For Immediate Release
Monday, October 10, 2022
NSIC Media Relations
Media Packet

NSIC Offensive Player of the Week
#18 Will Madler (QB, 5-10, 180, R-So., Bismarck, N.D. / Bismarck HS) - Northern State
- Had a hand in six total touchdowns and as he amassed 420 yards of total offense in a 42-21 victory over Winona State
- Threw for a career high 394 yards with four touchdowns 
- Added 26 yards rushing and two rushing touchdowns 
- Connected with eight Wolves receivers in the win 
- Ranks in the top-10 for single game passing yards and passing touchdowns at Northern State

NSIC Defensive Player of the Week
#5 Alex Kowalczyk (LB, 5-11, 210, So., Sioux Falls, S.D. / O’Gorman HS) - Wayne State
- Credited with 18 tackles and one forced fumble in Wayne State’s 41-33 home win over Minnesota State
- Had eight solo and 10 assisted stops
- The forced fumble resulted in 34-yard fumble return for TD by Gerale Flye
- Named NSIC Defensive Player of the Week for the second time this season (9/12/22)

NSIC Special Teams Player of the Week
#41 Alex Powders (K/P, 5-10, 180, Sr., Council Bluffs, Iowa / Thomas Jefferson HS) - Wayne State
- Connected on two field goals and was 5-for-5 on PAT kicks in Saturday’s 41-33 home win over Minnesota State
- Made field goals of 26 and 24 yards to account for 11 points in the game
- Averaged 40.5 yards on two punts and had four touchbacks on seven kickoffs

Other Top Performances
OFFENSE
#1 Isaiah Huber (AUGIE), a wide receiver making his debut at running back due to a rash of injuries, rushed for 136 yards on 9 carries and a touchdown. He averaged 15.1 yards per rush and his 72 yard touchdown run sealed the game in the fourth quarter. He broke two tackles on the touchdown run, one at the line of scrimmage and the other at the goal line. He added one reception for 15 yards and returned a kickoff for 27 yards. The 136 yards rushing are a team high in 2022.
#10 Brandon Alt (BSU) helped lead the Beavers to a 44-0 victory over Concordia-St. Paul by throwing for 255 yards on 17-of-26 passing and two touchdowns. He also ran for 14 yards on three attempts. His long pass was 52 yards.
#12 Kyle Walljasper (UMD) scored four rushing touchdowns on 123 rushing yards, for an average of 8.8 yards per attempt. He scored a touchdown on a 51 yard rush. He broke season highs for rushing yards (123), longest rush (51), rushing touchdowns (4), passing yards (29), and longest pass (29).
#15 Hayden Ekern (MSU) threw for 266 yards and three touchdowns at Wayne State. He completed 18-of-39 passes and rushed for 61 yards and a touchdown also.
#15 Jack Strand (MSUM) was 38-of-50 for a career-high 383 yards and two touchdowns. He also rushed for a touchdown as well. MSUM posted season highs in points (36) and total offense (486) in the win over Minot State while forcing three Minot State turnovers. MSUM did not have a turnover on the day and only committed three penalties.
#21 Ali Mohamed (MINOT) had his best day of the season, rushing for both Beaver touchdowns on Saturday and a season-high 93 yards.
#6 Landon Freeman (USF) rushed for a season high of 136 yards off eight carries. He ran for two touchdowns with a long of 75-yards. He averaged 17.0 yards per carry and helped USF secure its 28th winning season.
#4 Nick Bohn (WSC) accounted for 359 yards of total offense and two scores in a 41-33 win over Minnesota State. He completed 10 of 16 passes for 266 yards and two scores. He added 93 yards rushing on 13 attempts.
#13 Ricky Smalling (WSU) led the Warriors in receiving, corralling three catches for 94 yards and a touchdown against Northern State. He connected on an impressive 47-yard touchdown reception from quarterback Kyle Haas in the second quarter. The 94 yards marks Smalling’s best performance of the season for Winona State.

