June 27, 2011
SAN DIEGO - San Diego State sophomore running back Ronnie Hillman, senior linebacker Miles Burris, junior defensive back Leon McFadden and senior punter Brian Stahovich have been named to the Blue Ribbon preseason all-Mountain West Conference football team. The Aztecs, meanwhile, were picked by the publication to finish fourth in the league standings in 2011.
Hillman rushed for 1,532 yards and 17 touchdowns last season in leading the Mountain West and ranking No. 10 nationally. The MW Freshman of the Year was also named the 2010 Poinsettia Bowl Offensive MVP after he set a bowl record with 228 rushing yards and four touchdowns (three rushing, one receiving) as SDSU defeated Navy, 35-14. It was Hillman's sixth game with at least 150 yards on the ground and his second with 200 yards or more.
Burris is coming off a breakout 2010 year, in which he led San Diego State to a 9-4 season record, capped by the school's first bowl game victory since 1969. The Granite Bay, Calif., native recorded team-leading totals in tackles (80), tackles for a loss (20) and sacks (9.5). He was also the Mountain West's sack and tackles for a loss leader and was named to the all-MW first team.
McFadden registered 55 tackles a season ago, including seven behind the line of scrimmage. He also led the Mountain West with 14 passes defended and his 1.08 per game average was tied for 18th in the nation. For his efforts, McFadden garnered first-team all-league accolades last year.
Rounding out the Blue Ribbon 2011 preseason all-MW first team for the Aztecs is Stahovich. Last year, he led the conference in punting all season and finished with a 45.4 yards per kick average, the eighth-best mark in the country and the third highest average in program history. The first-team all-Mountain West honoree had 16 punts for over 50 yards as a junior, including a school-record 89-yard boot at Wyoming that ranks second in conference history.