Contact: Clark Teuscher, Sports Information Director, 630-637-5302
Nov. 23, 2021 - North Central College senior wide receiver Andrew Kamienski has been selected as one of 15 semifinalists for the Gagliardi Trophy, the premier individual award in NCAA Division III Football. Jostens and the J-Club of Saint John's University (Minnesota), which present the Gagliardi Trophy, announced the semifinalists for the 28th annual award on Tuesday.
Kamienski, who was named a First Team All-College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) selection for the fourth straight year and voted the CCIW's Art Keller Offensive Player of the Year this season, becomes the sixth North Central player to advance to the semifinal stage of the award process, joining Kam Kniss '07 (2006), Dominic Sulo '10 (2008), Peter Bulandr '13 (2012), Austin Breunig '18 (2017) and Broc Rutter '20 (2018 and 2019). Rutter won the 27th annual Gagliardi Trophy in 2019 before the award was suspended in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Kamienski. an entrepreneurship and small business management major, has caught 59 passes for 1,015 yards and 10 touchdowns this season while also returning a punt for a touchdown. He currently ranks in the all-time top 10 in Division III in career receptions (321), receiving yards (4,769) and touchdown receptions (56) and set a Division III single-season record for touchdown catches (31) during the 2019 season. Kamienski was recognized as a First Team All-American in 2019 by the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA), the Associated Press (AP
Nominations were submitted by colleges across the country, and the final 15 were selected by the J-Club Board of Directors. The Gagliardi Trophy national-selection committee is comprised of 16 Division III coaches, four Division III administrators, eight regional notable voters and eight national voters with Division III backgrounds. Each casts a ballot ranking the semifinalists. D3football.com will once again conduct a fan vote, which is set to open Wednesday and remain live until Friday, Dec. 3.
Other semifinalists are United States Merchant Marine Academy running back Ian Blakenship, University of Mary Hardin-Baylor defensive back Jefferson Fritz, Grove City College (Ohio) wide receiver Cody Gustafson and quarterbacks Blaine Hawkins of Central College (Iowa), Michael Hnatkowsky of Muhlenberg College (Pennsylvania), Tucker Horn of Trinity University (Texas), Tyler Jarnagin of Benedictine University, Kyle Jones of Hardin-Simmons University (Texas), Max Meylor of the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, Braxton Plunk of the University of Mount Union (Ohio), Jaran Roste of Bethel University (Minnesota), Brees Segala of the State University of New York at Cortland, Wyatt Smith of Linfield College (Oregon) and Gavin Zimbelman of Aurora University.
The winner of the 28th Gagliardi Trophy will be announced on Friday, Dec. 17 prior to the Division III national championship game, the Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl.The four finalists will be announced by D3football.com on Thursday, Dec. 9 in a live streaming broadcast. Once again, D3football.com will be conducting a fan vote, which can be accessed by clicking HERE and runs until Friday, Dec. 3. One vote per day per device is permitted.
No. 1-ranked North Central (10-0) hosts the No. 11-ranked University of Wisconsin-La Crosse in the second round of the Division III Football Championship on Saturday. Kickoff at Benedetti-Wehrli Stadium is scheduled for 12:00 noon. Click HERE for links to live coverage.
Download the free North Central Cardinals app, available for iOS and Android devices, to receive up-to-the-minute news, scores and updates on your favorite North Central teams. Click HERE for more information.
