For Immediate Release
Monday, August 31, 2026
NSIC Media Relations
Media Packet

NSIC Offensive Player of the Week
#21 Hank Kraft (RB, 5-9, 215, 5th, Timber Lake, S.D. / Timber Lake HS) - Northern State
- Led the NSIC with 232 rushing yards and four touchdowns in a 42-17 win over Chadron State 
- Scored on touchdown runs of 2, 41, 68 and 89 yards 
- The 24 points were tied for the most in the NSIC last week
- Added 46 receiving yards for an NSIC best 278 all-purpose yards
- Set career highs for rushing yards and touchdowns in a single game 

NSIC Defensive Player of the Week
#98 Travis Biery (DL, 6-2, 275, Sr., Sauk Rapids, Minn. / Sauk Rapids-Rice HS) - University of Mary
- Posted two third-down sacks and forced a fumble in a 23-10 win over Rocky Mountain College 
- Ended Rocky Mountain’s first drive of the second half with a sack, setting up a short field for UMary 
- Forced a fumble on his second sack, which the Marauders recovered and turned into a touchdown 
- Recorded a career-high two sacks, six tackles and a forced fumble 

NSIC Special Teams Player of the Week
#6 Neal May (KR/WR, 5-11, 183, Jr., Bradley, Ill. / Bradley Bourbonnais HS) - Augustana
- Led the country with 185 combined return yards in a 63-58 win at Missouri Western 
- Returned a punt 84 yards for a touchdown to put the Vikings up 42-35
- Added three kickoff returns for 87 yards and two punt returns for 98 yards

Others Under Consideration
OFFENSE
Gunnar Hensley (Augustana) 
- Tallied a career and DII-best 449 passing yards in Augustana’s 63-58 win over Missouri Western 
- Tallied 429 yards of total offense while throwing for three touchdowns 
- The 449 passing yards are the fourth-highest mark in program history 
- Finished the day with a passing efficiency of 154.7 
- Completed passes to seven different receivers 
Lucas Peterson (Bemidji State) 
- Had the best game of his career, tallying two of the Beavers’ four touchdowns 
- Tied the game with a 19-yard reception in the first quarter 
- Put the Beavers in tying territory with 41 seconds left on a 26-yard touchdown reception 
- Ranked among the NCAA leaders in points responsible for, receiving yards, receptions per game, scoring and touchdowns 
Joel Lacy (Concordia-St. Paul) 
- Led CSP with 118 all-purpose yards and two total touchdowns in a 38-21 win over Quincy 
- Averaged 7.2 yards per carry while adding a rushing touchdown 
- Added a receiving touchdown 
- Recorded a blocked punt and six punt return yards 
- His 17-yard receiving touchdown gave CSP a 17-14 lead late in the second quarter 
- His 19-yard rushing touchdown extended CSP’s lead to 38-21 in the fourth quarter 
Derrick Johnson (Minnesota Duluth) 
- Rushed for 209 yards and three touchdowns against Slippery Rock 
- Scored touchdowns on runs of 79 and 58 yards 
- His 209 rushing yards rank 13th in a single game in UMD football history 
Jackson Owens (Minnesota State) 
- Had five catches for a career-high 137 yards and two touchdowns in a 38-14 win at Colorado Mesa 
- Scored on a 43-yard touchdown reception on the Mavericks’ opening possession 
- Added a 48-yard touchdown reception as time expired in the first half 
- Tied for the team lead in receptions 
Drew Huebner (MSU Moorhead) 
- Completed 21 of 31 passes for 265 yards and four touchdowns in a 41-19 win over Northern Michigan 
- Added 104 rushing yards and a touchdown on nine carries 
- Had a 73-yard rushing touchdown, the longest run by an MSUM player since 2017 
- Tallied 374 yards of total offense 
- Completed passes to five different receivers 
Brandon Hines Jr. (Minot State) 
- Ran for a career-high 153 yards and three touchdowns in his Beaver debut 
- Added two receptions for 62 yards 
Josh Lancifort (Southwest Minnesota State) 
- In his first collegiate game, rushed for 67 yards in SMSU’s victory over Valley City State 
- Also contributed four receptions for 24 yards 
Dawson Forgy (Wayne State) 
- Gained 132 rushing yards and scored two touchdowns in a 21-20 win at Nebraska-Kearney 
- Scored on touchdown runs of seven and five yards 
- Added a 26-yard reception for 158 yards of total offense

