Friday, December 14, 2018

WICHITA FALLS, Texas – Azusa Pacific senior linebacker Aaron Berry is an All-American not once, but twice over.

The GNAC Defensive Player of the Year was the only GNAC player named to the Division II Conference Commissioners Association’s (D2CCA) Football All-America Second Team, released on Dec. 12. It the second All-American award for the senior, who was also named a Second Team All-American by the American Football Coaches Association.

In addition to the All-America awards, Berry is one of two GNAC finalists for the Cliff Harris Award, presented to the top small college defensive player in the nation.

Berry, selected by coaches as the GNAC Defensive Player of the Year, led the GNAC with 105 total tackles and averaged 8.8 tackles per game to lead an APU defense that limited teams to 394.1 yards per game. He also led the conference with 17 tackles for loss and is ranked 40th in Division II with 1.4 tackles for loss per game. Berry had double-digit tackles in four games, led by his 14 against West Texas A&M on Sept. 1.

Berry was part of an Azusa Pacific program that finished with an 8-4 overall record and shared the GNAC championship with Central Washington. The Cougars advanced to the NCAA Division II Playoffs for the first time since 2016, losing in the first round to Tarleton State.