For Immediate Release
Monday, September 12, 2022
NSIC Media Relations
Media Packet

NSIC Offensive Player of the Week
#24 Jesse Sherwood (RB, 5-10, 205, Sr., Minneapolis, Minn. / Robbinsdale Armstrong) - SMSU 
- Rushed for a career-high 196 yards and a touchdown to pace SMSU to a 14-6 victory over CSP
- The 32 carries were also a career-high
- Broke free for a 63-yard touchdown run in the first quarter for the game’s first score
- The 196 yards rushing tied for the 14th highest total in team history
- The victory was SMSU’s first at home since October of 2018, snapping a 12-game home losing streak

NSIC Defensive Player of the Week
#5 Alex Kowalczyk (LB, 5-11, 210, So., Sioux Falls, S.D. / O’Gorman HS) - Wayne State 
- Had game-high 12 tackles with one interception and two quarterback hurries in a 13-6 win over NSU
- Was credited with nine solo tackles and helped WSC defense force four turnovers vs. NSU

NSIC Special Teams Player of the Week
#2 Trey Vaval (DB, 6-0, 170, Jr., Blue Springs, Mo. / Blue Springs South HS) - Minnesota State
- Opened the scoring against Minnesota Duluth with an 85 yard punt return for a touchdown
- Recorded 132 punt return yards in four returns
- Averaged 33 yards per punt return

Other Top Performances
OFFENSE
#6 Jack Fisher (AUGIE) recorded a pair of touchdown receptions on four catches as AUGIE topped Bemidji State.  His first touchdown was a 26-yard reception to make it 6-0 early in the contest. His second touchdown came on the first-career touchdown pass from Thomas Scholten, which again was a 26-yard strike. On the four receptions, Fisher averaged 18.2 yards per reception and now leads the NSIC with three touchdown receptions over the first two games.
#10 Tommy Falk (MSUM) threw for 180 yards and two touchdowns in 24-21 win at Upper Iowa. He connected with Gage Florence for 66-yard touchdown which was longest play for Dragons so far this season. 
#34 Thuro Reisdorfer (USF) had 27 carries for 147 yards and two touchdowns in a 34-0 win over Minot State.  He recorded his 12th career 100+ yard game in the win. 
#4 Ty Gavin (WSU) for the second week in a row, put together a tremendous effort on the ground to lead Winona State to victory. He accumulated 149 yards rushing and averaged 5.3 yards per carry. He scored a touchdown with 27 rushing attempts.

DEFENSE
#94 Grayson Diepenbrock (AUGIE) had two sacks and two forced fumbles in Augustana’s victory over Bemidji State. The first sack was a strip-sack that Augustana recovered and converted into a field goal. The second sack was also a strip-sack, this time BSU recovered but was forced to punt because of it. The two sacks were credited for nine yards lost. He was also a part of the defensive line that limited BSU to just 40 yards rushing.
Brendan Beaulieu (BSU) made a career-high 12 catches for 167 yards and one touchdown in the Beavers 29-30 loss at No. 19 Augustana. He had a long reception of 30 yards.
#8 Devyn Charles (UMary) had a game-high 2.5 tackles for loss as the Marauders held the Warriors to 281 yards. He forced a fumble on a sack that led to a UMary field goal. He led all players with 10 tackles (5 solo).
#90 Maven Kretche (MSU) recorded three tackles, including one for a loss and one sack. He recovered a fumble that set MSU up on the UMD 25. The Mavericks would score a touchdown two plays later.
#47 Josiah Behm (MSUM) led MSUM with 11 tackles in 24-21 win over Upper Iowa. He had 1.5 tackles for a total of 9 yards of loss. He had six solo tackles.
#9 Knylen Miller-Levi (MINOT) led the Beavers with 7 tackles and had the lone interception of the game for Minot State at Sioux Falls.
#90 Zach Durfee (USF) had two sacks for a total of 6 on the season. He leads the NSIC in sacks and is second in the NSIC for TFL. He was part of a defense that pitched USFs first shutout since 2019.
#1Alan Giron (SMSU) finished with six tackles, including two for loss and also had one pass break-up to help SMSU earn a 14-6 win over Concordia-St. Paul. It was the fewest points allowed by SMSU since the 2018 season and was also the first time SMSU held opponent without a touchdown since the 2015 season. The SMSU defense forced CSP into three turnovers via fumble in the victory.
#49 RJ Knaack (UIU) led Upper Iowa’s defense against the MSU Moorhead Dragons on Saturday with 10 tackles Upper Iowa’s defense was paced by RJ Knaack, who posted 10 tackles including nine solo stops. Knaack registered two tackles for loss as well with one coming on a sack. The Peacock linebacker holds the team lead in tackles (16), tackles for loss (3) and sacks (1) on the year.
#41 Vernon Porte (WSU) played a big role in helping Winona State hold a UMary offense in check during a 25-17 win over the Marauders. He led the team with seven tackles with two solo stops and five assists. He earned .5 tackles for loss and a pass break up. 

SPECIAL TEAMS
#19 Kolby  Vander Wal (MSUM) scored his first special teams touchdown of the season for the Dragons in 24-21 win over Upper Iowa. He ran a fumble back on a bad snap on a punt attempt in second quarter to help the Dragons tie the game at 14-14. 
#4 Justin Cash (MINOT) after being dinged up in week one, came back strong with 10 punts against Sioux Falls, including 2 inside the 20-yard line and a season-best 54-yard punt.
Nick Hernandez (USF) was 4-for-4 on extra points and hit two field goals for a total of 10 points. He kicked a career long 40 yard field goal and also connected from 24 yards out.  He leads the NSIC in field goal attempts and makes as she has an NSIC 19 point kicking this season. 
#46 Tristan Root (WSU) had a solid day punting in the Warriors’ 25-17 victory over UMary. He accumulated 129 total punting yards and averaged 43 yards per effort. He had one punt over 50 yards and dropped one kick inside the 20.

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

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.