Abney Selected to play for Team Stars & Stripes in Tazon de Estrellas

By Robert McKinney, Athletics Communications Director, (503) 370-6110

SALEM, ORE. -- Willamette University senior tailback Jamiere Abney (Bremerton, WA/Bremerton HS) has been selected to play for the NCAA Division III All-Star team that will take on the CONADEIP All-Stars from Mexico in the 2011 Tazon de Estrellas (Bowl of the Stars) on Saturday, Dec. 17 in Toluca, Mexico. Abney and the other U.S. players will compete for Team Stars & Stripes.

A total of 53 athletes from 28 Division III teams will represent the United States in the game, which will be played at El Tempo del Dolor (The Temple of Pain) in Puebla, Mexico. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. (CST)/11:30 a.m. (PST) A Live Webcast will be available in English and Spanish through Global Football, which is sponsoring the game.

Abney is the only player from the Northwest Conference who will be competing for Team Starts and Stripes. He rushed for 552 yards on 100 carries this season, an average of 5.5 yards per carry. He scored three touchdowns.

In four seasons with the Bearcats, Abney gained 1,186 rushing yards on 210 carries, as he averaged 5.6 yards per rush. He scored a total of eight touchdowns. His longest carry of 61 yards was achieved this season at Lewis & Clark on Nov. 5. He also caught 14 passes during his career for 99 yards and one touchdown.

"Jamiere has been an outstanding performer for us for four years," Willamette Head Coach Mark Speckman said. "He started out as a special teams player. He's a really good runner and an equally good blocker, which made him a valuable player in our system."

Abney helped the Bearcats earn a combined record of 30-12 from 2008 through 2011. He saw action in eight games as a freshman during Willamette's Northwest Conference championships season in 2008, when the Bearcats advanced to the second round of the NCAA Division III Playoffs. He played in a total of 37 games, including all 10 games this year.

Last season, Team Stars & Stripes defeated the CONADEIP All-Stars, 48-7, in Taluca, Mexico. The COANDEIP All-Stars are selected from 10 Mexican colleges and universities.

This year, the U.S. players will arrive in Puebla on Sunday, Dec. 11 and will hold two-a-day practices on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Later in the week, the team will hold lighter practices and will have a chance to explore the local region in Mexico.