By Robert McKinney, Assistant Athletics Director, Communications
SALEM, Ore. -- Willamette University wide receiver Max Andersen (Jr./So., WR, Chico, CA/Pleasant Valley HS/Butte College) has been selected First Team CoSIDA NCAA Division III Academic All-District VIII in football, as voted by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). Andersen and other First Team Academic All-District selections are eligible to be chosen for the CoSIDA NCAA Division III Academic All-America Team, which will be announced on June 4.
A total of 26 student-athletes were named to the Academic All-District VIII Team. Andersen was one of five student-athletes chosen from the Northwest Conference. This year, nominations were based on career stats since teams played anywhere from no games to a complete season in 2020-21 due to COVID-19.
"Max is an incredible student-athlete," Willamette Head Football Coach Isaac Parker said. "He is an intelligent student and navigates difficult classes and a busy schedule. He is a great football player who has proven his value on the field of competition. However, Max's value might be the greatest as a teammate and leader. He consistently demonstrates self-awareness and empathy for his teammates, has a good pulse of the team's morale, and is a consummate example of the culture we are building in our program."
CoSIDA District VIII includes colleges and universities in the western United States. Players nominated for the CoSIDA All-District Team were starters or key reserves with cumulative grade point averages of 3.3 or higher (4.0 scale). Each nominated player was at their current college or university for at least one academic year.
Willamette did not play any games during 2020-21, but practiced for much of the year under COVID-19 protocols and took on Lewis & Clark College in a controlled scrimmage this spring. The Bearcats competed in 10 games in 2019, including nine NCAA games.
First Team CoSIDA NCAA Division III Academic All-District VIII
Andersen received Academic All-District VIII honors for the first time. He has been with the Bearcats since the fall of 2019. At Willamette, he is majoring in Economics. He entered the spring with a 3.64 grade point average. Andersen earned Honorable Mention All-Northwest Conference recognition during the 2019 season. Prior to attending Willamette, he redshirted for one season at Butte College in his hometown of Chico, California, in 2017-18, and then sat out for one year.
In 2019, Andersen played in all nine games at wide receiver, including six starts. He led the Bearcats with 47 catches for 852 yards and 10 touchdowns. He averaged 18.1 yards per catch.
Along the way, Andersen set several school records. He set the record for longest reception with a 95-yard touchdown catch against Pacific Lutheran University on Nov. 16, 2019. He set another record with 16 catches versus the University of Puget Sound on Nov. 9, 2019, two weeks after tying the single game record with 14 catches against Lewis & Clark on Oct. 26. During the game at L&C, he set a Willamette record with 247 receiving yards, breaking the previous record of 244 set by Jeff Jones against Western Oregon University on Oct. 5, 1985.
Andersen gained over 100 receiving yards four times in 2019. In addition to the school record performance against L&C, he achieved 235 yards against Puget Sound, attained 171 yards versus Pacific Lutheran, and registered 127 yards against Pacific. He averaged 94.7 yards per game to rank fourth in the NWC. He also ranked fourth in the conference in receiving yards, yards per catch, and touchdown receptions.
"He embodies the qualities we strive to build in Bearcat Football, and does it with a signature smile every day," Parker commented. "Especially in this COVID year, his positive energy helped our team progress through canceled games, early-morning lifts, and funky practices, while helping guide this team to making major improvements. As someone who has already proven himself in competition, he stands out as a hard worker with a constantly positive outlook. Max is valued and loved, and we are proud of his accomplishments in the classroom and in football. The best part of it all is I'm confident the best of him is yet to come in the next two years!"
