We've tracked the top players on a weekly basis all year long, now it's our chance to tell you who were the best in the nation at each position in 1999. We picked three teams of players and an honorable mention squad based on nominations by SIDs and coaches.

First Team

Offense

QB Michael Burton, Trinity A finalist for both the 1999 Gagliardi and Melberger Awards, the senior passed for 2,413 yards and 25 touchdowns during the regular season. He surpassed the 9,000-yard career mark in game against Millsaps, with 143 yards. Regular-season high was 327 yards against Washington (Mo.) University. Completed 180 of 291 passes, with eight interceptions. Also rushed 43 yards for three touchdowns. Holds 16 school records and shares one more.

RB R.J. Bowers, Grove City The junior (right) led the nation in rushing and scoring for second year in a row and became the first player in Division III history to rush for 2000 yards in two different seasons. He also set D-III records for consecutive 100-yard games (26, an active streak) and career 200-yard games (13).

RB Paul Smith, Gettysburg The senior averaged 154.6 yards rushing per game, but led Division III in all-purpose yards with 271.7, thanks to 30.1 receiving yards, 25.5 punt return and 61.5 kickoff return yards per game. Ran for 390 yards and garnered 527 all-purpose yards against Muhlenberg.

WR Scott Pingel, Westminster The senior became the NCAA's All-Division leader in career receptions, receiving yards and touchdown catches. Pingel set an  All-Divisions record for receptions per game in a single season with 13.6. Ends career with 436 catches, 6108 yards and 75 touchdowns. Pingel caught 136 balls for 1,648 yards and 24 touchdowns in 1999.

WR Sean Eaton, Randolph-Macon
The school's and ODAC's single-season leader for receptions with 95, Eaton caught for 1,289 yards, breaking the school and conference records there as well. The senior finished 1999 with 15 receiving touchdowns. He posted season highs of 13 receptions against Guilford and 182 yards against Catholic. 

TE Jeff Irne, Ithaca
The senior had 41 catches for 529 yards and seven touchdowns for the Bombers (7-4). The long snapper for extra points (Ithaca was 41-for-41 on PATs), Irne also threw two passes for 80 yards and caught a two-point conversion pass.

OL MacKenzie Hay, Augustana
In the Augustana system, linemen must get off the ball and do it every play. He must have done it well enough this year because he helped the Vikings average 337.7 yards per game rushing with 41 rushing touchdowns.

OL Jarryn Avery, Rowan
Avery opened holes for a Profs team which averaged 193.5 yards rushing and allowed just over two sacks per game. 

OL Tom Bauer, Mount Union
The senior center was invited to the Hula Bowl after snapping for D-III's most prolific offense on a line which allowed only 19 sacks on 278 pass attempts through 12 games.

OL David Coney, Trinity (Texas)
The Tigers' most consistent blocker, Coney started every game for past four years. Graded out at an 88% average for 10 games while anchoring an offense which gained a school-record 4,389 total yards.

OL Chico Rowland, Bethel
A two-time All-MIAC tackle, Rowland was the leader of Bethel's senior- dominated offensive line that led Bethel to the top offense in the MIAC, averaging 408.1 yards per game. Rowland, a 6-3, 288 pound right tackle, was selected to play in the Aztec Bowl.

Defense

DL Justin Harris, Alma
Set single-season school record with 17  sacks and tied single-game mark with five sacks (pictured) vs. Thomas More. Also used as blocking back in short yardage situations, scoring on lone carry of season in title-clinching win over Albion. The junior finished with 23 tackles for loss.

DL Keith Fischer, Dickinson
Just a sophomore, Fischer had 48 solo tackles, 23 tackles for loss and a school-record 16½ sacks for the Red Devils. He caused four fumbles on the season and notched five tackles for loss, 2½ sacks against NCAA playoff team Western Maryland.

DL David Monaghan, Allegheny
The senior played in all 42 games over his four-year career, starting 32, and totaled 53 solo tackles, 20 for loss and 10 sacks in 1999. Three and a half of those sacks came in one game, against Ohio Wesleyan Sept. 25. Monaghan also broke up five passes, intercepted two and recovered two fumbles. 

DL Anthony Souhrada, Wartburg
The senior had 48 solo tackles, 23 tackles for loss and 9½ sacks for the Knights. He hurried the quarterback 19 times, caused a fumble and intercepted a pass. 

