HICKORY, N.C. -- For the fourth straight season, the Lenoir-Rhyne Football Team was represented on the CoSIDA Academic All-District Team as announced this afternoon. For the 2020-21 season, QB Grayson Willingham and K Chase Allbaugh earned All-District honors. 

This is Willingham's second straight First Team Academic All-District award. The Matthews, N.C. native owns a 3.80 GPA as a graduate student in Business Administration and has his name all over the LR record book. Willingham is the only QB in team history to have four 300-yard passing games and owns the program record for most career touchdown passes. Willingham is second in most career yards and fourth in career completion percentage. He owns the single-season record for touchdown passes and completion percentage as well. On top of that, Willingham has only lost four games in his three full years as a starting QB. 

Allbaugh earns his first Academic All-District award as the Tallahassee, Fla. native owns a 3.68 GPA in Business Management and Marketing. Allbaugh owns an NCAA record for most consecutive extra points made without a miss in a season with 76. This spring, Allbaugh became the all-time leader at Lenoir-Rhyne in points by a kicker and he owns the conference record for most points by a kicker in a single season. Allbaugh tied the team record with five made FGs in an NCAA Playoff win over Florida Tech in 2018 and has made 111 straight extra points which is 16 shy of an NCAA record. 

First Team Academic All-District honorees advance to the CoSIDA Academic All-American Team ballot, with First and Second Team Academic All-American honorees to be announced in July. The duo will look to give LR a streak of three straight seasons with an Academic All-American. 

NCAA DIVISION II – Super Region 2
FIRST TEAM
Pos.    Name                                School                                                                  Yr.     GPA            Major
QB       Grayson Willingham      Lenoir-Rhyne University                                    Gr.     3.75/3.80     Business Administration
RB       Sam Wilder                      Mississippi College                                            Jr.      4.00             Business Administration
WR      Trevor Grant                    Wingate University                                             So.    4.00             Finance
OL       Demetrius Blackwell        Catawba College                                                 Sr.     3.65             Business Administration
OL       Christian Coulter             Tusculum University                                           So.    3.47             Sports Science
OL       Hunter Jolly                     Wingate University                                             Sr.     3.38             Exercise Science
OL       Andrew Strickland           Wingate University                                             Gr.     3.81/3.88     Accounting (UG) / Accounting (G)
OL       Najee Wilson                   Winston-Salem State University                        Sr.     3.42             Business Administration
K          Chase Allbaugh               Lenoir-Rhyne University                                    Sr.     3.68             Business Management & Marketing
DL       Gavin Greene                  Mississippi College                                            Sr.     3.43             Administration of Justice / Homeland Security
DL       Karron Jeter                     Winston-Salem State University                        Sr.     3.52             Exercise Science
DL       Stephen Thurston           Catawba College                                                 Sr.     3.45             Sports Management
LB        Jackson Cauthen            Tusculum University                                           Sr.     3.96             Nursing
LB        Ridge Futral                     Mississippi College                                            Jr.      4.00             Biochemistry
LB        Jonathan Jones              Mississippi College                                            Sr.     3.55             Kinesiology
P          Andrew Cantrell               Tusculum University                                           Jr.      3.64             Chemistry & Pre-Pharmacy
ST       Tucker Mullis                   Wingate University                                             Sr.     3.82             Management