Stoll receives prestigious academic honor again

MISSOULA, Mont. — Former Sandpoint football player and current University of Montana senior safety Erik Stoll was once again named to the 2010 ESPN Academic University Division 1 All-District 7 football first team recently.

An exemplary student-athlete, Stoll has now been named to the District 7 academic team three straight years. He maintains a 3.92 GPA in biology. Stoll will now advance to the national ballot and possibly earn Academic All-American recognition. The qualifying standards include having a minimum 3.3 grade point average at Montana and being a significant contributor to the team.

On the field, the 6-2, 205 pound strong safety has played in 40 straight games and started in the last 24 in a row at Montana. Stoll is currently UM’s third leading tackler with 70 stops and is ranked 19th in the nation in interceptions with five, emerging as an NFL safety prospect in the process.

The 14th ranked Grizzlies (7-3, 5-2 Big Sky) host No. 8 Montana State (8-2, 6-1 Big Sky), and Stoll will be one of 15 players celebrating Senior Day in a huge game for both teams in front of more than 25,000 rabid fans at Washington-Grizzly Stadium.

A Grizzly win should assure them of their 18th straight trip to the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs. A Bobcat victory would give MSU its first outright Big Sky title since 1984. MSU defeated Eastern Washington 30-7 earlier this season, so it would win the tie-breaker based on head-to-head play and receive the league’s automatic FCS playoff berth.