LB Dan Philips, University of Chicago
Notched 97 solo tackles, broke up four passes and intercepted three in leading the Maroons' defense to the Top 20 in Division III in five different categories. The junior had nine tackles for loss and a blocked kick.

LB Jon Crumley, Buffalo State
Recoded 23 tackles for loss and eight sacks in the regular season for the postseason qualifiers. Caused and recovered three fumbles, broke up seven passes. 

LB John Gavlick, Rowan
The NJAC defensive player of the year, Gavlick showed his grit by returning less than two weeks after having his appendix removed. He led the Profs with 50 solo tackles, 15 for loss and 7½ sacks while intercepting three passes and breaking up two more.

DB Clinton Tabb, Rowan
Tabb recorded 12 interceptions and had intercepted a pass in seven consecutive games (total of nine) over that period. Against Montclair State in the national quarterfinals, the sophomore had a 95-yard fumble return for a TD and a 56-yard interception return for a TD. Has seven pass breakups and 37 solo tackles.

DB Marvin Deal, Western Maryland
The three-year Centennial Conference interceptions leader picked off eight more passes in 1999 and broke up five more. The senior recorded 41 tackles (21 solo), including four tackles for loss.

DB Mike Fowler, Ohio Wesleyan
From the safety position, Fowler recorded 82 solo tackles while breaking up nine passes and intercepting two. The senior holds the single-game, season and career tackles record for the Battling Bishops.

DB P.D. Peterson, Emory & Henry
The senior intercepted seven passes in 10 games, while breaking up 15 more. Peterson finished fourth on the ODAC career interceptions list with 16. He recorded 63 solo tackles, while also averaging 27.4 yards on kickoff returns and 12.1 on punt returns.

Special Teams

PK Chris Baughman, Wheaton
Ranked second in NCAA Division III in field goals per game, but had the best percentage of those in the Top 20 with 92.3% (12-for-13) accuracy on the season. The junior set a Wheaton and CCIW single-season record for field goals in a year. Set a career-best for long field goals with a 43-yard field goal on three separate occasions this year. The only miss was from 42 yards and the average length of his made field goals was 38.8 yards..

P Phil Barry, St. John's
With the six longest punts in school history, the senior finished with 68 punts for a 43.5-yard average. His longest was a 79-yarder against Bethel. Also recorded 52 tackles and five interceptions as a defensive back.

RET Joshua Carter, Muhlenberg
The sophomore returned kickoffs for 981 yards in 1999, which is believed to be a Division III record, and averaged 35 yards per return. He scored four touchdowns on 61 total punt and kickoff returns.

Second Team

Offense

QB Danny Ragsdale, Redlands
The Gagliardi Trophy winner was second in Division III in total offense with 428.3 yards and third in pass efficiency at 170.4. The senior had the first-, fifth-, sixth- and ninth-best single-game passing performances in school history while leading the Bulldogs to a 7-2 record and on the verge of a playoff spot.

RB Anthony Hicks, Pacific Lutheran
The senior had nearly 1,700 rushing yards and over 500 receiving yards in leading his Lutes to the national title. He scored 27 touchdowns. Plus he does a mean Phantom of the Opera. 

RB Andrew Notarfrancesco, Catholic
Became the program's all-time leading rusher despite spending his first season as a linebacker. The senior ran for 1,271 yards and 19 touchdowns while scoring four more touchdowns through the air. He capped his regular season with 233 yards on 25 carries and two touchdowns at Bridgewater to clinch the ODAC championship.

WR Matt Perceval, Wesleyan
The senior caught 73 balls for 1,137 yards and 13 touchdowns in an eight-game NESCAC season. Perceval had nine catches for 162 yards and four scores as Wesleyan ended Williams' long winning streak. 

WR Adam Marino, Mount Union
Marino finished with 88 catches for 1724 yards and 20 touchdowns in 13 games for the Purple Raiders, after having surpassed his 1998 14-game totals in the first 10 games of 1999.

TE Bryan Meier, Greenville
Meier's 54 catches were among the best in Division III for receptions by a tight end. The junior finished the season averaging six catches and 93.7 yards per game and scored three touchdowns of more than 65 yards. After one year in the lineup already holds the school career receiving marks for a tight end with 54 catches and 843 yards.

OL Gary Gutierrez, Hardin-Simmons
The two-time American Southwest Conference lineman of the year, Gutierrez led a line which helped the Cowboys run for 158 yards per game and roll to 478.6 yards of total offense.

