Northwestern University Athletics
Walker Jr. Leads Six 'Cats On All-B1G Defense & Special Teams
11/30/2015 8:53:00 PM | Football
ROSEMONT, Ill. -- Northwestern linebacker Anthony Walker Jr. was voted 2015 First Team All-Big Ten by both the media and the Conference's coaches, the Big Ten announced on Monday. The sophomore was one of six Wildcats to earn all-conference laurels on defense and special teams, a list that was unveiled Monday evening on Big Ten Network.
Walker piled up 14 tackles in Saturday's 24-14 win over Illinois at Soldier Field to finish the regular season with 113 in 12 games. The regular-season finale marked the sixth time this year that Walker finished with 10 or more tackles in a game. His 3.5 tackles for loss against the Illini brough his total to 19.5 for the season, the third-highest single-season mark in Northwestern history, and the second-best performance in college football this year.
The Miami native was one of six Wildcats to earn All-Big Ten honors on defense and special teams. Senior defensive end Dean Lowry and cornerback Nick VanHoose were consensus Second Team honorees, while senior defensive end Deonte Gibson and junior cornerback Matthew Harris were named to the Third Team defense, and sophomore Solomon Vault was selected as the Third Team All-Big Ten return specialist.
2015 ALL-BIG TEN DEFENSE & SPECIAL TEAMS
In addition, senior defensive lineman Max Chapman was named Northwestern's Sportsmanship Award nominee. The 14 student-athletes selected are individuals who have distinguished themselves through sportsmanship and ethical behavior. These students must also be in good academic standing and have demonstrated good citizenship outside of the sports-competition setting.
The All-Big Ten offense will be announced on Tuesday, Dec. 1, at 5 p.m. CT on Big Ten Network.
A learning and organizational change major, Walker is the first Wildcats student-athlete to earn First Team All-Big Ten honors since kicker Jeff Budzien in 2013, and the first to land on the First Team All-Big Ten defense since Brian Peters in 2011.
Earlier on Monday, Walker Jr. was named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week for the league-leading third time this season. It marked the second consecutive week Northwestern captured the award, after Deonte Gibson on Nov. 23 following his performance at Wisconsin.
Northwestern wrapped up the regular-season with a 24-14 win at Soldier Field on Saturday to improve to 10-2 on the year, and await a bowl destination that will be announced on Sunday, Dec. 6. The 2015 campaign marks the fourth time in program history the Wildcats have reached the 10-win plateau. Pat Fitzgerald has helped lead the 'Cats to three of those performances, one as a player (1995) and two in the last four years as the head coach (2012, 2015).
Walker piled up 14 tackles in Saturday's 24-14 win over Illinois at Soldier Field to finish the regular season with 113 in 12 games. The regular-season finale marked the sixth time this year that Walker finished with 10 or more tackles in a game. His 3.5 tackles for loss against the Illini brough his total to 19.5 for the season, the third-highest single-season mark in Northwestern history, and the second-best performance in college football this year.
The Miami native was one of six Wildcats to earn All-Big Ten honors on defense and special teams. Senior defensive end Dean Lowry and cornerback Nick VanHoose were consensus Second Team honorees, while senior defensive end Deonte Gibson and junior cornerback Matthew Harris were named to the Third Team defense, and sophomore Solomon Vault was selected as the Third Team All-Big Ten return specialist.
2015 ALL-BIG TEN DEFENSE & SPECIAL TEAMS
In addition, senior defensive lineman Max Chapman was named Northwestern's Sportsmanship Award nominee. The 14 student-athletes selected are individuals who have distinguished themselves through sportsmanship and ethical behavior. These students must also be in good academic standing and have demonstrated good citizenship outside of the sports-competition setting.
The All-Big Ten offense will be announced on Tuesday, Dec. 1, at 5 p.m. CT on Big Ten Network.
A learning and organizational change major, Walker is the first Wildcats student-athlete to earn First Team All-Big Ten honors since kicker Jeff Budzien in 2013, and the first to land on the First Team All-Big Ten defense since Brian Peters in 2011.
Earlier on Monday, Walker Jr. was named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week for the league-leading third time this season. It marked the second consecutive week Northwestern captured the award, after Deonte Gibson on Nov. 23 following his performance at Wisconsin.
Northwestern wrapped up the regular-season with a 24-14 win at Soldier Field on Saturday to improve to 10-2 on the year, and await a bowl destination that will be announced on Sunday, Dec. 6. The 2015 campaign marks the fourth time in program history the Wildcats have reached the 10-win plateau. Pat Fitzgerald has helped lead the 'Cats to three of those performances, one as a player (1995) and two in the last four years as the head coach (2012, 2015).
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