Green Knights just out of preseason top 25

Five-time defending MWC Champion St. Norbert received 70 votes in the D3football.com Preseason Top 25 Poll that was recently released. The Green Knights were just three spots out of 25th, held by Johns Hopkins with 128 votes. Click here for the complete poll.

D3football.com tabs two league standouts on preseason team

St. Norbert offensive tackle Sean Rierdon and Lake Forest defensive lineman David Bleitner have each garnered their second preseason honor as D3football.com named both seniors to their All-America team recently. For a complete listing of the teams click here.

Three named to Football Gazette Preseason Team

Defensive Player of the Year David Bleitner heads the list of three Midwest Conference student-athletes who were recently named to the 2004 Football Gazette Preseason All-American Football Team. Bleitner, a senior defensive lineman from Lake Forest was joined by St. Norbert junior tight end Seth Schussler on the First Team. Green Knight teammate Sean Rierdon, a senior offensive lineman, was tabbed a Second Team pick in the pre-season selections.

For the complete list click here.

WOZNIAK TO JOIN OKLAHOMA STATE FOOTBALL COACHING STAFF

John Wozniak, assistant football coach and head men's golf coach at Knox , has accepted a position as a football graduate assistant coach at Oklahoma State University in Stillwater, Oklahoma. In his new position, which begins in mid-May, Wozniak will serve as an offensive and special teams assistant coach. Wozniak is a 1999 Knox graduate and former All-Midwest Conference wide receiver and quarterback for the Prairie Fire.

Wozniak, a native of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, earned a bachelor's degree in physics and secondary education. He was hired by Knox in the spring of 2000 to serve as the football offensive coordinator and as the men's golf coach. Since Wozniak's arrival, the Prairie Fire offense has established fifteen school records and has had eighteen players named as All-Midwest Conference selections.

At Oklahoma State, Wozniak will join another former Knox football player, Todd Monken, class of 1989, who is the wide receivers coach and passing game coordinator for the Cowboys. Oklahoma State, a member of the Big XII Conference, advanced to the Houston Bowl in 2002 and the Cotton Bowl in 2003.

St. Norbert finishes 13th in final 2003 AFCA Poll

CoSIDA All-America Team honors five MWC student-athletes

Joe Masciopinto collected yet another post-season honor as the senior defensive back from St. Norbert earned a spot on the 2003 College Sports Information Directors Division III All-America Football Team. Masciopinto was joined on the first team by tight end teammate Seth Schussler who was the only sophomore on the first team offense or defense.

The Green Knight pair was joined by MWC Defensive Player of the Year David Bleitner from Lake Forest who was a second team pick in his junior year. Also named a second-team defensive peformer was Knox senior defensive back Seth Kopf.

St. Norbert notched one more post-season honor as Sean Rierdon, a junior offensive tackle was a third team selection. For more on the complete team, click here.

Four league players join 2003 Football Gazette teams

Four MWC standouts were recently honored by the Football Gazette's NCAA Division III All-American Team. St. Norbert claimed two of those four selections with Seth Schussler and Joe Masciopinto. Schussler, one of only two sophomores picked on any of the teams, was a second-team honoree on offense. Masciopinto added to his post-season accolades with a second team nod as a defensive back. MWC Defensive Player of the Year David Bleitner, a junior, was a second team pick along with Knox senior defensive back Seth Kopf. Click here for a complete listing of the teams.

AFCA announces All-America Team - St. Norbert's Masciopinto lands spot

St. Norbert defensive back Joe Masciopinto was named to the 2003 American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Division III All-America Team. The 5-11, 180-lb Masciopinto was a first-team All-MWC selection at defensive back and return specialist after leading his Green Knights to a perfect 9-0 MWC record and St. Norbert's fifth-straight league title. The junior was one of only four defensive backs named to the All-America Team. Click here for a complete listing of the team.

St. Norbert's Joe Masciopinto named to
AFCA's 2003 Aztec Bowl Squad

St. Norbert defensive back Joe Masciopinto has been selected to play for the American Football Coaches Association's Division III all-star team that will represent the United States against the Mexican National Team in the 2003 Aztec Bowl on December 13 in Cancun, Mexico.

