Dakota Bennington Selected to D3Hoops.com All-Region Third Team

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – Dakota Bennington (Peoria, Ill./Peoria Christian) became only the fifth Eureka men's basketball player ever to receive D3Hoops.com's All-Region honors on Tuesday.

The celebrated senior was named to the All-Central Region Third Team, joining Craig Negangard (2004 All-Midwest Region Third Team), Michael Zasada (2010 All-Midwest Region Second Team) and Mark Lessen (2013 All-Midwest Region Second Team) and Shea Feehan (2018 All-Central Region Second Team and 2017 All-Central Region Third Team), as Red Devils to earn All-Region honors from D3hoops.com.

This season, Bennington was named a First Team All-SLIAC selection for the second year in a row after leading the league in scoring with 24.8 points per game while shooting 53.2 percent from the field. He scored the most total points (621), made the most field goals (235 of 440) and the most free throws (110 of 140) of anyone in the league and was fifth in the league in steals with 47.

His points per game (24.8), steals per game (1.9), blocks per game (1.1) and field-goal percentage (37.3) were all career-best marks, and he also contributed 6.8 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game.

Bennington also put himself in the EC record book in the single-season division. His scoring average (24.8) was the third-highest since 1978 and the highest of anyone save Feehan. With 621 points, he tallied just seven fewer than he did last season despite playing three fewer games, placing him fifth in points in a single season. He was also fifth in program history in field goals made with (235), seventh in field goals attempted (449) and ninth in free throws made (110).

After his collegiate career came to a close, Bennington rode the support of Red Devil Nation all the way to the finals of the Dark Horse Dunker fan vote competition.

Players were nominated for the D3hoops.com All-Region Teams by sports information directors at Division III institutions. There were more than 769 players nominated nationwide. The ballot was then made available to SIDs, who voted for a predetermined number of players in their region. It's the 19th season D3hoops.com has named All-Region teams.