Rochester Community and Technical College record-setting quarterback Nick Rooney has been named first-team All-America by the NJCAA in football.
The sophomore from Minnetonka set a nation record in 2015 when he threw 57 touchdown passes, the most ever in a season by a junior-college player.
Rooney also set the national record for career touchdown passes as he finished his two-year career at RCTC with 105 TD passes.
He completed 314 of 463 passes (67.8 percent) this season for 4,341 yards, which also led the nation. Rooney's play helped RCTC reach the NJCAA championship game, where it lost 66-13 to Northwest Mississippi.
Rooney shattered all of RCTC's top passing records, including the total for career passing yardage (7,884).
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Rooney's top receiver, Jalen Esters, also received All-America honors. Esters, a sophomore from Port Huron, Mich., was an honorable mention. Esters led RCTC in receptions (79), receiving yardage (1,245) and touchdown receptions (20) this season. Ester's 79 catches were the most ever in a single season at RCTC and he was just off the all-time, single-season receiving yardage mark of 1,277, set by Yellowjackets sophomore Patrick Bolton a year ago.
