FRED MITCHELL AWARD WATCH LIST
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – Augustana's
Drew Behrens is among 50 place-kickers on the Fred Mitchell Award Watch List for 2011.
The list includes student-athletes from schools in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), NCAA Division II and III, National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics, and National Junior College Athletic Association. Place-kickers were nominated by their institutions for excellence on the football field and in the community.
In 2010, Behrens, a native of Pleasant Hill, Iowa, put together one of the best seasons by an Augustana kicker in school history. He was named All-NSIC South Division first team, and The Don Hansen Football Committee placed him on its All-Central Region first team and All-America honorable mention squad. A junior-to-be in 2011, Behrens connected on a school record 16 field goals and 42 conversion kicks a year ago. He also set single-game records against Concordia University, St. Paul on Oct. 2 when he nailed five field goals and recorded 16 points by kicking. Following that performance, Behrens was named the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference and D2football.com special teams player of the week. He also led the NSIC with 14 field goals and a 63.6 field-goal percentage in 2010.
The award is named for Fred Mitchell, the record-setting place-kicker, Wittenberg Athletic Hall of Famer, author, philanthropist and Chicago Tribune sports columnist. The watch list is released in August, top performers are recognized monthly during the college football season and the winner (who is not required to be on the watch list) is announced in December. The school of the award winner receives scholarship funds and the Fred Mitchell Award trophy to be presented in February 2012 at the National Football Foundation Chicago Metro Chapter Awards Ceremony at Halas Hall.
Augustana, which is ranked sixth nationally in a pair of preseason polls, is coming off the best season in program history. A year ago, the Vikings recorded a school-record 11 wins (three more than the previous record), captured a share of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference South Division title and made its first playoff appearance since 1989. Augustana also hosted and won its first playoff game by defeating Grand Valley State on Nov. 27 at Kirkeby-Over Stadium before falling to eventual national-champion Minnesota Duluth. The Vikings finished with an overall record of 11-2 and 9-1 in the NSIC.
Mike Aldrich's team reports to fall camp Aug. 13.
The Vikings open the 2011 season at home on Sept. 3 at 1 p.m. in a non-conference clash with defending national-champion UMD.
