Lindsey Branch, UMW Sports Information
DILLON, Mont. – The Associated Press (AP) NAIA All-American teams were released on Friday morning, with three Bulldogs earning nods on this year's list. The AP All-American teams are selected by a panel of sports writers and sports information directors.
UMW offensive lineman Marcus Lombard earned a selection on the AP NAIA First Team All-American.
Lombard, a 6-1, 300lb redshirt senior offensive lineman from Laie, Hawaii, earned his first AP All-American nod after previously being selected to the AFCA NAIA First Team All-American team. He was also named Frontier first team all-conference offensive line this season.
This season, the Bulldog offense broke the total offense in a season record set in 2021 at 5,399 yards. They totaled 5,773 yards of offense this season and broke the record for passing yards in a season with a previous record set in 1994 at 3,535. They also broke the total points scored record that was set in 2021. They totaled 3,735 passing yards and totaled 498 points this season.
Bulldog quarterback Michael Palandri earned AP Second Team All-American honors.
Palandri, a 6-1, 215lb quarterback from Maple Valley, Wash., earned his spot on the AP All-American list after another impressive season that saw him break three passing records and leading the Bulldog offense to break another three records. He was also selected Frontier first team all-conference previously this season.
Palandri completed 68.26% of his passes this season, surpassing the previous record of 64.9% set by Jason Truman in 1995. He also broke Truman's single-season passing yards record from 1994, eclipsing the former mark of 3,503 yards with an impressive 3,670-yard total. Additionally, Palandri amassed 3,972 total offensive yards and threw 34 touchdown passes, shattering Truman's 1994 records of 3,758 total yards and 33 passing touchdowns.
UMW wide receiver Eli Nourse also earned a spot as an AP Second Team All-American.
Nourse, a 5-10, 170lb sophomore from Dillon, Mont. earned his second AP All-American nod in his career. In addition, he was recently named AFCA All-America second-after he led the Bulldogs this season with 1205 receiving yards and averaged 100.42 yards per game. He broke his own single season record for receiving yards of 1,186 in the final game of the season, totaling 1,205 yards this season. Nourse finished eighth in the country in yards per game and sixth in total touchdowns with 12 this season.
To view the full release and complete list of recipients, click here.
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