Robinson earns Defensive Player of the Year; 12 others honored by WIAC

PLATTEVILLE, Wis. — Thirteen student-athletes from the University of Wisconsin-Platteville football team were honored by the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference for their efforts throughout the 2015 season. The Pioneers, who finished the season 8-2 and ranked 14th in the D3football.com poll, had four first team selections.

Senior defensive lineman Andrew Robinson, from Arcadia, Wis., earned the WIAC Defensive Player of the Year award and was also named to the first team All-WIAC team for the third time in his four-year career as a Pioneer. This season, Robinson recorded 42 tackles, including 26 solo tackles, 7.5 sacks, 53 sack yards, 21 tackles for a loss totaling 86 yards, three blocked punts and kicks and one fumble recovery.

"Plain and simple Andrew is a difference maker. He earned this award for two reasons; the headaches he caused opposing offensive coordinators and his relentless pursuit of the football on every play," Pioneer Coach Mike Emendorfer said. "This is our second WIAC Defensive Player of the Year in a row and we couldn't be more excited about the tradition we're building at UW-Platteville of having some of the best defensive players in the WIAC every year."

Earning first team defensive honors along with Robinson was senior linebacker Andrew Belken, an East Dubuque, Ill. native, who led the way in tackles with 88, including 47 solo tackles. Belken also recorded four sacks for 30 yards, one fumble recovery and one interception on the season.

Joining the defensive honors list were senior defensive backs Logan Emendorfer and Devon Vance, who both received second team All-WIAC honors, while junior defensive lineman Austin Young received honorable mention honors. Emendorfer, a Platteville native, totaled 47 tackles this season, logging 26 solo tackles, one tackle for loss, one fumble recovery and three interceptions. Vance, from Crystal Lake, Ill., recorded 52 total tackles in nine games played and one interception for 35 yards this season.  Young, a junior defensive lineman from Shannon, Ill., earned honorable mention honors after recording 21 tackles, including 7.5 for losses.

On the offensive side of the ball, the Pioneers tallied two first team selections in junior offensive lineman Brett Jerdee and junior wide receiver Dan Arnold. A junior from Fargo, N.D., Arnold logged 12 touchdowns and led the Pioneers in total points on the season with 72, averaging 7.2 points per game. Jerdee, a junior from Mount Horeb, helped pave the way for the Pioneer offense, boosting them to an average of 476.8 yards and 38.1 points per game, one of the best offenses in the WIAC.

Junior wide receiver Quinn Buschbacher and junior quarterback Tom Kelly joined the offensive honors on the All-WIAC second team, while sophomore offensive lineman Donnie Rydzewski, from Tinley Park, Ill., was named to the honorable mention offense. Buschbacher, a junior from Sugar Grove, Ill., led the Pioneers with 61 receptions for 665 yards and 7 touchdowns. Kelly, a junior from Chicago, completed 198 of 301 passes for 2,635 yards and a touchdown-to-interception ratio of 28:6.

On special teams, Ryan Fish, a senior from Madison, Ind., earned second team honors, while freshman punter Connor Foley earned honorable mention accolades.

Making the all-sportsmanship team was Alex Johnson, a senior defensive lineman from Milan, Ill.

"It's a tremendous honor for these young men to be recognized by opposing coaches and not just their family, friends, and teammates," Emendorfer said. "Short of being an All-American, in my opinion this is one of the better awards our guys could earn at this level.  You don't just walk into the WIAC and earn all-conference. These guys have worked their tail off from their first days on campus."

The Pioneers beat two regionally ranked teams, Dubuque and North Central, during 2015. During the last four years, UW-Platteville has recorded a 33-9 record.

"Obviously we feel we should still be playing right now, but we are still a very proud football team," Emendorfer said. "An 8-2 record is an excellent year, and those who support us know that.  We had some great highlights from this year that I'll never forget and this senior class will go down as one the winningest in UW-Platteville Football history.  We have built a tradition of winning here, and we have these seniors to thank for playing a huge role in that transition."

Written by: Carly Willman, University Information and Communications, 608.342.1194, willmanc@uwplatt.edu