St. Peter, Minn. – Gustavus Adolphus junior running back Jeffrey Dubose (St. Paul, Minn.) has been named 2012 MIAC Football First Team All-Conference by the league’s coaches as a part of the 2012 MIAC Football awards. Senior offensive tackle Brian Grundmeyer (Inver Grove Heights, Minn.) was named Second Team All-Conference on offense, as was defensive tackle Donte Green (Minneapolis, Minn.) and outside linebacker Joe Haas (Mission, Kan.) on defense.
Senior running back Brett Baune was named the 2012 Jim Christopherson MIAC MVP, and senior offensive lineman Tom Knowlton was honored with the 2012 MIAC Mike Stam Award. St. Thomas Head Coach Glenn Caruso was voted the 2012 MIAC Football Coach-of-the-Year after leading the Tommies to their third-straight MIAC championship, making it the third year in a row he has been honored with the conference’s top coaching honor.
Despite missing three games due to injury this season, Jeffrey Dubose was still able to amass 665 rushing yards on 135 attempts for an average of 4.9 yards per carry. Dubose averaged 95 yards per game and eclipsed the 100-yard rushing mark on four different occasions. His seven rushing touchdowns came in just two different games, running for 131 yards with four touchdowns against Hamline before running for 143 yards with three touchdowns against Carleton.
“Jeffrey has proven to be a dominant running back in this league and it is great to see the coaches recognize him as such,” said Head Coach Peter Haugen. “What he does with the ball is special, but he does when the ball isn’t in his hands is what sets him apart. With his blocking ability and improvement as a receiver, Jeffrey has become a complete running back for us.”
A pass-catching threat out of the backfield as well, Dubose caught three touchdown passes and finished third on the team in receiving with 192 yards. The St. Paul native totaled 857 all-purpose yards, leading the team with a 122.4 all-purpose yard average per game. Dubose eclipsed the 500-yard rushing mark for the third time in his career this year, bringing his career rushing yard total to 1,960 yards. He ranks 11th on Gustavus’ all-time rushing leaders list, sitting behind Scott Anderson who ranks tenth with 2,079 yards.
Senior Brian Grundmeyer makes his second consecutive showing on the All-MIAC Second Team. Grundmeyer has spent the last two seasons as the protector of his quarterback’s blind side. The Inver Grove Heights native has played in 32 collegiate games and has been the starter in 20 straight contests at left tackle. A consistent presence, Grundmeyer was considered to be Gustavus’ most steady member of the front five the past two seasons. Thanks in part to his stellar play, the Gusties finished fifth in the league in rushing this season, averaging 168.6 yards per game. Against league opponents, Gustavus ranked fourth with a 172.4 yards per game average.
“He is a reliable and consistent force on the offensive line,” said Haugen about his senior left tackle. “Grundy’s longevity is well proven, playing in over 30 games of his career. A terrific run-blocker, he is the glue that has held our front intact the last few years.”
Holding down the middle of Gustavus’ defensive front, Donte Green makes his first appearance in the MIAC’s post-season awards. Green started in all ten games this season and was the defensive line’s leading tackler. He made a total of 41 tackles (17 solo) to finish seventh on the team. The Minneapolis product had four tackles for loss, one sack, knocked down two passes, and recovered two fumbles. Against Simpson in the season-opener, Green recovered a critical fumble in the end zone for a touchdown to give Gustavus momentum and a 20-17 lead early in the third quarter. Green has been a starter the past two seasons and has made over 40 tackles both years.
Coach Haugen says that Green has played an integral role in clogging up the opponent’s run game the past two seasons. “Donte demands a lot of attention and is the a major reason why our linebackers have such clear routes to ball carriers. His lateral movement is top notch and you can’t take him off the field. Even when he is hurt, you can’t get him to take a play off. Donte has been a true example of toughness for this team during his tenure.”
Joe Haas also makes his first appearance on the All-MIAC Second Team. In his second season as a full-time starter at outside linebacker, Joe Haas led the team in tackles for the second straight year. The junior finished with 91 total tackles (7th/MIAC) and also led the team in solo tackles with 45 (6th/MIAC). He is the first Gustavus player to make over 90 tackles in a season since Tony Palma ’10 made 108 in 2009. Haas turned it on over the second half of the season, recording double-figure tackles in four of the last five games and making a season/team-best 17 against Saint John’s on Oct. 27. The Mission, Kan. native also made five tackles for loss, recorded two sacks, and recovered two fumbles this season. Over the past two years, Haas has made a total of 173 tackles (80 solo) and 12.5 tackles for loss.
“A versatile linebacker who proved his worth playing both in and outside the box this year,” commented Haugen on Haas. “He has a wide range of skill sets – he can play the inside run and is athletic enough to make plays in space. Joe isn’t real loud or vocal, yet does his talking with his play and is another guy who is steady and consistent.”
As part of a conference-wide sportsmanship initiative, the MIAC announced the seventh annual All-MIAC Sportsmanship team for football and Muresuk Mena was chosen to represent the Gusties. Members of the All-MIAC Sportsmanship team are selected by their coaches and teammates as individuals who demonstrate ideals of positive sportsmanship both on and off the field of competition.
Senior quarterback Muresuk Mena (Inver Grove Heights, Minn.) started in eight games, going 94-for-170 through the air for 1,090 yards passing. He also finished second on the team in rushing with 549 yards on 160 carries (68.6 ypc). Mena threw for nine touchdowns and ran for another six while also leading the team in total offense by averaging 204.9 yards per game.
The MIAC All-Conference teams were made up of 37 selections on both the First and Second Teams, 17 each on offense and defense and three on special teams. The First Team featured a heavy emphasis on upperclassmen, with 23 seniors, 13 juniors, no sophomores and one freshmen among the 37 selections.
Conference champion St. Thomas led all teams with nine First-Team selections, while co-runners up Concordia and Bethel were next with seven and six honorees, respectively. St. Olaf had five First-Team picks, Augsburg and Saint John’s had four each and Gustavus and Hamline were each represented by one First-Team selection.