West Liberty State College senior cornerback Darren Banks made history Tuesday when he became the first three-time NCAA Division II first-team All-American from a West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference school.
The 5-foot-10, 188-pound ballhawk from Camden, N.J., who was named the Super Region I Defensive Player of the Year earlier this month, was the leading vote-getter at cornerback for the third straight season in nationwide balloting by sports information directors representing all NCAA Division II football-playing members.
Banks set the West Virginia Conference record and ranks second in college football history (all divisions) with 35 career interceptions. He picked off seven passes this fall to lead the league for the second straight season.
The 2008 WVIAC Defensive Player of the Year also contributed 41 solo tackles, four tackles for loss, and a pair of pass breakups for the 7-4 Hilltoppers.
This marks the 16th season for the Daktronics, Inc. NCAA Division II All-America team.
The team is sponsored by Daktronics, Inc., an acknowledged world leader in scoring, timing and programmable display systems for virtually every sport at every level of competition.
Abilene Christian running back Bernard Scott and Northwest Missouri State safety Myles Burnsides were voted the Ron Lenz National Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year, respectively. Lenz, the retired sports information director at South Dakota State, was the first national coordinator of the program.
Scott, a 5-11, 200-pound senior, is a finalist for the Harlon Hill Award. He rushed for 2,156 yards this season and 34 touchdowns in leading ACU to the Super Region 4 championship game.
Burnsides, a 5-11, 195-pound junior, led the Northwest Missouri defense as the Bearcats earned a spot in the national championship game for the fourth consecutive season.
Burnsides also has collected 65 tackles, with 2.5 tackles for losses this season.
National finalist Northwest Missouri State placed four players on the first team, while semifinalists Abilene Christian and North Alabama each had three first-team selections.
Scott is one of six Abilene Christian players to earn first- or second-team honors, the most for any school.
Northwest Missouri State and national semifinalist North Alabama were second with five each.
Shepherd sophomore kick returner Deante Steele was the only other first-team selection from the WVIAC while Glenville State senior running back Jerry Seymour was the league's lone second-team honoree.
Steele returned 20 punts for 404 yards and two touchdowns with a 20.2 average to rank second nationally in that category. He also had 17 kickoff returns for 491 yards and a pair of touchdowns with a 28.9 average to rank 11th nationally.
Seymour led the nation with a WVIAC single-season rushing record 2,282 yards this fall. His 349-yard effort at Concord was the highest single-game total in Division II this season and is a Glenville State school record.
While Banks is the only three-time first-team selection on this season's NCAA Division II All-America team, two other players are making their third appearance on the All-America honor roll.
Valdosta State (Ga.) senior safety Sherard Reynolds repeats as a first-team selection and was a second-team honoree in 2006. West Texas A&M senior linebacker Jared Brock returns to the first team after earning second-team honors in 2007 and leading the linebackers in votes in 2006.
A total of 50 players were selected to the two teams: 35 were seniors, 13 juniors, and two were sophomores.
