2012 GLIAC Football All-Conference Selections

Courtesy of the GLIAC

BAY CITY, Mich. – Senior quarterback Taylor Housewright (Ashland, Ohio) of Ashland University was named the 2012 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Football “Player of the Year” in balloting conducted by the league’s head coaches. Saginaw Valley State University junior wide receiever Jeff Janis (Tawas, Mich./Tawas Area) was voted “Offensive Back of the Year”, while Ashland’s Lee Owens garnered “Coach of the Year” honors.

The rest of the GLIAC’s postseason awards were chosen as follows:  rookie quarterback Jason Vander Laan  (Frankfort, Ill./Chicago Christian) of Ferris State University earned “Freshman of the Year” accolades; senior defensive back Brian Gamble (Massillon, Ohio/Illinois) of Ashland earned “Defensive Back of the Year” honors; senior offensive guard Tim Lelito (St. Clair, Mich.) of Grand Valley State University earned the “Offensive Lineman of the Year” award; while Ashland junior defensive tackle Jamie Meder (Parma, Ohio/Valley Forge) was named “Defensive Lineman of the Year.”

Housewright  is one of 24 finalists for the 2012 Harlon Hill Trophy. A three-year starter, Housewright leads the GLIAC in touchdown passes (30) and is second in passing yards per game (264.1). He is currently fourth in the nation in pass efficiency (173.46), and set the NCAA Division II record for consecutive passes without an interception (377) this season. Housewright has completed 221-of-324 passes (68.2 percent) for 2,905 yards, while only being  intercepted once. Housewright has posted a 25-8 record Ashland’s starting quarterback.

Janis had a record-breaking season for the Cardinals in 2012.  To date, his 106 receptions rank second in NCAA Division II, while his 1,635 yards are top in the nation.  Janis caught 17 touchdown passes this season and was named GLIAC Offensive “Player of the Week” four times. He registered a GLIAC and SVSU record 300 yards receiving against Lake Erie in week four,  and broke the GLIAC and SVSU marks for receptions in a game with an 18 catch effort against Michigan Technological University in week nine.  In that same contest, he eclipsed single season SVSU marks for receptions and yards in a season.  In the game against Grand Valley State in week 11, Janis set a new single season GLIAC standard for receptions in a season with 91.  Janis has also been named one of 24 candidates for the annual Harlon Hill Award in 2012.

Gamble is an All-GLIAC First Team pick for the second time in his career, as he was also on that unit in 2009. This year, Gamble has 59 tackles (42 solo), 5.5 tackles for loss (34 yards) and a team-leading three interceptions.  He’s second on the team in tackles. Gamble also takes snaps as a wide receiver. He’s caught 13 passes for 242 yards (17.2 ypc.) with two touchdowns.

Lelito, who was a two-time First-Team All-GLIAC selection, started 45 straight games for the Lakers on the offensive front during his career. Lelito anchored an offensive line that helped the Laker offense rank second in total offense (474.4) and scoring offense (41.9) this season. In addition, Lelito was a key contributor in an offensive line that allowed just six QB sacks in 11 games and ranked eighth nationally in pass efficiency. Grand Valley State has had an offensive lineman earn this award in seven of the last eight years and 11 times since 1990.

Meder has been one of the GLIAC’s top players throughout his career. He was named the GLIAC “Freshman of the Year” in 2010 and he’s been an all-conference first team selection in 2010 and 2011. This season, Meder has 58 tackles (19 solo) with 5.0 tackles for loss (22 yards) and 3.0 sacks (21).

Vander Laan  directed the Bulldogs to only the program’s second season with seven or more victories in the last decade, which included FSU’s first win over rival Grand Valley State since 1999 and the program’s first triumph over divisional opponent Michigan Tech in 10 years.    Vander Laan established a GLIAC single-season record for rushing yardage by a quarterback as he ran for a FSU rookie record 1,338 yards on 247 carries (5.4 avg.) and 16 touchdowns in leading the Bulldogs. His team-high rushing total helped the Bulldogs rank among the nation’s top 10 teams in both rushing offense and total offense as Ferris State shattered a school record with 3,364 yards on the ground and averaged 473 yards per game of total offense.  He was 133 of 231 in the air for 1,493 yards and 13 scores.

Owens has guided the Eagles to their first undefeated regular season since 1972. AU is ranked fourth in the country – that’s the highest the Eagles have been ranked since becoming an NCAA Division II institution. Ashland is 11-0, this is only the second time in school history the Eagles have reached double digits in wins.  Ashland won its first GLIAC football championship this year and is in the NCAA playoffs for the fifth time in school history. This is the third time AU has made the trip under Owens.  At Ashland, Owens is 66-33. This is his ninth year.  Owens was also the GLIAC coach of the year in 2005.