ROCK HILL, S.C. --- Tusculum College had eight selections named to the 2012 All-South Atlantic Conference Football Team announced league officials Tuesday.

Luke Harris and Skylar West were named to the All-SAC First Team, while the second team included Brian Marshall, Israel Pickens, Brian Alexander, Andy Rosetti and Xzanvion Smith who was an All-Conference choice at both wide receiver and return specialist.

Tusculum's eight honorees were tied for the third most in the conference. Lenoir-Rhyne, this year's SAC Champion, posted a league-best 12 selections. Carson-Newman was second with nine, while Tusculum and Catawba were third with eight. Mars Hill and Wingate were fifth with seven honorees each, followed by Newberry (5) and Brevard (4).

Harris, a 6-1, 210-pound senior defensive back from Floyd, Va., finished seventh in the league in total tackles with 102, marking only the eighth time in school history that a Pioneer has eclipsed the 100-tackle plateau for a season. Harris' 9.27 tackles per game average is the eighth-best in the league and 61st in NCAA Division II. The Floyd County High School graduate recorded 10 or more tackles on three occasions this season, including a career-high 17 tackles against Carson-Newman, which are tied for the seventh most in TC history. Harris wraps up his TC career with 231 tackles, which are ninth in the Tusculum record book.

West, a 6-5, 240-pound senior from Oneida, Tenn. (Oneida HS), becomes the first long-snapper in SAC history to earn first team All-Conference honors all four years (2009-12). The 2011 Beyond Sports Network All-America Second Team honoree played in all 11 games this year as he was perfect on all 55 of his long snaps on the TC punt team, while also recording six tackles on special teams. In his collegiate career, only two punts were blocked on his 192 career long snaps.

Smith, a 5-11, 190-pound junior from Anderson, S.C., is currently the top all-purpose performer in the conference, averaging 150.45 yards per game, which is 23rd in the country. He posted 1,013 receiving yards this year, which is third in the league and 18th in the country. The Westside High School product becomes only the fourth player to post 1,000 receiving yards in a season. He scored 10 touchdowns, which are tied for the fifth most in the league. Smith tallied eight TD receptions and returned two kickoffs for touchdowns, covering 83 and 79 yards. He averaged 23.78 yards per kickoff return (8th in TC history), which is second in the conference and 52nd in the nation. He returned 27 kickoffs (5th in TC history) for 642 yards (3rd in TC history) this season.

Against West Georgia earlier this year, Smith established a school record with 219 receiving yards on 14 receptions (2nd in TC history), breaking the TC mark that has stood for a dozen years. He also broke the school single-game all-purpose yardage record with 311 against Brevard. In that game, he posted 149 receiving yards and 162 on his two kickoff returns for touchdowns. For his efforts, he was named the SAC and NCAA Division II Special Teams Player of the Week.

Marshall, a 5-7, 180-pound senior from Chattanooga, Tenn., earns All-SAC Second Team honors at running back. He played in eight games this fall, while suffering a season-ending injury on the opening kickoff of the second half in the Oct. 20 home game against Newberry. On the season, the Ooltewah High School alum amassed 1,308 all-purpose yards, which are the eighth-most in school history, while averaging 163.5 yards per game. Marshall averaged 5.0 yards per carry as he ran for 287 yards on 57 rush attempts, including three touchdowns. He also finished second on the team with his 47 receptions for 398 yards and a TD. He averaged 25,95 yards on kickoff returns (6th in TC history) and 10.83 yards on punt returns (6th in TC history).

Marshall ends his collegiate career as the only player in program history to record 1,000 yards each in rushing (1,091 - 10th in TC history) and receiving (1,170 - 15th in TC history). His 2,975 career all-purpose yards are seventh in Tusculum history while his 23.36 career kickoff return average is the fifth-best by a Pioneer and his 131 career receptions are eighth.

Pickens, a 6-4, 305-pound senior from Piedmont, S.C., started all 11 games this season at offensive tackle. The Woodmont High School graduate played in 31 games on the offensive line for a passing offense that finished in the top 20 in the nation in his four years with the program.

Alexander, a 6-1, 235-pound junior from Union Point, Ga., led the TC linebacker corps with 95 tackles in his 10 starts. The Greene County High School graduate averaged 9.5 tackles per contest, which are sixth in the SAC and 51st in NCAA II. Alexander accounted for six games of 10 or more tackles this season, including a stretch of four consecutive games of 10 tackles. In this year's season opener at Urbana, he posted 15 tackles and followed nine tackles at West Georgia, including three for loss and a pair of sacks, earning him TSWA Defensive Player of the Week honors. On the season, he finished with nine tackles for loss with four sacks, five pass break-ups, a fumble forced and a fumble recovered. He also blocked a kick against Brevard.

