For Immediate Relase
Wednesday, November 15, 2023
NSIC Media Relations
PDF Release
NSIC Offensive Player of the Year
#15 Jack Strand (QB, 6-5, 220, So., Bloomer, Wis. / Bloomer HS)
Minnesota State University Moorhead
- Passed for 3.914 yards, a MSUM single-season record
- Set single-season school records in passing touchdowns (36) and attempts (550)
- The 36 touchdowns were the third-highest total in Division II in 2023
- Completed 370 passes which leads the nation
- Also led the country in pass completions per game (33.64).
- Set NSIC single-season record for pass completions with 340 in NSIC play
- Averaged 355.8 passing yards per game, completing 67 percent of his passes
- Becomes the first MSUM player since 2007 to earn Offensive Player of the Year
- Has thrown for 6,194 yards and 52 touchdowns in 20 career games at MSUM
?NSIC Defensive Player of the Year
#36 Marcus Hansen (DE, 5-11, 240, R-So., Waseca, Minn. / Waseca HS)
Bemidji State University
- Led the NSIC in tackles for loss (17.5)
- Ranks 11th nationally in tackles for loss
- Led the NSIC in sacks (10)
- Ranks seventh nationally in sacks
- Posted a tackle for loss in nine games, with a high of four
- Had sacks in seven games, with a high of 2.5
NSIC Offensive Newcomer of the Year
#3 Kendrick Watkins-Hogue (WR, 6-0, 180, R-Fr., Dubuque, Iowa / Dubuque Senior HS)
Wayne State College
- Had 59 catches for 743 yards and eight TDs to lead WSC in receiving
- Tied for fourth in NSIC with eight touchdown catches
- Ranked sixth in yards per game (67.6) and receptions (59)
- Had at least three catches in every game
- Season-high nine catches for 88 yards and three TDs at Sioux Falls
- Season-high 129 yards receiving on six catches and TD vs. SMSU
NSIC Defensive Newcomer of the Year
#4 Khai West (DB, 6-1, 180, Jr., St. Paul, Minn. / St. Paul Central HS)
Minnesota State University, Mankato
- Has played in all 11 games for the Mavericks, including 11 starts
- Leads the Mavericks in interceptions with five
- Ranks 14th in NCAA Division II in interceptions per game
- Has blocked two kicks and has recorded 34 tackles
- Tied a Maverick record with a 100 yard pick six
- Recorded a season-high eight tackles versus MSU Moorhead
- Had two interceptions against both Winona State and Wayne State
NSIC Coach of the Year
Jerry Olszewski (11th Season)
Augustana University
- Guided Augustana to its second NSIC Championship in three years
- The NSIC title was the first outright championship for AU since 1959
- Earns the NSIC Coach of the Year for third time in career
- The 10 wins are the second most wins for a single year in program history
- Has led Augustana to the NCAA Playoffs four times
- Picked up his 100th career win on Sept. 30 against Sioux Falls
