University of Northern Iowa Athletics
UNI Lands Nine On All-MVFC Teams
11/28/2016 10:00:00 AM | Football
MVFC RELEASE
ST. LOUIS, Mo. – The University of Northern Iowa football program was honored today by the Missouri Valley Football Conference after nine student-athletes were named to the All-Conference Teams.
Senior Karter Schult headlines UNI's all-conference selections, earning first-team defensive honors for the second season in a row. Schult was also named MVFC Defensive Player of the Year, giving UNI back-to-back seasons with defensive MVP selections.
The Tripoli, Iowa, native ended the season leading all of Division I football (FCS & FBS) in sacks with 17.0 and tied for second in the country in tackles for loss with 24.0. His 17.0 sacks in 2016 ranks second all-time in single-season quarterback sacks while his 24.0 tackles for loss beat the UNI record of 23.0 that he set in 2015.
Seniors Trevor Hanson and Robert Rathje both earned spots on the all-conference second-team with a trio of Panthers in Jared Farley, Elijah Campbell and Malcolm Washington all landing on the defensive second-team.
Punter Sam Kuhter and seniors D'Shawn Dexter and Michael Malloy all received honorable mention nods to round out UNI's 2016 selections.
Hanson and Rathje have been the anchors of the offensive line for the last four seasons. Rathje, a four-year starter at center is a two-year team captain while Hanson has started 28 games in the Purple and Old Gold with both being a part of the 2016 team that helped UNI to 3,975 yards of total offense including 20 rushing touchdowns and 13 passing scores.
Farley led the team in tackles with 80, ranking in the top-15 in the Valley. He finished 2016 with 46 solo, 34 assisted and 3.5 tackles for loss, adding an interception, three pass breakups and two fumble recoveries. He earned MVFC Defensive Player of the Week for his performance against Iowa State coming away with eight tackles and a key pick.
Campbell and Washington, two newcomers to the Panthers, held down the secondary for UNI with Campbell starting all 11 games. He recorded 34 solo and eight assisted tackles for 42 solo, leading the UNI cornerbacks in total tackles. He had three interceptions on the season and two fumble recoveries, helping UNI to a No. 16 FCS rank in turnovers forced.
Washington finished 2016 with four interceptions, ranking him second in the MVFC. He was integral in UNI earned a No. 5 rank in the FCS in defensive touchdowns, running one of his picks back for a touchdown. He started seven games after returning from injury, recording 21 solo and seven assisted tackles.
This serves as Kuhter's second All-MVFC honor, landing on the second-team in 2015. Kuhter played in all 11 games, punting for 2,336 yards on 57 punts, averaging 41.0 yards. He had four touchbacks, 21 fair catches, 18 land inside the 20-yard-line and 15 that were 50-plus yards. He moved into second all-time at UNI in career punting average, punting 41.96 on 132 career punts.
Malloy, a senior out of Sioux City, Iowa, served as an all-purpose man for the Panthers, bringing in 898 yards, leading the team with nine touchdowns. He completed the 2016 season with 363 rushing yards, 238 receiving yards and 297 kick return yards. The senior finished the season with back-to-back career-high rushing totals at Indiana State and Western Illinois, recording 84 and 92 yards with five rushing touchdowns between the two games.
Rounding out UNI's all-conference honorees is senior captain Dexter. Dexter finished second on the team in tackles and in the top-15 in the Valley. He had 76 total tackles on 50 solo and 26 assisted, including 6.5 tackles for loss, a sack and two pass breakups. He also had two fumble recoveries and a forced fumble. He ranks in the top-25 in the FCS in fumble recoveries this season.
