http://miac-online.org/news/2011/12/7/FOOTBALL_1207114209.aspx
ST.
PAUL, Minn. -- The 2011 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic
Conference football season concluded in mid-November, but numerous
honors and All-Star game selections continue to roll in for league
players and coaches. This week, several MIAC players were named
major award finalists, selected to the All-West Region team, and
will represent the conference this weekend in the Division III
Senior Bowl.
UST's
Waldvogel a Gagliardi Trophy finalist
St. Thomas senior wide receiver/returner Fritz
Waldvogel was announced Tuesday as one of four national
finalists for the Gagliardi Trophy, awarded by Jostens and the
J-Club of Saint John's University. The award salutes the Most
Outstanding all-around football student-athlete in NCAA Division
III. Waldvogel was invited to Salem, Va., for the Dec. 14
announcement, joining fellow finalists Monmouth QB Alex Tanney,
Dubuque WR Michael Zweifel and UW-Whitewater QB Matt Blanchard.
Waldvogel recently was honored as the MIAC MVP for the second time
in his career, and he was an All-MIAC First-Team selection for the
third-straight season. In addition, this week Waldvogel was
announced as a second-teamer on the Capital One D-III Academic
All-America team, and a first-teamer on the D3football.com 2011
All-West Region Team as both a receiver and a return specialist. Click
here for the full announcement of the four finalists, and click
here for the Gagliardi Trophy's home page.
St. Thomas' Caruso, Bethel's Johnson named Coach-of-the-Year finalists
St. Thomas coach
Glenn Caruso and Bethel coach Steve
Johnson are among five national finalists on the Division
III football ballot for the 2011 Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year
program. Fans can vote through Dec. 22 at www.coachoftheyear.com. Past winners include Caruso, who won the
honor last season, and John Gagliardi of St. John's in Division
III, and current Gophers coach Jerry Kill when he worked at
Southern Illinois. Caruso was named the MIAC Coach-of-the-Year
recently for the second-straight season and his Tommies are 13-0
and still alive in the Division III Playoffs. Johnson led the
Royals to an 8-2 record and a tie for second place in the MIAC
standings. His Bethel team was ranked in the Top 25 throughout the
season, with significant time in the Top 10.
Four
MIAC student-athletes earn Academic All-American
honors
Tuesday, the 2011 Capital One Academic All-American Division III
Football Team was released by the College Sports Information
Directors of America (CoSIDA) and four MIAC student-athletes were
honored for their performance in the classroom and on the field.
St. Thomas offensive lineman Dan Chapman was a
repeat selection on the First Team, while Gustavus defensive back
Brad Kruckeburg was also named to the First Team.
Chapman is a senior Political Science and Economics major with a
3.88 cumulative GPA. Kruckeberg is a senior Biology major at
Gustavus with an identical GPA to Chapman at 3.88.
The MIAC also has two selections on the Second Team: St. Thomas's
Fritz Waldvogel at wide receiver and Bethel
defensive back David Vavra. Waldvogel has a 3.60
GPA as a senior Finance major, and Vavra is a senior Nursing major
with a GPAC of 3.85.
The 25 members of
the First Team had an average GPA of 3.83. To be eligible for the
honor, a student-athlete must be a varsity starter or key reserve,
maintain a cumulative GPAC of 3.30 on a 4.00 scale, have reached
sophomore academic standings and his current institution and be
nominated by his sports information director. Click here for the
complete press release.
MIAC
has 20 selections on All-West Region teams
The D3football.com 2011 All-West Region teams were also announced
this week, and the MIAC had a total of 20 selections across the
three teams, including one of the major individual honors. St.
Thomas linebacker Tony Danna was a First Team
defensive pick, as well as the West Region's Defensive
Player-of-the-Year.
Danna was joined by several Tommie teammates on the First Team.
Fritz Waldvogel earned a pair of First-Team
selections as both a wide receiver and as a return specialist. UST
offensive linemen Curtis James and Dan
Chapman were also named to the First Team Offense and the
Tommies' Tim Albright was picked as the First Team
kicker. St. Olaf defensive end Brian Albrecht was
the MIAC's other First Team selection on the defensive side of the
ball.
The Tommies had three more selections on the second team: running
back Colin Tobin, defensive tackle Danny
Kane and punter Garrett Maloney. Joining
them on the Second Team offense are Augsburg tight end Adam
Carl, Bethel offensive linemen Mitch
Elliot and Kyle Boersma and Carleton
return specialist Jordan Soteros. Saint John's
defensive back Bobby Fischer was also named to the
Second Team Defense.
The Third Team
Offense had two MIAC selections: Bethel offensive lineman
Jared Penz and Saint John's kicker Jimmie
Mattson. There were three players selected to the Third
Team Defense: Augsburg defensive tackle Edmond
Smith, Bethel linebacker Billy Morgan and
St. Thomas cornerback Chinni Oji. In all, the MIAC
had seven First-Team selections, eight on the Second Team and five
on the Third Team.
The players were nominated and selected by sports information
directors in each Region. For the complete D3Football.com press
release, including all four All-Region teams and individual awards,
click
here.
MIAC players, coaches participate
in All-Star games
Friday, some of the
best senior players throughout all of Division III will meet for
one final collegiate contest when the 2011 D-III Senior Classic
kicks off in Salem, Va., and three of the players on the North
roster will be representing both their institutions and the MIAC.
Bethel guard Mitch Elliott, Carleton linebacker
Mark Skoglund and Gustavus defensive back
Brad Kruckeberg have been selected to play for the
North team, and will take the field Friday at 7 p.m. against the
all-star team from the South. The game will be broadcast live on
the Internet by Knoxivi Sports at this link. Complete details
and rosters for the game can be found here.
Meanwhile, last weekend Augsburg coach Frank Haege
and Auggie senior defensive back Tyler Phillips
both participated in the Aztec Bowl, an All-Star game pitting
Division II and III players against a Mexican All-Star team at
Olympic Stadium at the Autonomous University of Chihuahua in
Chihuahua, Mexico. Haege was chosen to be the team's head coach on
offense, and Phillips was one of seven defensive backs named to the
team. The All-American Eagles defeated the Mexican team, 28-14. For
more details, click
here.
Courtesy of
MIAC