INDIANAPOLIS – The Ohio Dominican Panthers were selected to represent the Great Midwest Athletic Conference in the inaugural America’s Crossroads Bowl on Saturday, Dec. 7, in Hobart, Ind.
 
Ohio Dominican (7-2, 6-1) will clash with Truman State (9-2, 5-2) from the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) as both conferences jointly announced their playoff participants in a Monday morning press release.
 
Kickoff from Brickyard Stadium at Hobart High School will be 1 p.m. CT local time (2 p.m. ET).
 
The highest-ranking teams in the respective league standings not participating in the NCAA Division II playoff earned their Conference’s bowl bid.
 
Ohio Dominican finished solo second in the Great Midwest standings and was ranked in Super Region 1 for three weeks in a row. The Panthers won their final regular season game in Week 11 with a 17-7 win against 2018 Great Midwest champion Hillsdale on the road.
 
ODU heads into the bowl game on a five-game win streak and has been featured as part of the NCAA Division II Showcase twice this season at Valdosta State and home against Findlay. The Panthers roll out the league’s top scoring defense (17.1 ppg) and three of the league’s top tacklers, Camren Moore, Dauson Dales and Jayden Davis, lead the unit.
 
LB Alessio Amato was a D2Football.com National and Great Midwest Defensive Player of the Week and has six interceptions. Sophomore DL Jaylin Garner has emerged as one of the best sack artists in the league with eight.
 
After leading Division II in passing completion percentage during his Great Midwest Freshman of the Year tour in 2018, QB Evan Ernst is pacing the conference again in that category while tossing 17 TD’s and close to 2,000 yards.
 
Another former Great Midwest Freshman of the Year, WR Devanaire Conliffe, is second in the league in receiving TD’s with 10 and has been one of Ernst’s favorite targets with teammate Cedric Washington. RB EJ Colson is fourth in the conference in rushing yards per game with 91.9.
 
Ohio Dominican head coach Kelly Cummings is relishing the occasion for his student-athletes to showcase their talents one last time for the 2019 season.
 
“We are excited to be a part of the America’s Crossroads Bowl,” he said. “This is a great opportunity for our team to be together for a few additional weeks. We would like to thank the Great Midwest and GLVC offices, and the city of Hobart, for coming together to put on this postseason game.”
Truman State, located in Kirksville, Missouri, finished third in the GLVC standings and closed out the regular season with a 24-14 non-conference victory last week at Urbana. The Bulldogs, who were ranked 25th in the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Division II Poll entering last week, won their ninth game for the seventh time in school history, the first since the 1992 season (9-3). 
 
Truman concluded the regular season ranked second in the GLVC in scoring (37.2) and rushing (216.5), sixth in total yards (391.7), and seventh in passing (175.3).  Defensively, the Bulldogs were second in the GLVC in scoring (19.6), rushing defense (108.5), and total yards allowed (348.5), as well as fourth in defending the pass (240.0). 
 
“We are absolutely thrilled with the opportunity to represent Truman State University and the GLVC along with also being be a part of history in the inaugural America’s Crossroads Bowl in Hobart, Indiana,” said Truman head coach Gregg Nesbitt. “Most importantly, we are thrilled that this special group of players will get an opportunity to play one more game together and help brand both Truman State University and the GLVC with national exposure.”
 
Student-athletes from the two participating teams will enjoy a three-day stay in the South Shore and participate in several community engagement activities.  
 
The inaugural bowl game will also coincide with National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day, and service members and first responders will be honored at the event.
 
The America’s Crossroads Bowl represents the fifth bowl game played at the NCAA Division II level, officially joining the Mineral Water Bowl, Heart of Texas Bowl, Live United Bowl and Corsicana Bowl. 
 
Tickets are available for $12 for adults, $7 for students and seniors, and $5 for veterans, active military and first responders.  Children 4 and under are free. Tickets can also be purchased in groups of 15 or more for a discounted rate. Regular ticket purchases can be made at americascrossroadsbowl.com or on the Facebook page for America’s Crossroads Bowl. Group tickets are available by calling Heather Becerra at 219-554-2224. 
Additional ancillary events and broadcast coverage regarding the inaugural America’s Crossroads Bowl will be announced at a later date.