Masciopinto, a senior from Harwood Heights, Ill., was an All-Midwest Conference selection at both defensive back and return specialist for the Green Knights in 2003. He recorded 36 tackles and six interceptions on defense and averaged 12.1 yards per punt return with two touchdowns and had a 28.2 yard average on kickoff returns.

This year's game is scheduled to kick off at 4 p.m. CST on December 13 at Estadio Cancun 86 in Cancun. The preview shows and game webcast can all be accessed via the AFCA's website at www.afca.com.

Rush sign LFC graduate

The Chicago Rush today signed FB/LB Casey Urlacher to a two-year contract.Urlacher, the younger brother of Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher, joins the Rush after an outstanding career at Lake Forest College.

Urlacher (6-1, 240) spent three seasons at Lake Forest, playing both linebacker and running back during his career.A three-time First-Team All-Midwest Conference selection, Urlacher was voted the team’s MVP after each of his three seasons, recording 358 tackles, five sacks and three interceptions in his career. During his 2002 senior season, Urlacher garnered the Midwest Conference’s Defensive Player of the Year award after leading the league in tackles (117) for the second consecutive year.In addition, Urlacher saw significant action on the offensive side of the ball in 2002, rushing 41 times for 213 yards and eight touchdowns.

Urlacher becomes the fifth FB/LB on Chicago’s training camp roster -- joining returning players Jamie McGourty, Bob McMillen, Levelle Brown and fellow rookie Chris Browning -- competing for spots on the team’s 24-man roster. The Rush opens the 2004 season at home Sunday, February 8, against Central Division-rival Grand Rapids. (Submitted by LFC Sports Info)

www.chicagorush.com

Illinois College's Bruns tabbed Academic All-America

Adam Bruns of Illinois College was named to the 2003 Academic All-America College Division Football Second Team which was released this past Monday, December 1. Bruns was the only MWC player to be named All-America for his academic achievements and athletic accomplishments during the 2003 season. An Accounting major, Bruns currently holds a 3.97 GPA. Click here for a complete list of the All-America Teams.

Three MWC players listed on Academic All-District Teams

The 2003 Academic All-District V Football Team was recently announced and three Midwest Conference standouts were selected. David Bleitner, a junior defensive lineman from Lake Forest, and Adam Bruns, a senior linebacker from Illinois C., were both named to the First Team defensive squad for their accomplishments in the classrooom and on the field. Bleitner is a Business major with a 3.71 GPA while Bruns has recorded a 3.97 GPA while majoring in Accounting.

The league's third pick went to Seth Kopf, a senior defensive back from Knox, who was a Third Team selection. Kopf is an Economics major with a 3.30 GPA. For a complete list of the teams, click here.

NCAA Division III National Tournament
Second Round

St. John's 38, St. Norbert 13

First Round

St. Norbert 26, Simpson 20 (2OT)

Experience deep on 2003 All-Midwest Conference First Teams
Monmouth's Purlee, Lake Forest's Bleitner named Players of the Year

2003 All-Midwest Conference Football Teams

Seniors comprise 19 of 29 First-Team positions on offense and defense combined for the 2003 All-Midwest Conference selections as voted on by all ten league coaches.

Leading the charge on offense was senior signal-caller Rob Purlee from Monmouth who led the league in passing yards, total offense and passing efficiency and finished second in touchdown passes with 22 in nine conference games. Purlee was joined by three teammates on the First-Team Offense while MWC Champion St. Norbert placed five players on the list including two of the five lineman and senior return specialist Joe Masciopinto who was also selected as a First-Team defensive back.

Masciopinto's backfield mate Paul Lukowski, also a senior, was one of three other First-Team defensive players for the Green Knights. Conference sack leader David Bleitner, a junior from Lake Forest, was tabbed as the Defensive Player of the Year.

St. Norbert's Jim Purtill claimed Coach of the Year honors for posting a 10-0 record on the season and qualifying for the NCAA Tournament.