University of South Dakota Athletics

2018 MVFC All-Academic Team (.pdf)

ST. LOUIS—South Dakota sophomore linebacker Jack Cochrane is a first-team member of the 2018 Missouri Valley Football Conference All-Academic Team announced Wednesday and voted on by the league's sports information directors.
 
It marks the fourth straight year the Coyotes have been represented on the team. Cochrane, a 4.0 student from Mount Vernon, Iowa, majoring in political science, is USD's first first-team pick since the Coyotes joined the Valley in 2012.
 
Cochrane started all 11 games at middle linebacker this season. He finished second on the team in tackles with 82. Cochrane also had one forced fumble, one recovery and two pass breakups. That play, combined with his performance in the classroom, got him named to the CoSIDA Academic All-District Team earlier this month. He is on the ballot for the Academic All-America Team to be announced Dec. 10.
 
Nominees for the MVFC All-Academic Team must be starters or important reserves, must have participated in at least 50 percent of his team's games, and carry a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.20 (on a 4.0 scale).
 
South Dakota senior defensive lineman Spencer Hopkins (Sioux Falls, S.D.) and sophomore punter Brady Schutt (Orange City, Iowa) earned honorable mention. Hopkins carries a 3.82 GPA while majoring in political science. Schutt has a 3.75 GPA while studying kinesiology and sport management.