 5-9, 170-pound junior from Wellford, S.C., accounted for one of the greatest seasons for a receiver in SAC history.   His 1,183 receiving yards are a new school record and the third most in conference history.  The Byrnes High School graduate also established school records with his 96 receptions and 1,713 all-purpose yards.

The 2010 All-SAC First Team honoree averaged a league-best 107.55 receiving yards per game, which are 17th best in the nation this year.  His 8.73 receptions per contest were also tops in the league and fourth in the country.  Gist tallied 10 or more catches in five games and posted over 100 receiving yards in seven of his 11 contests.  He established a school single-game record with 279 all-purpose yards at Catawba, including a 79-yard kickoff return for a touchdown.  Gist finished the year with nine touchdowns, including eight TD receptions.

The is in its 18th year of sponsorship by Daktronics, Inc., an acknowledged world leader in scoring, timing and programmable display systems for virtually every sport at every sport at every level of competition. The team is voted on by the NCAA Division II members of the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA), with online nomination and the voting process powered by AthleticSite.com, the official internet provider for TusculumPioneers.com.