ST. LOUIS, Mo. – Five Indiana State football players were named to the Missouri Valley Football Conference All-Academic Team headlined by First Team selections Garret Ollendieck and Maddix Blackwell as the conference office announced the annual awards on Wednesday afternoon.
 
Ethan Chambers (Second Team), Braxton Sampson (Honorable Mention), and Jack Sherman (Honorable Mention) joined the Sycamore duo on the squad as voted on by the league's sports information and athletics communications personnel.
 
Ollendieck earned the Valley recognition for the second consecutive season. The Cresco, Iowa native has posted a 3.91 cumulative GPA while pursuing his degree in finance. Ollendieck previously received All-Conference Honorable Mention honors this fall after a strong 2024 season which saw the senior linebacker come back from injury to play in the final two contests of the year.
 
He was second in the MVFC in tackles per game (10.0) and was inside the FCS Top 10 in both tackles per game and solo tackles prior to injury. He wrapped up the year second on the Sycamores with 7.0 TFL, while recording a scoop-and-score on a fumble against Dayton in Indiana State's win over the Flyers. He finished the year with four double-digit tackle games.
 
Blackwell earned the Valley recognition for the second consecutive season. The Bloomington, Ind. native has posted a cumulative 3.99 GPA while pursuing his degree in intelligence analysis. Blackwell previously received All-Conference Honorable Mention honors this fall after finishing the year among the conference leaders in tackles for the second consecutive season.
 
He was seventh in the MVFC in tackles per game (7.5) with 90 overall on the season over 12 games. He posted three double-digit tackling games in 2024 coming against Purdue, Dayton, and North Dakota. Blackwell added a forced fumble against Purdue and an interception early in the season at Eastern Illinois.
 
Chambers earned Valley Second Team honors after being a 2023 All-Academic Honorable Mention selection. The Fort Wayne, Ind. native has posted a cumulative 3.97 GPA while pursuing his degree in psychology.
 
The 2024 Sycamore Team Captain was third on the Indiana State roster with 21 receptions while adding 236 yards through the air. He lined up and played in all 12 games at wide receiver, while also starting on all four special teams' units. Chambers posted a season-high four catches twice on the year coming against both Eastern Illinois and Illinois State, while adding a season-high 47 yards against Murray State.
 
Sampson earned Valley All-Academic Honorable Mention honors for the first time as the redshirt sophomore took over a starting role on the defensive line over the course of the 2024 season. The Brazil, Ind. native posted a cumulative 3.93 GPA while pursuing his degree in construction management.
 
He lined up and played in all 12 games, finishing with 30 tackles, 4.5 tackles-for-loss, and 2.0 sacks. He added one forced fumble and one fumble recovery on the year. Highlighting his season included a five-tackle, 1.0 TFL, 1.0 sack, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery contest against Missouri State, while he added a season-high six tackles against North Dakota.
 
Sherman earned Valley All-Academic Honorable Mention honors for the first time as the redshirt senior anchored the middle of the defensive line for the Sycamores over the 2024 season. The Terre Haute, Ind. native posted a cumulative 3.83 GPA while pursuing his graduate degree in general studies, after earning his communications degree at Indiana State.
 
Sherman lined up and played 11 games before suffering a season-ending injury against Illinois State. The 2024 Team Captain finished with 16 tackles, 5.0 tackles-for-loss, and 2.0 sacks. Highlighting his season included a season-high four tackles, 1.0 TFL, and 1.0 sack game against Houston Christian, while adding a second tackle-for-loss against Illinois State.
 
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