(Peru, Neb.) – The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) has announced the 2011 Daktronics-NAIA Football Scholar-Athletes.  Six Peru State College (PSC) football players are among the 244 players across the country who were honored.
 
The six student-athletes receiving the recognition were Andrew Conn (Wausa), Cole Gottula (Franklin), Jacob Mertens (Hastings), Tim Oehring (Lincoln), Trey Rigby (Oak Grove, Mo.), and Joel Woodhead (North Platte).    This is the second recognition for Conn and Mertens.  Rigby, Oehring, and Woodhead technically were sophomores eligibility-wise, but have earned enough credits to be classified as juniors academically making them eligible for the honor.
 
Bobcat head coach Terry Clark and associate athletic director/sports information director Ted L. Harshbarger nominated the six football players.  Each student-athlete has to maintain a cumulative grade point average of 3.5 on a 4.0 scale and must be a junior academically to qualify for the recognition.

 Conn, a senior wide receiver, is a basic business education major.  The Wausa High School graduate will be student teaching this spring.  Last spring, Conn was the College's and the Midlands Collegiate Athletic Conference (MCAC) A.O. Duer nominee for national consideration through the NAIA.
 
A senior linebacker, Mertens came to PSC from Hastings High School.  Mertens' major is sport management and exercise science.  Earlier this fall, Mertens earned HAAC All Conference Honorable Mention recognition.
 
A high graduate of Franklin High School and a transfer from Fort Hays State (Kan.), Gottula is a middle grades education major.  Gottula, a senior, was named to the HAAC All Conference Second Team as a wide receiver.

 Oehring is a junior elementary education and special education major.   The Lincoln East high school graduate is a defensive end.
 
Another HAAC All Conference Honorable Mention honoree as a defensive back, Rigby is a biology education major.  Rigby is an Oak Grove (Mo.) High School graduate and transferred to PSC from Washburn University.
 
A North Platte High School graduate and a transfer from Chadron State College, Woodhead played both the running back and slot positions for the Bobcats.  Woodhead is a K-12 physical education major.
 
Coach Clark was pleased with the recognition of six of his student-athletes.  Clark stated, “Playing a collegiate sport demands a lot of time on a student-athlete - in the classroom, on the playing field, and in the weight room.  It takes good time management in order to accomplish success in all areas and these young men are truly deserving of this type of recognition.”