- Among active head coaches, he ranks 19th in total wins at NCAA Division II
NSIC Assitant Coach of the Year
Mark Sipple (3rd Season)
Augustana University
- First Augustana Coach to receive the league’s Assistant Coach of the Year
- The Augustana defense led the NSIC in scoring defense at just 16 ppg
- The rushing defense (82.8 ypg) ranks ninth nationally and leads the NSIC
- Earned his second NSIC Championship with Augustana, joining the 2021 team
- Has helped Augustana to the NCAA playoffs for the second time in three years
| NSIC All-Conference First Team Offense |
| 0 |
Jarod Epperson |
RB |
Sr. |
Augustana |
Omaha, Neb. |
| 74 |
C.J. James |
OL |
Jr. |
Augustana |
Des Moines, Iowa |
| 73 |
Blake Larson |
OL |
Sr. |
Augustana |
Brandon, S.D. |
| 10 |
Brandon Alt |
QB |
Sr. |
Bemidji State |
Cottage Grove, Minn. |
| 76 |
Ty Cobb |
OL |
Sr. |
Bemidji State |
Mounds View, Minn. |
| 14 |
Dhel Duncan-Busby |
WR |
Sr. |
Bemidji State |
Madison, Ohio |
| 68 |
Will LeMire |
OL |
Jr. |
Bemidji State |
White Bear Lake, Minn. |
| 76 |
Jake Edwards |
OL |
Sr. |
Concordia-St. Paul |
Greenville, Wis. |
| 1 |
Jaylin Richardson |
RB |
Jr. |
Concordia-St. Paul |
Kansas City, Kan. |
| 77 |
Treyvon Cahalan |
OL |
Gr. |
Minnesota Duluth |
Champlin, Minn. |
| 65 |
Arik Johnson |
OL |
Gr. |
Minnesota Duluth |
Birchwood, Wis. |
| 0 |
Sam Pitz |
TE |
R-Sr. |
Minnesota Duluth |
Appleton, Wis. |
| 9 |
Shen Butler-Lawson |
RB |
Jr. |
Minnesota State |
Augusta, Ga. |
| 79 |
Marshall Foerner |
OL |
Jr. |
Minnesota State |
Plano, Ill. |
| 73 |
Zach Roggow |
OL |
Jr. |
Minnesota State |
Brandon, S.D. |
| 6 |
Gage Florence |
WR |
R-So. |
MSU Moorhead |
Sawyer, N.D. |
| 15 |
Jack Strand |
QB |
So. |
MSU Moorhead |
Bloomer, Wis. |
| 12 |
Dewaylon Ingram |
WR |
Gr. |
Northern State |
Carthage, Texas |
| 7 |
Dakota Larson |
WR |
Gr. |
Northern State |
Spring Creek, Nev. |
| 85 |
Mark Leonard |
TE |
Jr. |
Sioux Falls |
Rochester, Minn. |
| 1 |
Carter Slykhuis |
WR |
R-Jr. |
Sioux Falls |
Tea, S.D. |
| 28 |
Latravious Boyd |
RB |
R-Fr. |
Wayne State |
Orlando, Fla. |
| 79 |
Jett Janssen |
OL |
Jr. |
Wayne State |
Lincoln, Neb. |
| 3 |
Kendrick Watkins-Hogue |
WR |
R-Fr. |
Wayne State |
Dubuque, Iowa |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| NSIC All-Conference First Team Defense |
| 8 |
Peyton Buckley |
DB |
Jr. |
Augustana |
Rice Lake, Wis. |
| 57 |
Will Davis |
DL |
Jr. |
Augustana |
Edina, Minn. |
| 51 |
Haden Wallace |
LB |
Jr. |
Augustana |
Kansas City, Mo. |
| 7 |
Max Buduris |
LB |
Sr. |
Bemidji State |
Shorewood, Ill. |
| 36 |
Marcus Hansen |
DL |
R-So. |
Bemidji State |
Waseca, Minn. |
| 11 |
Princeten Harris |
DB |
Sr. |
Bemidji State |
Chicago, Ill. |
| 94 |
Stephen Hoffman |
DL |
Sr. |
Bemidji State |
