SPOKANE, Wash. -- Whitworth University has seven players, including two repeat winners, named to the 2009 ESPN The Magazine CoSIDA Academic All-District VIII College Division football team, which was published yesterday.

Andrew Durant (So., QB, Spokane, Wash.), Michael Nahl (Sr., OL, Seattle, Wash.), Zak Richardson (So., OL, Tualatin, Ore.) and Emilio Sulpizio (Jr., OL, Spokane, Wash.) were chosen from the offense. Travis Niles (Jr., DT, Spokane, Wash.), Robert Schaefer (Jr., DB, Bothell, Wash.) and Derek Stottlemyer (RS So., DB, Bothell, Wash.) were selected from the defense. Both Sulpizio and Niles are repeat honorees from last year.

Whitworth accounted for nearly one third of the players on the 23-member squad.

Andrew Durant	Michael Nahl	Zak Richardson	Emilio Sulpizio

Durant is a health, fitness and P.E. major who carries a 3.67 grade point average (through May of 2009). Durant has not played since the sixth game of the season after suffering a back injury. Up to that point he had completed 62% of his passes for 1,010 yards with seven touchdowns and four interceptions.

Nahl is a kinesiology major with a 3.59 GPA, while Richardson has a 3.97 GPA in accounting. Sulpizio is a biochemistry major with a GPA of 3.82. All three are starters on the Pirates' offensive line.

Travis Niles	Robert Schaefer	Derek Stottlemyer

Niles carries a 3.98 grade point average as a theology major. He has 22 tackles this season, including three for losses of 10 yards.

Schaefer has 41 tackles and an interception as a starting safety. He is a biophysics major with a 3.56 GPA.

Stottlemyer leads the Pirates with three interceptions this year to go along with his 30 tackles. He is an engineering physics major with a 3.81 GPA.

Whitworth is 4-5 overall and 2-3 this season heading into the last game of the year Saturday at Lewis & Clark College.

The Academic All-District VIII teams are selected from NCAA Division II, Division III and NAIA players throughout the western United States. The players are nominated and selected by members of CoSIDA. To be eligible for nomination, a player must be a starter or important reserve with a 3.30 cumulative grade point average and of sophomore standing.

All four players are now candidates for CoSIDA's College Division Academic All-America football team.