CLEVELAND –Delta State University junior linebacker Lardester Hicks-Green has been named the Daktronics Super Regional II Defensive Player of the Year, as selected by members of the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA), and released on Tuesday. A total of five Statesmen were named to the all-region team. 

Hicks-Green, a 6-foot-1 outside linebacker from Chicago, Ill., led the Statesmen to a 10-2 overall record and a second-straight Gulf South Conference title in 2008. Hicks-Green, a three-time all-GSC selection and two-time first team pick, finished the season with 100 total tackles, 15.5 tackles-for-loss, and 4.5 sacks. His 259 career tackles rank sixth all-time with one season of eligibility left for the leader of the Statesmen defense. 

Hicks-Green was joined on the first team defense by senior safety Dominic Spinks. Spinks, a 6-foot-2 senior from Meridian, capped his last year at DSU with 66 tackles, nine tackles-for-loss and two interceptions. 

Senior left tackle Mark Ellis was named to the first team offense. Ellis, a 6-foot-5, 355-pound senior from New York, started all 24 games in his career at Delta State. The All-American and 2008 first team all-GSC selection led the Statesmen in devastation blocks and graded at 91 percent on the season. 

Junior center Pete Vaesau and sophomore running back Trevar Deed was named to the second team offense to round out the honorees for Delta State. Vaesau, a 6-foot-3 junior from Pinole, Calif., was named to the all-GSC second team after an outstanding first season. The versatile center every snap this season for the Statesmen. 

Deed enjoyed one of the greatest season's in history for a sophomore at DSU. The 5-foot-11, 205-pound Phoenix, Ariz., native, finished the season with 15 total touchdowns and 1,775 all-purpose yards. The hauled in 78 passes for 879 yards and seven touchdowns, while rushing 116 times for 608 yards and eight touchdowns. Four times in 2008 Deed scored at least three touchdowns and against North Alabama set a new school single-game record with 16 receptions. He also tied the school mark with four touchdown receptions in the game. 

The team is sponsored by Daktronics, Inc., an acknowledged world leader in scoring, timing and programmable display systems for virtually every sport at every level of competition. 

Complete Daktronics Super Regional II First and Second Teams