WACO, Texas -- Missouri Valley College defensive lineman Merlin Benefield was selected to the American Football Coaches Association NAIA All-America for his performance during the 2009 season.
Benefield (97), a 5-foot-11, 266-pound senior from Harvey, La., was earlier chosen as the all-Heart of America Conference co-defensive "player of the year." It was his second appearance on the all-conference squad.
Benefield made 29 tackles for the Vikings during the season, 13 solo and eight for losses -- including 4.5 sacks. Valley posted an 8-3 record, 8-2 for third place in the league, and reached the NAIA Championship Series before being eliminated with a 24-6 first-round loss at Morningside (Iowa). (Chris Allen/Democrat-News) [Order this photo]
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Comments
Congrats to Merlin- more people need to be thankful for MVC athletes/students representing our community in a positve way.