BEREA, Ohio -- Thirteen Baldwin Wallace University football student-athletes received awards at the team's season-ending banquet on Sunday, January 26 at Strosacker Hall. The Yellow Jackets finished 6-4 overall.
Josiah Holt received the Ray E. Watts Most Valuable Offensive Back Award. He was a team captain (one of five). He earned numerous Division III pre-season All-American honors, was both the Frank Ropollo Homecoming Player of the Game award winner and earned Ohio Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Week honors for his efforts in a 38-17 win against Ohio Northern University on October 12 in Berea. Despite missing the first three games of the season with an injury, he led the team in rushing with 579 yards in 78 attempts with five TD's and was second with 23 pass receptions for 225 yards and two TD's. Holt also earned second-team All-OAC honors as a wide receiver. That marked the third straight year that he earned All-OAC accolades.
David Flegal was the winner of the Ray Watts Most Valuable Defensive Player Award. He had a team-leading 114 tackles, including eight games with double-figure stops. His 114 tackles are the most since Luke Chronister '08 had 118 in 2007. He was named as the OAC Defensive Player of the Week honors for his 12-tackle effort in a 52-21 win at Bluffton University on September 14. Flegal again was chosen as the OAC Defensive Player of the Week for his 18-tackle effort in a 31-7 win at Marietta College on November 2. He was selected as a first-team CAPITAL ONE Academic All-America and first-team CAPITAL ONE Academic All-District 7 student-athlete and was named Academic All-OAC for the second straight year. Flegal also earned second-team All-OAC honors.
Nolan Sordyl received the Bob Packard Outstanding Offensive Back Award. He led the team in rushing attempts (102), was second on the team in yards rushing with 532 and ran for five TD's. Sordyl was named as the Dick Miller Community Day Player of the Game when he ran for 99 yards in 20 attempts in a 23-13 win versus Muskingum University on September 28. He also had a career-high 193 yards in 23 attempts with a TD in a 28-12 win versus Capital University on October 26. Sordyl also was named to the Academic All-OAC team for the second straight season.
Jason Cook earned the Dick VanAlman Outstanding Offensive Lineman Award for the second straight year. He played in seven games and ended his consecutive streak of starts at 37 when he was injured versus Capital University. Cook was one of five team captains and was one of the top linemen in Division III. He helped BW to average 26.1 points and 352.4 yards of total offense per game. Individually, Cook earned third-team D3football.com Division III All-American honors, was a first-team D3football.com All-North Region pick and first-team All-OAC choice. He also earned All-OAC honors in 2012.
Luke Riemenschneider received the Outstanding Defensive Lineman Award. He finished fourth on the team with 63 total tackles, including a team-leading 11.5 for loss and 5.5 quarterback sacks. Riemenschneider also deflected one pass, forced five QB hurries and recovered a fumble. He was the OAC Defensive Player of the Week on October 12 for his efforts in a 38-17 Homecoming win versus Ohio Northern University. He earned second-team All-OAC honors.
Kevin Johnson was the named as the winner of the Outstanding Receiver Award. He played in all 10 games for the Yellow Jackets and caught 25 passes for 350 yards and four TD's. Johnson also added one rushing touchdown. He also returned 13 kickoffs for a 20.5-yard average. In addition, Johnson lso played some defensive back. For four straight year, he split time between offense and defense and joined Holt as two of the top kickoff return specialists in Division III.
Dan O'Brien received the Outstanding Linebacker Award. He was second on the team with 68 tackles, including seven for loss and three QB sacks. O'Brien also led the team with three interceptions, including one he ran back for a TD. He forced one fumble, recovered another and broke up a pass. For his efforts in the classroom and on the football field, O'Brien earned Academic All-Ohio Athletic Conference honors. He also was honorable mention All-OAC pick and was the OAC Defensive Player of the Week on September 28 in a 23-13 win versus Muskingum University.
Joe Kasper earned the Outstanding Defensive Back Award. The starting safety had a career-high 66 tackles, including a career-high 12 tackles in a 28-12 victory against Capital University on October 26. He also has 1.5 tackles for loss, two forced fumbles and one recovered fumble that he returned 48 yards for a TD and five pass breakups. For his efforts both in the classroom and on the football field, Kasper was selected as a second-team CAPITAL ONE Academic All-American, a first-team CAPITAL ONE Academic All-District 7 pick and as an Academic All-OAC student-athlete.
Austin Stephan was the recipient of the Lee J. Tressel Academic Award. This award represents the most outstanding student-athlete on the BW football team. The sophomore linebacker contributed on the junior varsity team for the second straight season, and continues to carry a perfect 4.0 grade point average.
Matt Harmon received the A.B. Bonds Outstanding Special Teams Player Award. The three-year starter had his best season as a collegian. Harmon led the OAC and was eighth in Division III with a 41.6-yard average in 45 attempts, including 22 that landed inside the opposition's 20-yard line. His 39.5-yard net average also led all of Division III. He was the OAC Special Teams Player of the Week for his efforts in a 23-13 win versus Muskingum on September 28. Overall, Harmon was selected as a first-team Division III All-American by the AFCA (American Football Coaches Association), a second-team Division III All-American and first-team All-North Region choice by the D3football.com website and as a first-team All-OAC player.
Jon Hofer was a co-recipient of the Roy Seitz Yellow Jacket Award. The award recognizes the football student-athlete who goes over, above and beyond the call-of-duty. It also recognizes the student-athlete who makes a valuable contribution to the team from behind-the-scenes. Hofer played in all 10 games at defensive tackle and had nine tackles, including 1.5 tackles for loss.
Alex Lovasz was a co-recipient of the Roy Seitz Yellow Jacket Award. The award recognizes the football student-athlete who goes over, above and beyond the call-of-duty. It also recognizes the student-athlete who makes a valuable contribution to the team from behind-the-scenes. The four-year varsity player and three-year starter was an honorable mention All-Ohio Athletic Conference selection this fall. He helped the offense to score 26.1 points and average 352.4 yards of total offense per game.
Tim Smart earned the Eloise Tressel Jacket Award. The award recognizes the student-athlete who shows spirit, fire and determination every day in the classroom, in practice and during games. The defensive back appeared in seven games and recorded five tackles.
FOR MORE BW SPORTS INFORMATION, please contact Sports Information Director Kevin Ruple by telephone at 440-826-2327 and e-mail at kruple@bw.edu or Assistant SID Jeff Miller by phone at 440-826-2780 and email at jefmille@bw.edu. Fans can access the latest BW athletics information at www.bwyellowjackets.com and we invite you to join us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/bwyellowjackets and Twitter at http://twitter.com/bwathletics.
