AP Division II All-America Team

AP – Slippery Rock University offensive standouts Steve Gaviglia and Wes Hills were named to All-America honors when the Associated Press Division II Football All-America team was announced Wednesday afternoon.
 
Gaviglia and Hills were both named to second team honors by the AP with Hills being selected as one of just four running backs in the country to earn the All-America honor and Gaviglia being selected as one of 10 offensive linemen.
 
In addition to the Associated Press honor, Gaviglia was also named to second team All-America honors by the Division II Conference Commissioner's Association (D2CCA) Wednesday and has now been named to all three reputable Division II All-America teams that have been announced so far this year (American Football Coaches Association, D2CCA and AP).
 
This marks the second year the Associated Press has recognized a Division II All-America team after splitting from the previous "AP Little All-America" model that lumped all divisions below Division I onto one team.
 
Gaviglia and Hills both had impressive senior seasons for Slippery Rock this fall, leading The Rock to the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Western Division title and to the NCAA quarterfinals as one of the final eight teams in the playoffs. Both men were named to first team All-PSAC honors following the season and both have now been honored as All-Region and All-America performers.
 
Slippery Rock finished the year with an 11-3 overall record, marking the third highest single-season win total in program history.
 
A brief look at the seasons put together by Gaviglia and Hills can be found below.
 

STEVE GAVIGLIA – 2nd TEAM OL
A senior from Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania, Gaviglia becomes just the fifth SRU player since 2010 to be named to at least three reputable All-America teams in the same year. Gaviglia is a three-time All-PSAC selection that started 35 games in his four-year SRU career, including 25 straight at right tackle over the last two years. A team captain this year, Gaviglia graded out as one of the highest graded SRU offensive linemen in the last decade, finishing above 90 percent over 14 games and putting together multiple perfect grades throughout the year.
 
He helped pave the way for a rushing attack that racked up 2,838 yards and averaged 202.7 yards per game. The Rock offense averaged 37.2 points per game and averaged 458.7 total yards per game in 2018. Gaviglia was the standout of an offensive line that helped running back Wes Hills shatter the single-season rushing record. In addition to his excellence on the field, Gaviglia is also a first team Academic All-District honoree.
 
His postseason accolades in 2018 include second team All-America selections by the AFCA, AP and D2CCA, a first team All-Region recognition from D2CCA, first team All-PSAC honors and first team CoSIDA Academic All-District honors.
 
WES HILLS – 2nd TEAM RB
A senior from Wildwood, New Jersey that transferred into Slippery Rock for his final season of eligibility this fall, Hills earns his first career All-America recognition with the AP honor. It comes on the heels of a season in which he shattered the SRU single-season rushing record with 1,714 yards (6.98 yards per carry), despite missing nearly three full games with an injury.
 
He was injured just two plays into a week two game and missed all of the rest of that game and the next two full games. He returned in week five with limited touches to test the injury and returned to the starting lineup in week six. From then on, he topped 100 yards in seven different games, went over 150 yards in six games, ran for 200 or more yards in three games and totaled 1,476 rushing yards over nine weeks (164.0 yards per game). He topped 150 yards in all three NCAA playoff games, including rushing for 154 yards and averaging 8.2 yards per carry in the quarterfinals against the nation's second best rushing unit, which entered the game allowing just 62 rushing yards per game. His 1,714 rushing yards topped the former SRU record of 1,601 yards set by LaMonte Coleman in 1994.
 
Following the season, Hills was invited to play in the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl at Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena, California Jan. 19, where he will showcase his talents in front of hundreds of NFL coaches, general managers and scouts. Every team in the NFL sent scouts to Slippery Rock's campus this year to see Hills, whose list of postseason honors includes the second team AP All-America recognition, a first team All-PSAC selection and a second team D2CCA All-Region honor.
 

  
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