Wednesday, December 2, 2015
by Cody Bush, PFL Media Relations

SAINT LOUIS, Mo. – Butler senior quarterback Matt Shiltz and Dayton senior linebacker Christopher Beaschler were named the Pioneer Football League Co-Scholar Athletes of the Year, Wednesday. The two also were among 52 PFL student-athletes selected to the 23rd annual Academic All-PFL Teams, as selected by the league’s sports information directors.

It is the second year the PFL has recognized its top student-athletes, both on the field and in the classroom, with the Scholar-Athlete of the Year award. It also is the second year there were two honorees due to a tie in the voting.

Beaschler, from Ada, Ohio, is a mechanical engineering major who accumulated a 3.68 grade-point average entering his senior season at Dayton. He was named to the CoSIDA Academic All-District Teams™ in October. Beaschler is a three-time Academic All-PFL selection and a three-time member of the league’s academic honor roll.

On the field, Beaschler led Dayton and was fifth in the PFL in total tackles (98) and solo tackles (53), marshalling a Flyers defense that ranked 16th in the FCS in both pass efficiency defense (105.8) and scoring defense (18.6) at regular season’s end. He was a first-team All-PFL selection for a second consecutive year as he helped lead Dayton to a share of the PFL Championship and the league’s bid into the Division I Football Championship.

Shiltz, from St. Charles, Illinois, is an accounting major who amassed a sterling 3.93 grade-point average through his first three seasons at Butler. It is the second consecutive season Shiltz has been recognized on the Academic All-PFL team and has been a member of the PFL academic honor roll each of his four seasons.

Returning from an injury-shortened 2014, Shiltz ranked among the nation’s top 10 in total offense (5th, 304.7 ypg) and points responsible for (6th, 186). He threw for 2,713 yards (15th in FCS) and 19 touchdowns (21st) to help Butler finish fourth in the regular-season race. Shiltz was a second-team All-PFL selection this season.

Drake senior quarterback Andy Rice, Drake senior linebacker Taylor Coleman and Dayton senior safety Danny Leach each joined an exclusive group of three-time Academic All-PFL honorees – a list that now counts just 36 members in 23 seasons.

In addition, seven student-athletes appear as first-team honorees for a second consecutive year: Beaschler, Shiltz, Davidson senior offensive lineman Josh Daryoush, Dayton senior wide receiver Cory Stuart, Butler senior tight end Zach Wolfe, Stetson junior safety Donald Payne and Morehead State junior punter Pat DiSalvio.

The Academic All-PFL teams are a complement to the Capital One Academic All-America® program presented by the College Sports Information Directors of America. Eleven PFL student-athletes were named to their respective Capital One Academic All-District Teams® this fall. The 2015 Capital One Academic All-America Teams® will be announced Thursday.

Pioneer Football League athletic directors established the Academic All-PFL squads in 1993 as a way to recognize the league’s outstanding student-athletes. To be eligible for Academic All-PFL consideration, a student-athlete must be a varsity starter or key reserve, maintain a cumulative grade-point average of 3.30 on a scale of 4.00 and reached their second season both athletically and academically at his current institution.