DEFENSE
#94 Grayson Diepenbrock (AUGIE) tacked on two more sacks to his 2022 resume in the win at Upper Iowa. His first sack of the game marked his second strip-sack of 2022, which led to the Vikings’ first touchdown of the game as it was at the UIU 4-yard line. His second sack broke the Augustana career record for sacks in a career, now at 23.5. His second sack of the contest also tied the school single-season record with 8. He ranks second in the NSIC with that mark.
#22 Caleb Young (BSU) helped the Beavers’ defense shutout Concordia-St. Paul 44-0 by tying for the team lead with seven total tackles including five solo. He broke one pass up and also forced a fumble on the Beavers own three yard line to help preserve the shutout.
#8 Devyn Charles (UMary) posted game-highs with 14 tackles (11 solo) and 3.5 tackles for loss as Marauders visited the Bulldogs. He also had a sack. It was the most tackles for loss for a UMary player since 2019 and most tackles since 2018.
#56 Drew Hennessey (UMD) made three sacks for a loss of 27 yards. He had three solo tackles for a loss of three yards and recorded one quarterback hurry. 
#8 Jake Bettcher (MSUM) had two interceptions, a forced fumble and seven tackles in the Dragons win over Minot State on Saturday. Bettcher was involved in all three Beavers turnovers.
#10 Charlie Raetzman (MINOT) had a career-best day with 13 tackles to lead the Beavers on Saturday.
#35 Trey King (NSU) tallied multiple defensive contributions in the Wolves 42-21 win over Winona State. He notched six tackles, including four solo stops and two assisted. He led the team with 3.0 tackles for a loss of 19 yards, including 1.0 sacks. He added a forced fumble which led to a touchdown on the following drive. 
#54 Myles Hawthorne (WSU) led Winona State with 1.5 tackles for loss against Northern State. He recorded five total tackles, including a solo stop. Hawthorne’s 1.5 tackles for loss mark his season-best output in the TFL category.

SPECIAL TEAMS
#40 Matthew Jaeger (MSU) connected on a 54-yard field goal at Wayne State, becoming the first Maverick since 2018 to connect on a 50-yard field goal. He also recorded one touchback.
#98 Seamus Hall (USF) punted for 169 yards off four punts with a long of 51 yards. He averaged 42.2 yards per punt -and landed one within the 20.
#1 Darryl Williams (WSU) collected 166 all-purpose yards in Saturday’s contest against Northern State. He returned four kickoffs for 103 total yards and added 32 yards on two punt returns. Williams also caught a team-high five passes for 63 yards. He leads the NSIC with 371 kick return yards and 571 total return yards.
NSIC Football Players of the Week
9/6/22
O:  #10 Jalen Sample - Minnesota State
D: #7 Alijah McGhee - Minnesota State
SP: #26 Payton Eue - Northern State
9/12/22
O: #24 Jesse Sherwood - SMSU
D: #5 Alex Kowalczyk - Wayne State
SP: #2 Trey Vaval - Minnesota State
9/19/22
O: #24 Jesse Sherwood - SMSU (2) 
D: #94 Grayson Diepenbrock - Augustana
SP: #26 Payton Eue - Northern State(2)
9/26/22
O: #34 Thuro Reisdorfer - USF
D: #0 Onte Burns - SMSU
SP: #27 Jacob Scott - WSU
10/3/22
O: #4 Jesse Forknell - UMary
D: #90 Zach Durfee - USF
SP: #95 Ian Kopf - UMary
10/10/22
O: #18 Will Madler - Northern State
D: #5 Alex Kowalczyk - Wayne State (2)
SP: #41 Alex Powders - Wayne State

About the NSIC
The NSIC is a 16-team, 18-sport, NCAA Division II conference with institutions located in Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota. The NSIC is a model Division II conference that uses high-level athletics competition to develop champions in the classroom and community while empowering student-athletes to be impactful and positive leaders. Formed in 1992 by the merger of the Northern Intercollegiate Conference (men’s league) and the Northern Sun Conference (women’s league), the NSIC has flourished over the past quarter century, maturing into a 16-team union of Upper Midwest colleges and universities. The NSIC has won 25 team national championships and crowned 96 individual national champions. For additional information, visit NorthernSun.org.

About NCAA Division II
The NCAA, the national governing body for college athletics, is a volunteer association of more than 1,000 colleges and universities that classify their athletics programs in one of three membership divisions. The 300+ institutions in NCAA Division II support a balanced approach in which student-athletes can earn scholarships based on their athletic ability, pursue their desired academic degree, and participate in all the campus and surrounding community have to offer. Division II student-athletes annually graduate at rates higher than their student body peers, and they have access to the best championships-participant ratio among the NCAA’s three divisions. Division II gives student-athletes the unique opportunity to compete in the classroom, on the field, in their career, for their causes, and on their terms. For additional information, visit NCAA.org.