INDIANAPOLIS – Eight student-athletes representing each of the Great Lakes Valley Conference’s football programs have been selected to attend GLVC Football Kickoff 2013, which will take place in St. Louis, Mo., on Wednesday, July 31. The conference contingent, highlighted by five All-GLVC returners, will participate in the second annual event, which will serve both the league’s media members and passionate fans through several social media outlets. GLVC Football Kickoff 2013 will take place at the Millennium Student Center on the campus of the University of Missouri-St. Louis from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. CT.
University of Indianapolis senior quarterback
Chris Mills (Lafayette, Ind./Lafayette Central Catholic) headlines the list of player attendees as he was named a first-team All-Conference honoree last year. Mills guided the Greyhounds to an outright GLVC Championship and the second round of the NCAA Division II Playoff, throwing for 3,013 yards, 27 touchdowns in 13 starts. He broke his own single-season school records for completions (246) and completion percentage (.665) last season and was twice named GLVC Offensive Player of the Week.
Kentucky Wesleyan College sophomore defensive back
Cuda Dimmett (Evansville, Ind./Reitz) and Quincy University senior defensive lineman
Cory Connolly (Aurora, Ill./Waubonsie Valley) will be representing their institutions in St. Louis following second-team All-GLVC accolades. Dimmett finished second on the team with 58 tackles, including 45 solo stops, while also nabbing two interceptions against Missouri S&T and a 99-yard fumble return for a touchdown at William Jewell. Connolly concluded the year with 35 tackles, including 7.5 for a loss. He was second on the team with 4.5 sacks and also blocked two kicks for the Hawks.
Two offensive standouts – McKendree University offensive lineman
Richie Rebmann (Bensenville, Ill./Fenton) and William Jewell College quarterback
Sean Shelton (Palm Harbor, Fla./Palm Harbor University HS) – are back for their final seasons following honorable mention All-GLVC efforts as juniors. An anchor at left tackle, Rebmann helped limit McKendree opponents to 16 sacks in 2012, while Shelton threw for 2,131 yards and 18 touchdowns, averaging 193.7 yards each time out.
Another senior signal caller will be in attendance as
Billy VandeMerkt (Riverside, Ill./Riverside-Brookfield) will be representing Saint Joseph’s College. VandeMerkt was twice named GLVC Offensive Player of the Week last season, the first of which came after he played an integral role in Saint Joseph’s 36-34 come-from-behind victory at Valparaiso in the season opener. The win marked the first-ever GLVC football victory for the conference.
Missouri S&T junior wide receiver
Leon Moody (St. Louis, Mo./DeSmet Jesuit) and Truman State University redshirt sophomore defensive end
Devin Gillespie (St. Louis, Mo./Hazelwood Central) will also be in attendance. Gillespie, who will be helping guide the Bulldogs through their first year of GLVC competition, registered 21 tackles and a pair of sacks last year in Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletic Association action. Moody, who missed half of last season due to injury, will be one of the Miners’ primary aerial targets this year, having averaged nearly 10 yards per catch in 2012.
The head coach and one student-athlete from each of the eight GLVC football institutions will be on hand to help promote the conference’s second season. Fans are encouraged to participate in the event through a variety of social media platforms, and interact with each GLVC school as they rotate through stations over the course of the 90-minute event. A complete schedule, as well as the official GLVC Football Kickoff 2013 website, will be announced on Wednesday, July 24.
Media members interested in attending the GLVC Football Kickoff 2013 can apply for credentials by contacting GLVC Assistant Commissioner Jeff Smith at
jeff@glvc-sports.org.