OL Josh Hostetter, Pacific Lutheran
Helped block for the national champions, including the unique system in which Lutes linemen call their own blocks. Pacific Lutheran ran for 228.6 yards per game in 1999.

OL Michael Hughes, Emory & Henry
A first-team All-ODAC pick, helped the Wasps to 304.8 yards per game and anchored a unit that allowed only 12 sacks in 10 games. 

OL Sean McCullin, Wesley
The four-year starter helped lead Wesley to a 28-11 record in his career and cleared the way for 183 rushing yards by the Wolverines.

OL Chad Peterman, Wooster
Blocked for an offense that led the North Coast Athletic Conference in total offense (432.3 yards per game). Peterman helped clear the way for four Wooster players that rushed for more than 250 yards on the season, including an average rush of 5.4 yards per attempt.

Defense

DL Tim Runnalls, Washington U.
The UAA Defensive Player of the Year record 14 sacks, a Washington U. single-season record, while anchoring the defense ranked first in total yards allowed and second against the run. The senior had 49 solo tackles and five pass breakups with 10 additional tackles for loss.

DL Cornelius White, Rowan
Fifth on team in total tackles, the senior recorded 37 solo hits. White tied for team lead in sacks with 10 and led the team with 18 tackles for loss. Also caused two fumbles and intercepted two passes.

DL Drew Pearson, Wheaton
Recorded a team-high 19 tackles for loss and 12 sacks for the 22nd-rated overall defense in Division III and led the team with 11 quarterback hurries.

DL Ike Reid, Ohio Wesleyan
The senior recorded 38 solo tackles, blocked a field goal attempt and had a safety among his 12 tackles for loss. He broke up five passes, caused three fumbles and had six sacks.

LB Ryan Deck, Trinity (Texas)
The senior amassed 55 tackles, including 34 solo. Posted a season high of  12 (five solo) against playoff qualifier Washington U. Has 21 tackles for loss of 140 yards and 12 sacks for 116 yards. 

LB Brian Hee, Catholic
For a third consecutive year Hee led the Cardinals in tackles with 83 (44 solo). He paced the club in forced fumbles with five and tied for the team lead in tackles for loss with seven. He ranked second on the team in sacks (6 for 36 yards) and added two interceptions and two pass break ups. 

LB Beau LaBore, St. John's
Led one of Division III's top defense (hey, they held Pacific Lutheran to a season-low 19 points) with 58 solo tackles, plus added 13 tackles for loss and six interceptions. Set a playoff record for interception return yardage with 158 yards on two returns against UW-Stevens Point.  

DB Antonio Nash, Susquehanna
The MAC Commonwealth League Rookie of the Year, as well as a first-team league All-Star at defensive back, the 5-9, 170-pounder tied the Susquehanna school record for single-season interceptions with 10 while tying for third in Division III with 1.0 per game. Nash also led the team in pass break-ups with seven, also blocking a kick and posting 50 tackles (33 solo) — two of them for losses of two yards. He also led the MAC in punt return average at 13.2.

DB David Devine, Wartburg
The junior free safety recorded 94 tackles (78 solo) while breaking up 13 passes and intercepting seven for 122 yards for the IIAC champions. Devine added five tackles for loss and a forced fumble.

DB Jake Kern, Augsburg
Kern had 65 solo tackles (82 total) while breaking up six passes and intercepting two. He also blocked two punts, one recovered for a touchdown. 

DB Zak Gordon, Coe
The junior tied a school record with three interceptions in one game en route to six for the season, combined with 83 solo tackles, nine for loss. 

Special Teams

PK Eric Byrne, RPI
The junior was 9-for-10 on field goals with a long of 38 and was 39-for-40 on extra point attempts. Led Upstate New York kickers and was fifth overall in scoring with 66 points.

P Steve Vagedes, Ohio Northern
Punted 46 times in 13 games for an average of 45.7 yards, while also catching 5.4 passes per game as a wide receiver. 

RET David Ziegler, John Carroll
In a year in which the opposition kicked away from him, Ziegler still returned two kickoffs of the 11 he handled for touchdowns, burning Ohio Northern and Otterbein. This year, the senior became the fourth person in Division III history to total 1,000 career punt and kickoff return yards. As a receiver, he also caught 29 passes for 380 yards and two touchdowns.