For Immediate Release
Monday, September 14, 2026
NSIC Media Relations
Media Packet
NSIC Offensive Player of the Week
#12 Gunnar Hensley (QB, 6-2, 206, Sr., Carlsbad, Calif. / Mission Hills HS) - Augustana
- Led the team to a 38-33 home win over Minot State
- Completed 23-of-30 passes for an NSIC best 371 passing yards
- Threw 4 touchdown passes and finished with an NSIC best 384 yards of total offense
- Recorded 13 rushing yards on 2 attempts
NSIC Defensive Player of the Week
#96 Vegas George (DL, 6-1, 245, Sr., Bismarck, N.D. / Legacy HS) - University of Mary
- Recorded 2.0 sacks and 3.5 tackles for loss in a 13-10 win over Concordia-St. Paul
- Both sacks came in the fourth quarter and ended Concordia-St. Paul possessions
- Forced a fumble on a third-down sack on the first play of the fourth quarter
- Recorded a second sack on a fourth-and-5 play with 1:55 remaining to end the final CSP possession
- Finished with 7 tackles and 1 forced fumble
- Leads the NSIC with 4 sacks and 5.5 tackles for loss
- Helped UMary set NSIC-era program records for fewest yards allowed (142) and fewest first downs allowed (9)
NSIC Special Teams Player of the Week
#14 Connor Fournier (K/P, 6-0, 200, Jr., Maple Grove, Minn. / Maple Grove HS) - Minnesota State
- Went 3-for-4 on field goals in a 30-13 win over Bemidji State
- Converted all 3 extra-point attempts
- Made field goals from 46, 41, and 38 yards
- Scored 12 points in the game
- Leads the team with 26 points on the season
- Tied his career high with 3 field goals made in a game
Others Under Consideration
OFFENSE
Bart McAninch (Bemidji State)
- Led the Beaver Offense with 159 passing yards and 27 on the ground
- Scored a touchdown on the ground
- Is now 50th in NCAA DII for passing efficiency with 10 completions on 22 attempts
- Ranks 54th in NCAA DII for passing yards and 8th in yards per completion (first in NSIC)
Drew Huebner (MSU Moorhead)
- Was 20-41 for 253 pass yards and one touchdown against Sioux Falls
- Led the NSIC in scoring, netting 18 points with a trio of touchdown runs
- Took 20 carries for 75 yards in the contest
Mitchell Thompson (Minnesota State)
- Finished with 13 carries for 84 yards and two rushing touchdowns in a 30-13 win over Bemidji State
- Completed 5 of 12 passes for 71 yards and 1 touchdown
- Accounted for 18 of Minnesota State’s 30 points in the victory
- Recorded his fourth career game with multiple rushing touchdowns
Jett Lundeen (Minot State)
- Made his first career start at quarterback and nearly led the Beavers to an upset of No. 17 Augustana
- Rushed for 76 yards and 3 touchdowns
- Completed 5 of 7 passes for 88 yards and a 37-yard touchdown
- Accounted for 4 total touchdowns
- Scored the first three rushing touchdowns of his collegiate career
Hank Kraft (Northern State)
- Led the NSIC for the third straight week with 107 rushing yards
- Scored a rushing touchdown in Northern State’s win over Southwest Minnesota State
- Recorded his seventh rushing touchdown of the season
- Averaged 5.4 yards per carry with a long run of 48 yards
- Added 11 receiving yards
- Helped propel Northern State to its best start since 1989
Jackson Flottmeyer (Winona State)
- Completed 15 of 23 passes for 155 yards and 3 touchdowns in a shutout win over Jamestown
- Tied his career high with 3 passing touchdowns
- Connected on a season-long 40-yard touchdown pass to Nolan Ginskey on the opening drive
- Went 3-for-3 passing on the opening touchdown drive
DEFENSE
Tyler Birn (Augustana)
- Recorded 7 total tackles in a 38-33 win over Minot State
- Collected 4 solo tackles
- Added 3 assisted tackles
- Recorded 1 quarterback hurry
Caden Bolte (Bemidji State)
- Led the Beaver defense with 8 total tackles
- Recorded 3 solo tackles and 5 assisted tackles
- Added 1 pass breakup
Evan Miles (MSU Moorhead)
- Made a team-high 7 tackles against Sioux Falls
- Recorded 6 solo tackles
- Added 1 pass breakup
- Recorded 1 interception
Ross Rivord (Minnesota Duluth)
- Recorded 10 tackles, including 6 solo and 4 assisted stops
- Finished with 1.5 tackles for loss
- Added 0.5 sacks
- Made three consecutive tackles on a Wayne State red-zone drive that helped set up a critical fourth-down stop early in the fourth quarter
Tanner Olson (Minnesota State)
- Finished with 5 total tackles, including 2 solo stops
- Recorded 1.5 sacks for 10 yards
- Forced a fumble and added a quarterback hurry
- Helped hold Bemidji State to 54 second-half yards and 220 total yards
- Tied his career-high with 1.5 sacks
- Set a career high with 5 total tackles
Conner Raetzman (Minot State)
- Led the Beavers with 9 tackles against No. 17 Augustana
- Recorded Minot State’s lone tackle for loss
- Set a career high with 9 tackles
Jake Adams (Northern State)
- Led the NSIC with 15 tackles in a win over Southwest Minnesota State
- Recorded 9 solo tackles
- Added 2.0 tackles for loss totaling 3 yards
- Averaged an NSIC-leading 13.3 tackles per game on the season
- Helped propel Northern State to its best start since 1989
Clyde Hinton (Wayne State)
- Recorded a game-high 12 tackles against No. 15 Minnesota Duluth
- Finished with 8 solo tackles and 4 assisted tackles
- Added 1 sack
- Recorded 2 tackles for loss
- Added 1 pass breakup
SPECIAL TEAMS
Neal May (Augustana)
- Recorded 3 kickoff returns for 92 yards in a win over Minot State
- Posted a long kickoff return of 45 yards
- Added 1 punt return for 13 yards
- Recorded a long punt return of 13 yards
Rodrigo Castaneda (Bemidji State)
- Punted six times against Minnesota State
- Totaled 218 punting yards
- Averaged 36.3 yards per punt
- Recorded a long punt of 50 yards
- Ranks 81st in NCAA Division II with a 37.1-yard punting average
John Girard (UMary)
- Was perfect on all 3 kicks in a 13-10 win over Concordia-St. Paul
- Connected on a 27-yard field goal in the third quarter to give UMary a 10-7 lead
- Made the game-winning 23-yard field goal with 5:00 remaining
- Added an extra point for a total of 7 points
- Recorded touchbacks on 3 of 4 kickoffs
- Averaged 63 yards per kickoff
Week 2 Results
Football Pages
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
9/8/26
O: #21 Hank Kraft - Northern State (2)
D: #54 Jake Adams - Northern State
SP: #25 Jake Pecina - Augustana
9/14/26
O: #12 Gunnar Hensley - Augustana
D: #96 Vegas George - University of Mary
SP: #14 Connor Fournier - Minnesota State
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.
#NSICFB