It was announced on Thursday that senior defensive lineman Brett Hutter (Ontario, CA) and junior linebacker Justin Butler (Poway, CA) of the 13th-ranked University of Redlands football program collected Capital One® Academic All-District First-Team honors from the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) for their success on the field and in the classroom.

After erupting on the scene in 2010, Hutter continues to make an impact in his final campaign with the Bulldogs.  In eight games this season, he leads the team with 11 tackles for a loss of 32 yards, highlighted by a team-high 4.5 sacks.  With relentless determination to interrupt the oncoming offense, Hutter has racked up 11 quarterback hurries to rank first on the squad.  He boasts 29 total tackles to go along with four pass break-ups.  This UR Scholar-Athlete also excels in the classroom, earning a 3.89 cumulative GPA as a Communicative Disorders major while landing on the Dean's List.

Butler's career has gained substantial momentum in his third season with the Bulldogs.  This linebacker ranks first on the team in assisted tackles with 36 and sits second overall with 66 hits.  Earlier this season, he blocked a punt and ran it back for the touchdown in Redlands' 42-40 victory against Occidental College.  So far, he has nabbed one interception for a 25-yard return while accounting for four pass break-ups.  This versatile defender also serves as a kick return specialist, racking up a team-leading 206 yards on 10 attempts.  A two-time UR Scholar-Athlete, Butler also offers outstanding academic accomplishments as a pre-med Biology major with a 3.53 cumulative GPA.

With their First-Team accolades, Hutter and Butler both move on to the national ballot for possible CoSIDA Academic All-America recognition.

For a complete list of the recipients, please visit http://cosida.com/media/documents/2011/11/2011_Football_Acad_All_District_NEW.pdf.

Redlands (7-1, 5-1 SCIAC) closes out the regular season on Saturday with a 1 p.m. non-conference game at Chapman University.