KANSAS CITY, Kan. (December 18, 2014) – Colorado State University-Pueblo sophomore defensive end Joe Shultz (Gilbert, Ariz.) received the NCA Division II Football Elite 89 Award at the NCAA Division II Championships Banquet Thursday evening at Sporting Park.
It is the sixth year for the DII Football Elite 89 award, which was instituted to recognize the true essence of the student-athlete by honoring the individual who has reached the pinnacle of competition at the national championship level in his or her sport, while also achieving the highest academic standard among his or her peers. The Elite 89 is presented to the student-athlete with the highest cumulative grade-point average participating at the finals site for each of the NCAA's 89 championships.
Schultz holds a 3.919 GPA as an engineering major. On the field, Schultz appeared in six games for the Pack, registering five tackles.
After earning its fourth straight RMAC Championship and fourth consecutive appearance in the NCAA Division II Playoffs, CSU-Pueblo defeated Angelo State University, 52-14 Nov. 29, Ohio Dominican University 31-28, Dec. 6 and University of West Georgia 10-7, Dec. 13 to advance to the NCAA Division II National Championship game.
The No. 8 ThunderWolves (13-1) are set to travel Kansas City, Kansas, Saturday, Dec. 20 at 2 p.m. MST versus No. 1 Minnesota State University-Mankato (14-0) at Sporting Park. The game will air live on ESPN2 and the Watch ESPN app.