DEFENSE
Ray Iglesias (Bemidji State)
- Led the Beavers with nine total tackles against Michigan Tech 
- Set career highs in total tackles, solo tackles and assisted tackles 
- Played a key role in multiple big stops, helping force Michigan Tech to punt on numerous occasions 
Clarence Chaney (Concordia-St. Paul)
- Secured an interception and returned it 32 yards for a touchdown 
- The pick-six with 40 seconds left in the first half extended CSP’s lead to 24-14 in a 38-21 win over Quincy 
- Added two total tackles in the victory 
Amaun Williams (Minnesota State)
- Finished with five total tackles in the Mavericks’ 38-14 win at Colorado Mesa 
- Recorded a key interception in the fourth quarter, picking off a pass at the MSU 4-yard line and returning it 19 yards 
- The interception was the fourth of his career 
Gannon Bolgrean (MSU Moorhead)
- Tallied a game-high nine total tackles in MSUM’s 41-19 win over Northern Michigan 
- Recorded seven solo tackles and a tackle for loss 
- Added a pass breakup and an interception in the victory 
Austin Young (Minot State)
- Was one of the Beavers’ defensive leaders in their season opener 
- Recorded seven tackles, including a tackle for loss 
- Forced a fumble in his Minot State debut 
Kale Johnson (Northern State)
- Tallied seven total tackles in the Wolves’ win over Chadron State 
- Recorded five solo stops, including his first collegiate sack 
- Set a single-game career high with seven tackles 
Hunter Hanegraaf (Southwest Minnesota State)
- Led SMSU with 10 tackles in the Mustangs’ 10-7 victory over Valley City State 
- Recorded 2.5 tackles for loss 
James Frank (Wayne State)
- Had five tackles in Wayne State’s 21-20 win at Nebraska-Kearney 
- Recorded two tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks 
- Helped the Wildcat defense hold UNK to just 236 yards of total offense 
Brent Jeske (Winona State)
- Led Winona State with eight tackles against NCAA Division I St. Thomas 
- Recorded six solo tackles 
- Added a sack in the contest

SPECIAL TEAMS
Kyle Nadler (Bemidji State)
- Led the Beavers’ special teams unit in his collegiate debut 
- Made a field goal and two extra points 
- Handled kickoff duties and recorded two touchbacks 
- Scored five points 
Carter Henke (UMary)
- Played a key role in UMary’s field-position advantage against Rocky Mountain 
- Downed three punts inside the 3-yard line 
- Had a long punt of 68 yards 
- Limited the opposition to minimal punt-return yardage 
Connor Fournier (Minnesota State)
- Went 5-for-5 on extra points and made a field goal in Minnesota State’s win at Colorado Mesa 
- Made a 47-yard field goal 
- Scored eight points in the victory 
Jeremy Caruso (Northern State)
- Scored six points in Northern State’s win over Chadron State 
- Went 6-for-6 on extra points 
- Recorded four touchbacks on seven kickoffs 
- Added punting duties 
Kaleb Kirgan (Southwest Minnesota State)
- Averaged 35.2 yards per punt in SMSU’s victory over Valley City State 
- Recorded a long punt of 46 yards 
- Also handled kickoff duties and recorded two touchbacks 
Boston Hensley (Wayne State)
- Hit the game-winning field goal as time expired to give Wayne State a win at Nebraska-Kearney 
- Went 2-for-2 on field goals and made his PAT attempt 
- Also handled punting duties 
- Booted a 47-yard field goal on the opening drive

Week 0  Results

Northern State 42, Chadron State 17

MSU Moorhead 41, Northern Mich. 19

Sioux Falls 21, Black Hills St. 24

Bemidji State 29, Michigan Tech 31

Winona State 9, St. Thomas (MN) 15

Minnesota Duluth 43, Slippery Rock 45

Minot State 30, Emporia St. 36

Wayne State College 21, Neb.-Kearney 20

Concordia-St. Paul 38, Quincy 21

Minnesota State 38, Colorado Mesa 14

UMary 23, Rocky Mountain 10

Augustana 63, Missouri Western 58

Southwest Minnesota State 10, Valley City State 7

Jamestown 13, Upper Iowa 30

 

NSIC Football Players of the Week
8/31/26
O: #21 Hank Kraft - Northern State
D: #98 Travis Biery - University of Mary
SP: #6 Neal May - Augustana

About the NSIC
The NSIC is a 16-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 27 team national championships and crowned 128 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.