AZUSA, Calif. – Junior LB Jay York has been named the NAIA Independent Schools Defensive Player of the Year and heads a list of 7 Cougars who have earned 2009 NAIA All-Independent first team honors as selected by the coaches of the 8 NAIA schools without conference affiliation.

York, a 3-year starter out of Taylor High School in Katy, Texas, tallied a team-high 125 tackles to become the first Cougar since NAIA All-American Steve Holte in 2005 to eclipse the century mark in tackles. York was the Cougars’ top tackler in 9 of this season’s 11 games, recording a career-high 17 take-downs in the season-opener vs. NAIA power Carroll College, followed by 16 tackles vs. Southern Oregon, and 15 more on the road at Trinity University. York finished the season sixth in the NAIA with 11.4 tackles a game. He boosted his numbers with 7 tackles for loss, including a pair of quarterback sacks, 4 pass deflections and 2 interceptions, including one that he returned 72 yards against NCAA Division III nationally-ranked Wisconsin-Stevens Point.

York’s fellow defensive mate, senior Brent Willard joined York on the NAIA All-Independent first team. The Cougars were represented on the offensive side by senior RB Chris Brown, senior center Louis Magallon and sophomore WR Matt Davis.

Senior Ben Hansen was selected as the all-independent first team place kicker while sophomore Jeremiah Andujo was named to the first team as both a kick and punt returner.

“I’m really proud of each of these young men, not only for their athletic exploits but also for the leadership and work ethic they displayed throughout the entire 2009 season,” said fourth-year Cougar coach Victor Santa Cruz. “It’s no surprise that they are being honored when you take into account their determination and toughness that they displayed in their daily character.”

Willard, who appeared in 40 games during his 4-year Cougar career, registered 52 tackles this season, which included 5 tackles for loss and 2 sacks. He also forced 2 fumbles. He closed his career with 23 tackles over the final 3 games, including a career-high 9 in back-to-back games vs. Western Oregon University and Trinity.

Brown led all independent players with 11 rushing TDs and was third with 714 rushing yards. He posted a pair of 100-yard games, including a season-high 121 yards and 2 TDs on 23 carries vs. Wisconsin-La Crosse. He closed his Cougar career with 185 yards on 31 carries (6.0 avg.) and 4 TDs in the final 2 games of the season, including 104 yards on just 13 carries vs. Trinity.

Magallon was a consistent force on the Cougar offensive front, starting all 11 games this year and 19 of the 21 he appeared in during his 2-year Azusa Pacific career. He was the leader of line that yielded just 8 quarterback sacks on 302 pass plays this year.

Davis emerged not only as the Cougars’ go-to man in the passing game but also as the team’s big-play player. He led the team with 39 receptions and averaged a hefty 19.8 yards per catch, second-best in the NAIA. He had 10 grabs of 40-yards or more, including an 85-yard TD reception against Carroll, the longest catch by a Cougar since the school-record 94-yarder was set in 1999. All told, he finished 773 reception yards and 6 TD catches on the campaign.

Hansen closed a great 4-year career as the best place-kicker in Azusa Pacific history. He set the school record for most field goals made in a career (41) and the highest field goal percentage in a season (.941/16-of-17 in 2007) and career (.789/41-for-52). He led the NAIA this season with 18 made field goals made, including 2 beyond 50 yards, a career-best 53-yarder vs. Wisconsin-Stevens Point, 1 yard shy of the school record, and another of 52 yards vs. Langston University in the season-finale. He made 3 or more field goals in 3 different games, and twice was named the NAIA Special Teams Player of the Week.

Andujo came on strong over the second half of the season, developing into an electrifying returner who averaged 24.3 yards on kick returns and 11.9 on punt returns. Over the final 6 games, Andujo boosted his numbers to 27.7 yards a kick return and 13.9 yards a punt return. He put together an exceptional game against Dixie State College in which he collected 181 yards on 5 returns, 80 of which came on a kickoff and another 43 on a punt.

The 7 Cougars selected to the first team were the most by any team. In all 57 players were honored on the first- and second-teams with Southern Oregon leading all schools with 11 selections.

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