St. Paul, Minn. |
| 9 |
Spencer Wehr |
LB |
Sr. |
Bemidji State |
Cloquet, Minn. |
| 54 |
Ethan Beffert |
DL |
Sr. |
Minnesota Duluth |
Hutchinson, Minn. |
| 17 |
Marcus Glodowski |
DB |
5th |
Minnesota Duluth |
Stevens Point, Wis. |
| 56 |
Drew Hennessey |
LB |
R-Sr. |
Minnesota Duluth |
Highland, Wis. |
| 4 |
Andrew Klopp |
LB |
R-Sr. |
Minnesota Duluth |
Baldwin, Wis. |
| 41 |
Jacob Daulton |
LB |
Sr. |
Minnesota State |
Hudson, Wis. |
| 90 |
Maven Kretche |
DL |
Jr. |
Minnesota State |
Sun Prairie, Wis. |
| 2 |
Trey Vaval |
DB |
Sr. |
Minnesota State |
Blue Springs, Mo. |
| 4 |
Khai West |
DB |
Jr. |
Minnesota State |
St. Paul, Minn. |
| 47 |
Josiah Behm |
LB |
Jr. |
MSU Moorhead |
Appleton, Wis. |
| 7 |
Isaiah Bigby |
DB |
Jr. |
Minot State |
Las Vegas, Nev. |
| 9 |
Knylen Miller-Levi |
DB |
Sr. |
Minot State |
Las Vegas, Nev. |
| 9 |
Ian Marshall |
DL |
Gr. |
Northern State |
Springfield, Mo. |
| 44 |
Dexter Larsen |
LB |
Jr. |
Wayne State |
Blair, Neb. |
| 21 |
Joseph Morrison |
DB |
R-Fr. |
Wayne State |
Jacksonville, Fla. |
| 90 |
Luke Sims |
DL |
Jr. |
Wayne State |
Omaha, Neb. |
| 39 |
Clay Schueffner |
LB |
Sr. |
Winona State |
St. Cloud, Wis. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| NSIC All-Conference First Team Special Teams |
| 43 |
Avery Book |
P |
Jr. |
Augustana |
Ironton, Ohio |
| 2 |
Devon Jones |
RS |
Sr. |
Augustana |
San Diego, Calif. |
| 25 |
Jake Pecina |
K |
R-Fr. |
Augustana |
Forney, Texas |
| 81 |
Curtis Cox |
K |
R-Sr. |
Minnesota Duluth |
Dodgeville, Wis. |
| 45 |
Logan Kobus |
P |
Jr. |
Minnesota Duluth |
Green Bay, Wis. |
| 2 |
Trey Vaval |
RS |
Sr. |
Minnesota State |
Blue Springs, Mo. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| NSIC All-Conference Second Team Offense |
| 56 |
Trevor Burkhart |
OL |
Sr. |
Augustana |
Sioux Falls, S.D. |
| 6 |
Jack Fisher |
WR |
Jr. |
Augustana |
Rochester, Minn. |
| 84 |
Mitchell Goodbary |
TE |
Sr. |
Augustana |
Sioux Falls, S.D. |
| 2 |
Devon Jones |
WR |
Sr. |
Augustana |
San Diego, Calif. |
| 1 |
Sage Booker |
RB |
Sr. |
Bemidji State |
Minneapolis, Minn. |
| 72 |
Isaac Hagstrom |
OL |
R-So. |
Bemidji State |
Annandale, Minn. |
| 0 |
Ali Mohamed |
RB |
Sr. |
Bemidji State |
Glendale, Ariz. |
| 86 |
Traivon Dyson |
WR |
So. |
University of Mary |
Las Vegas, Nev. |
| 78 |
Drake Lalim |
OL |
Sr. |
University of Mary |
Saint Stephen, Minn. |
| 12 |
Kyle Walljasper |
QB |
R-So. |
Minnesota Duluth |
Fond du Lac, Wis. |
| 71 |
Aiden Williams |
OL |
R-Sr. |
Minnesota Duluth |
Anchorage, Alaska |
| 5 |
Tony Anger |
TE |
Jr. |
Minnesota State |
Apple Valley, Minn. |
| 56 |
Nathan Gribble |
OL |
So. |
Minnesota State |
West Salem, Wis. |
| 74 |
Deontae Veney |
OL |
Jr. |
Minnesota State |
Rochester, Minn. |
