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SALT LAKE CITY — Although the season is officially over for the University of Utah, the awards are continuing to come in for two seniors that made significant contributions to the team.
Kick returner Reggie Dunn has been named to two All-American first-teams, one by CBSSports.com and the other by Athlon Sports. Dunn had four 100-yard kickoff returns for touchdowns, an NCAA record.
Also defensive tackle Star Lotulelei, potentially a top 5 NFL draft pick, was named to the Athlon Sports All-America first-team. Although he didn't pile up astronomical stats, his presence on the field continuously demanded double and triple teams, so any stats that he did get are that much more impressive. Star finished 2012 with 42 tackles, 11 of which went for a loss, and four fumble recoveries.
Utah's official press release is below.
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Utah defensive tackle Star Lotulelei and kick returner Reggie Dunn have been named first-team All-Americans by Athlon Sports, the college football publication announced today. It is the second honor in two days for Dunn, who Monday was named a first-team All-America kick returner by CBSsports.com.
Despite facing double or triple-teams on virtually every play this season, the 6-foot-4, 320-pound Lotulelei finished with 42 tackles, including a team-high 11 tackles for loss and 5.0 sacks. The senior also had four pass breakups, four fumble recoveries and three forced fumbles. He leads the Pac-12 and is tied for second in the nation in fumble recoveries (4).
Dunn's 51.3 kickoff return average would easily lead the nation had he enough returns to meet the NCAA minimum of 1.2 returns per game. But Dunn made the most of his 10 chances--setting an NCAA single-season record with four 100-yard kickoff returns for touchdowns. He also set the NCAA standard for career 100-yard kickoff returns (5), single-game 100-yard kickoff returns (2) and kick return average in a game (74.0). He tied the NCAA record for kick return touchdowns in a game from any distance (2).
