HOME OF BULLDOG FOOTBALL - 28 SCIAC Championships, including 10 since 1990

Senior Josh Cunningham Gains John Zinda Award

It was announced yesterday that 10 University of Redlands football players landed on the All-Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) teams, as determined by the head coaches at their end-of-the-season meeting.

Senior defensive lineman Josh Cunningham (Phoenix, AZ) headlines the group as the second Bulldog ever to receive the John Zinda Award, following Danny Ragsdale’s accolade in 1998. Honoring the senior player who best exemplifies the high ideals and characteristics demonstrated by John Zinda during his tenure as head football coach and athletic director at Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges, the criteria include performance, leadership, integrity, sportsmanship, positive attitude, and academic success. Cunningham also gained a spot on the First Team Defense for his eight tackles for a loss of 33 yards, including four sacks, in six conference games. He also mustered five quarterback hurries and one pass break-up during the 2009 SCIAC season. These are Cunningham’s first All-SCIAC awards.

Sophomore linebacker Ian Sluss (Vista, CA) and junior defensive back Mike Nicolini (Novato, CA) join him as members of the First Team.

Against conference opponents, Sluss served as the defensive cog for Redlands, leading the Bulldogs with 10.5 tackles for a loss of 55 yards, which was highlighted by six sacks for 39 yards. He ranked second among the conference players with 55 total hits. His play-making ability shone through with three forced fumbles, two quarterback hurries, one pass breakup, and one recovered fumble. Last season, Sluss landed on the All-SCIAC Second Team.

Nicolini continued his stellar play during the 2009 campaign, earning back-to-back First-Team awards. He ranked third on the team for total tackles with 39 against SCIAC foes. He came up with 3.5 tackles for a loss of 23 yards, including 2.5 sacks. He also posted three pass breakups and forced one fumble.

Sophomore defensive back Josh Herrera (Vista, CA) garnered his inaugural award with a Second-Team nod. This season, he made 26 hits and nabbed three interceptions during six conference games. He also contributed three pass breakups and recovered one fumble.

For the offense, senior quarterback Dan Selway (Villa Park, CA), senior wide receiver Brian Putman (Bakersfield, CA), and senior offensive lineman Travis McBride (Long Beach, CA) earned First-Team laurels, while junior running back Daylan Swedlow (Lake Arrowhead, CA) and senior offensive lineman Rick Albrecht (Yorba Linda, CA) were named to the Second Team.

Selway put up solid numbers as the team’s top play-caller in all six conference games. He led the SCIAC opponents with 135 completions on 214 attempts for a 159.06 efficiency rating. He amassed 1732 yards and 23 touchdowns, averaging 288.7 yards per game, which also ranked first among the conference. Revealing his versatility, he ran for 98 yards and one touchdown. This is Selway’s second All-SCIAC honor, following his Offensive Player of the Year award in 2007.

Serving as Selway’s favorite target, Putman gains his inaugural All-Conference accolade with a spot on the First Team. During the six-game SCIAC season, he posted 746 receiving yards on 54 catches for nine touchdowns. He averaged 124.3 yards per game, which landed him second among the conference opponents.

McBride rounds out the First-Team recipients, following his spot on the Second Team in 2008. He led a Redlands offensive line that surrendered just 11 sacks in 232 pass attempts while helping the Bulldogs rack up 2618 yards of total offense.

Earning his first All-Conference award with a Second-Team nod, Swedlow provided a solid ground game that was complementary to Selway’s airborne offense. He carried the ball 91 times for 380 yards in six conference games. He broke through opponents’ end zones on five occasions, accounting for all but two of the team’s rushing touchdowns.

Albrecht lands on the Second Team for his inaugural All-Conference award. As an offensive lineman, this three-year starter consistently provided solid pass protection for Selway.

In addition, Nicolini earned a Second-Team nod for his work on Special Teams. In six SCIAC games, he made 12 punt returns for 160 yards and one touchdown to go along with 16 kick returns for 373 yards. His averages of 13.3 yards for punts and 23.3 yards for kick-offs landed him second among the conference.

This season, the Bulldogs posted a 7-2 overall record to go along with a 4-2 mark in SCIAC, finishing third in the standings.

Cal Lutheran University’s Brian Stuart was named the SCIAC Offensive Player of the Year, with Occidental Colleges’ Alex Wertheimer taking home the Defensive Player of the Year award. In addition, University of La Verne’s Cedric Ho was named Newcomer of the Year.

For a complete list of the All-SCIAC recipients, please log onto www.thesciac.org.