| 71 |
Keeshawn Westley |
OL |
Sr. |
Minnesota State |
Covington, Ky. |
| 3 |
Brady Perryman |
WR |
So. |
MSU Moorhead |
Cottage Grove, Minn. |
| 22 |
Dylan Rudningen |
RB |
R-Jr. |
Sioux Falls |
Sunburg, Minn. |
| 0 |
Donald Austin |
RB |
Jr. |
SMSU |
Hartland, Wis. |
| 4 |
Nick Bohn |
QB |
Jr. |
Wayne State |
Bennington, Neb. |
| 73 |
Tierel Tompkins |
OL |
So. |
Wayne State |
Cedar Falls, Iowa |
| 77 |
Will Washenberger |
OL |
So. |
Wayne State |
Sioux Falls, S.D. |
| 1 |
Sylvere Campbell |
WR |
Jr. |
Winona State |
Milwaukee, Wis. |
| 77 |
Noah Pappas |
OL |
So. |
Winona State |
Plymouth, Minn. |
| 2 |
Kaleb Skelly |
WR |
Jr. |
Winona State |
Blaine, Minn. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| NSIC All-Conference Second Team Defense |
| 20 |
JayVian Farr |
DB |
Jr. |
Augustana |
Racine, Wis. |
| 32 |
Kade Lynott |
LB |
So. |
Augustana |
Hawarden, Iowa |
| 24 |
Jake Polson |
DB |
Sr. |
Augustana |
Reno, Nev. |
| 91 |
Jack Wilson |
DL |
Sr. |
Augustana |
Sioux Falls, S.D. |
| 8 |
Colton Herman |
DB |
Sr. |
Bemidji State |
Anchorage, Alaska |
| 4 |
Jarrett Klein |
DB |
Sr. |
Bemidji State |
DeForest, Wis. |
| 7 |
Koffi Gbekle |
DL |
Jr. |
Concordia-St. Paul |
Minneapolis, Minn. |
| 3 |
Tim Pokornowski |
DB |
Gr. |
Minnesota Duluth |
Cloquet, Minn. |
| 7 |
Dakota Smith |
LB |
Sr. |
Minnesota State |
Inglewood, Calif. |
| 99 |
Hayden Carr |
DL |
Sr. |
MSU Moorhead |
Champlin, Minn. |
| 8 |
Jake Bettcher |
DB |
Sr. |
MSU Moorhead |
Detroit Lakes, Minn. |
| 1 |
Carson Cayko |
LB |
Jr. |
Minot State |
Fairview, Mont. |
| 35 |
Trey King |
LB |
R-Jr. |
Northern State |
Irene, S.D. |
| 9 |
Matt Goehring |
LB |
R-Fr. |
Sioux Falls |
Sioux Falls, S.D. |
| 95 |
Amaurii Grosskopf |
DL |
Gr. |
Sioux Falls |
Beloit, Wis. |
| 22 |
Josiah Hedensten |
LB |
So. |
SMSU |
Faribault, Minn. |
| 4 |
Jalani Jefferson |
DB |
So. |
SMSU |
Murrieta, Calif. |
| 92 |
Rex Becker |
DL |
Sr. |
Wayne State |
Hartington, Neb. |
| 24 |
Jacob Byrd |
DB |
Jr. |
Wayne State |
Sioux Falls, S.D. |
| 49 |
Alex Schall |
LB |
Jr. |
Wayne State |
Kearney, Neb. |
| 51 |
Trey Borske |
LB |
Jr. |
Winona State |
Naperville, Ill. |
| 91 |
Kyjuan Vengrowsky |
DL |
R-So. |
Winona State |
De Pere, Wis. |
| 94 |
Darius Manuel |
DE |
R-Jr. |
Winona State |
Des Moines, Iowa |
| 56 |
Enrique De Leon |
DL |
Jr. |
Winona State |
Chippewa Falls, Wis. |
About the NSIC
The NSIC is a 15-team, 18-sport, NCAA Division II conference with institutions located in 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 union of Upper Midwest colleges and universities. The NSIC has won 25 team national championships and crowned 110 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.
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