Contact: Nicholas Osterloo, Director of Athletics Communication, 630-637-5324

AFCA Press Release

Dec. 10, 2025 - For the sixth straight season, the North Central College football team has been honored by the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) as wide receiver Thomas Skokna, defensive lineman John Sullivan and kicker Aidan Ellison each earned 2025 NCAA Division III Coaches' All-America honors, the organization announced Wednesday.

Skokna, a First Team selection, was recently named a Gagliardi Trophy semifinalist, the award for the nation's top Division III player. The senior leads DIII with 23 receiving touchdowns this season. He caught 73 passes for 1,143 yards, averaging 95.25 yards per contest. In the Cardinals' 59-10 victory over Millikin University, Skokna caught a program record five touchdowns. His 206 receiving yards rank as the fifth-most in North Central history for a single game.

Sullivan, an All-American for the second straight season, earned First Team honors in 2025 after being named a D3football.com Second Team All-American a season ago. The senior leads the Cardinals in tackles for loss (19.5) and is third in sacks (6.5), drawing a double team numerous times per game. Those tackles for loss rank 21st in Division III.

Ellison, a Second Team selection, drilled the longest field goal in Division III this season with a 57-yard field goal vs Augustana. His 51-yard kick ranked sixth longest in DIII, with his 50-yard field goal vs Millikin ranks 10th. On the year, Ellison is 13-of-14, the second best field goal percentage in the nation at 92.9%.

This Cardinal trio highlighted the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) specialty awards earlier this season. North Central has earned 23 AFCA All-American honors by 20 student-athletes. In total, the Cardinals have garnered 124 All-America awards. 

North Central hosts No. 4/3 Bethel University Saturday for another cold matchup between the schools. The teams have split their past postseason contests in 2013 and 2018. The year's game is set for noon inside Benedetti-Wehrli Stadium.