Contact: Clark Teuscher, Sports Information Director, 630-637-5302
2022 AFCA Coaches' All-America Teams
Dec. 13, 2022 - The North Central College football team has been honored with two selections to the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) 2022 NCAA Division III Coaches' All-America Teams in recognition of the Cardinals' on-field success this season.
Making the All-America First Team is running back Ethan Greenfield, while defensive tackle Dan Lester has been selected to the Second Team. Both are so recognized by the AFCA for the first time. Greenfield was a D3football.com Second Team All-American and Associated Press First Team All-American in 2019, and was a First Team honoree by both organizations in 2021.
Recently named one of four finalists for the Gagliardi Trophy, the premier individual award in Division III football, Greenfield is the Division III national leader in rushing yards (1,878) for the third consecutive season. He is also the national leader in rushing touchdowns (25) in 2022 while ranking second in points scored (162) and all-purpose yards (2,050) and third in yards per rushing attempt (7.60). Greenfield ranks fifth in Division III history in career scoring (562), sixth in rushing yards (6,560) and 14th in all-purpose yards (7,528) and has already received College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) Art Keller Offensive Student-Athlete of the Year and D3football.com Region 5 Offensive Player of the Year awards this season.
Lester, a first-time All-America honoree, was the co-recipient of this year's CCIW Don Larson Defensive Player of the Year award alongside Millikin University's Alexander Perkins. Lester ranks third on the North Central roster with 54 total tackles, including a team-high 19.5 tackles for loss (third-best in the CCIW) and 8.5 quarterback sacks. Lester also ranks seventh among all Division III defenders in fumble recoveries (3) this season. Lester is 2.5 tackles for loss shy of matching the North Central single-season record of 22 set by Ben Hare '05 in 2004.
With 16 All-America honors earned by 13 student-athletes, North Central ranks 17th among all Division III programs in selections to the Coaches' All-America Teams. The Cardinals have had a total of 61 All-America awards achieved by 35 players in the football program's history.
No. 1-ranked North Central (14-0) faces off against the No. 2-ranked University of Mount Union (Ohio) in the Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl Friday at Navy-Marine Corps Stadium in Annapolis, Maryland. The Cardinals make their third straight appearance in the championship and will look to win their second Division III national title in a contest to be broadcast live on ESPNU beginning at 7 p.m. Eastern time.
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