Alexander has amassed 240 career tackles, which are the eighth most in Tusculum history, while his 30 hits behind the line of scrimmage are also tied for eighth in the Pioneer record book.

Rosetti, a 5-11, 195-pound senior punter from Kenneth City, Fla., wrapped up one of the most consistent careers at his position in school history. Rosetti, who earned All-SAC Second Team honors last season, finished second in the league with his 42.09 punting average, which is currently 14th in the nation and third best in Tusculum history. The St. Petersburg High School product established a TC single-season record with 25 punts inside the 20-yard line, giving him 54 for his career (2nd in TC history). Of his 55 punts this year, 11 were for 50 or more yards with nine fair catches and only three touchbacks. He also went 3-for-5 in passing on his five fake punts, covering 54 yards. He also boomed a pair of career-high 64-yard punts against North Greenville and Lenoir-Rhyne, both the ninth longest in school history.

Rosetti's 39.19 career punting average is the fifth-best in school history, while his 148 career punts for 5,800 yards are both second-most ever by a Pioneer.

The All-South Atlantic Conference Football Team is selected by the league's head football coaches.

- SAC -

2012 All-South Atlantic Conference Football Team
FIRST TEAM
Offense
QB - Brandon Haywood, Carson-Newman
WR - Chris Bowden, Wingate
WR - Dimitri Holmes, Mars Hill
WR - Corey Washington, Newberry
RB - Brandon Baker, Carson-Newman
RB - Jarrod Spears, Lenoir-Rhyne
RB - Shaikel Davis, Mars Hill
OL - Kaleb Myrick, Lenoir-Rhyne
OL - Kevin Day, Carson-Newman
OL - Nick Allison, Mars Hill
OL - Joseph So, Wingate
OL - LeQuawn James, Newberry
TE - Eric Watts, Brevard
LS - Skylar West, Tusculum
P - Eric Watts, Brevard
PK - Curt Duncan, Carson-Newman

FIRST TEAM
Defense
DL - Brandon Martin, Lenoir-Rhyne
DL - Troy Harris, Mars Hill
DL - Mam Nyang, Mars Hill
DL - DeShon Collins, Carson-Newman
LB - Cory Johnson, Catawba
LB - Tanner Botts, Lenoir-Rhyne
LB - Apollo Stretch, Newberry
LB - Michael Gruber, Brevard
LB - Demetrius Green, Lenoir-Rhyne
DB - Michael Green, Lenoir-Rhyne
DB - Jumal Rolle, Catawba
DB - Myer Nolan, Lenoir-Rhyne
DB - Luke Harris, Tusculum
RS - L.J. McCray, Catawba

SECOND TEAM
Offense
QB - Reuben Haynes, Lenoir-Rhyne
WR - Xzanvion Smith, Tusculum
WR - Nate Charest, Catawba
WR - Duenta Jennings, Mars Hill
RB - Brian Marshall, Tusculum
RB - Isaiah Whitaker, Lenoir-Rhyne
RB - Tyron Douglas, Carson-Newman
OL - Israel Pickens, Tusculum
OL - Alex Taylor, Carson-Newman
OL - Andrew Valazquez, Brevard
OL - Parker Murray, Lenoir-Rhyne
OL - Ethan Winn, Catawba
TE - Mark Clyburn, Wingate
LS - D.J. Davis, Catawba
P - Andy Rosetti, Tusculum
PK - Zach Neumann, Lenoir-Rhyne

SECOND TEAM
Defense
DL - Jacob Hanes, Catawba
DL - Letavious Williams, Newberry
DL - Damein Lee, Catawba
DL - Malcolm Ricks, Wingate
DL - Nick Napolitano, Wingate
LB - Jared Seate, Wingate
LB - Rudy Cabral, Mars Hill
LB - Brian Alexander, Tusculum
DB - Oliver Davis, Carson-Newman
DB - Isaac Kinley, Carson-Newman
DB - Timmy Rogers, Wingate
DB - Brian Spencer, Newberry
RS - Michael Green, Lenoir-Rhyne
RS - Xzanvion Smith, Tusculum

SAC Co-Offensive Players Of The Year - Brandon Haywood, Carson-Newman & Chris Bowden, Wingate
SAC Co-Defensive Players Of The Year - Troy Harris, Mars Hill & Cory Johnson, Catawba
SAC Offensive Freshman Of The Year - Jaquan Marsh, Brevard
SAC Defensive Freshman Of The Year - Jarvis Neal, Carson-Newman
SAC Co-Jacobs Blocking Trophy - Kaleb Myrick, Lenoir-Rhyne & Kevin Day, Carson-Newman
SAC Coach Of The Year - Mike Houston, Lenoir-Rhyne
SAC Scholar Athlete for Football - Robbie Nallenweg, Wingate