SPOKANE, Wash. -- Junior center Connor Pettek, senior defensive tackle Bryce Rodgers and senior punter Daniel Whelan each earned spots on the Preseason All-Big Sky Conference Team as announced by the league office during its 2021 Football Kickoff media event Monday.
Each Aggie honoree was a first-team All-Big Sky Conference selection last spring.
Pettek, who joined cornerback Jordan Perryman as one of two UC Davis student-athlete representatives at the Kickoff event, started all five spring games at center, bringing his career total to 23 starts. The viticulture & enology major from Thousand Oaks earned Freshman All-America honors from HERO Sports and Phil Steele in 2018, then garnered one of the team's Championship Culture Awards a year later. Pettek also became the first Aggie center to serve as a co-captain since Ray Wilburn held a similar title in 2012.
Rodgers, a sixth-year psychology major from East Palo Alto, previously snared All-Big Sky honorable mention in 2019 before improving to first-team distinction last spring. He served as one of the Aggies' two defensive captains during the 2021 spring season, while totaling 18 tackles (8 solos, 10 assists) with 2.0 sacks, two quarterback hurries, a forced fumble and a blocked kick during the five-game slate. Rodgers enters his final season with career totals of 123 tackles, 14.5 tackles for losses and 7.0 sacks.
Whelan, who earned Athlon Sports' Preseason All-America honors back in June, stood as the most decorated Aggie player from the 2021 spring season. He followed his third straight All-Big Sky nod with four All-America awards: Stats Perform, the AFCA, HERO Sports and Phil Steele. Whelan led the Big Sky Conference with a 47.9 punting average and would have won the NCAA FCS statistical title but instead fell one attempt shy of qualifying for the leaders. Still, the sustainable environmental design major from Rancho Mirage helped UC Davis lead the nation with a 43.47 net punting average. Whelan also handled kickoffs and served as the holder for place kicks last spring.
The 2021 Big Sky Football Kickoff, held at Spokane's Davenport Grand, concluded on Monday with a series of interviews from all 13 teams on ESPN+.
2021 PRESEASON ALL-BIG SKY CONFERENCE TEAM
QB: Eric Barriere, Eastern Washington
RB: Elijah Dotson, Sac State
RB: Josh Davis, Weber State
FB: Logan Kendall, Idaho
WR: Samuel Akem, Montana
WR: Talolo Limu-Jones, Eastern Washington
WR: Tanner Conner, Idaho State
TE: Marshel Martin, Sac State
OT: Tristen Taylor, Eastern Washington
OT: Conlan Beaver, Montana
OG: Ty Whitworth, Weber State
OG: Taylor Tuiasosopo, Montana State
C: Connor Pettek, UC Davis
PK: Luis Aguilar, Northern Arizona
RET: Rashid Shaheed, Weber State
DT: Jared Schiess, Weber State
DT: Bryce Rodgers, UC Davis
DE: Defensive Ends: Mitchell Johnson, Eastern Washington
DE: George Tarlas, Weber State
OLB: La'akea Kaho'ohanohano-Davis, Southern Utah
OLB: Troy Andersen, Montana State
OLB: Conner Mortensen, Weber State
MLB: Tre Walker, Idaho
MLB: Jace Lewis, Montana
CB: Anthony Adams, Portland State
CB: Eddie Heckard, Weber State
S: Morgan Vest, Northern Arizona
S: Robby Hauck, Montana
P: Daniel Whelan, UC Davis
LS: Matthew O'Donoghue, Montana
ABOUT UC DAVIS:
Centrally located between San Francisco and Lake Tahoe, over 700 student-athletes across 25 teams enjoy an unrivaled undergraduate experience at the fifth-ranked public school in the country.
Ranked annually in the nation's top 10 in diversity and students' social mobility, UC Davis and its innovative Aggie EVO system helps student-athletes develop passions, connect with a comprehensive network of alums and industry leaders, gain real-world experience and thrive as a young professional following a successful launch to full-time employment or graduate school.
