Four from MIAC named D3football.com All-Americans
12/21/2009 12:07:14 PM
St. Paul, Minn. -- Four Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) football student-athletes have been named to the 2009 D3football.com All-America Team. University of St. Thomas junior running back Ben Wartman and sophomore returner Fritz Waldvogel were First Team selections. St. Thomas junior center Josh Ostrue was a Second Team pick while Saint John's University senior defensive lineman Kyle Schroeder was a Third Team honoree.
University of St. Thomas junior running back Ben Wartman (Prior Lake, Minn.) was one of just two players to make first team CoSIDA Academic All-America and land on the D3Football All-America first team. The 6-2, 205-pound Wartman ranked third among all NCAA players and closed with 1,827 yards, which ranks second in conference and UST history behind Gary Trettel's 1,861 yards in 1990. Wartman also had 2,118 all-purpose yards. His 24 touchdowns in 2009 broke a 19-year-old school record, tied for second most in Division III, and tied for third most in MIAC history. He’s surpassed 100 rushing yards 19 of his last 21 outings, and the Toms are 17-2 in those games. In 23 career games at running back, Wartman has 3,138 rushing yards and 37 touchdowns. He’s had a productive last 15 months in general. In baseball, he played all 12 innings at catcher with two hits and threw two runners out stealing in a 3-2 NCAA championship game victory over Wooster (Ohio). He recently was named a first-team ESPN the Magazine Academic All-American with a 3.87 GPA in Business.
University of St. Thomas sophomore returner Fritz Waldvogel (Mendota Heights, Minn./St. Thomas Academy) was named 2009 MIAC Most Valuable Player. He has 2,321 all-purpose yards in all 13 games this season to rank eighth in Division III per-game average, including 85 catches for 1,149 yards and 13 TDs. He leads all NCAA players in kick/punt return touchdowns with six. He has had eight kick returns of 50 or more yards this season; ranks second in Division III in kick return average at 33.0 ypr; tied an NCAA record with two punt returns for TDs in one quarter; had a rare back-to-back performance where he returned the game's opening kickoff for a TD on Oct. 24 and 31; had a punt return TD and a kick return TD in the same half against Northwestern; had a 59-yard kickoff return against St. John's; and had a 71-yard kick return in the NCAA playoff win over Monmouth. In just 23 career games, the 5-foot-9, 165-pounder 18 touchdowns, 137 receptions for 1,819 yards, and 3,298 all-purpose yards. That includes 22 gains of 38 or more yards on receptions, rushes and returns. His 86 catches for 1,149 yards finished one catch and 43 yards shy of tying P.J. Theisen's 2007 school records for season receptions and reception yards.
University of St. Thomas junior center Josh Ostrue (South St. Paul, Minn.) is St. Thomas' first football player to make All-American as both a sophomore and a junior. Earlier this week, Ostrue was announced as a repeat honoree on the 25-man AFCA All-America team, and was among just 20 Division III players named to the 108-man Associated Press Little All-America team. Ostrue has started all 33 games on his UST career. He made AFCA first-team All-America honors in 2008 and 2009, and received the 2008 Rimington Award as Division III's best center. In the 23 games since Ostrue moved to center, St. Thomas has posted 24 100-yard rushing performances and has allowed just 11 sacks, including only three this season. The Tommies’ 70 touchdowns ranked third most in D-III, behind Mount Union and UW-Whitewater. UST also broke school season records for rushing yards (3,238), total offense (5,556 yards), and points (506). The Tommies posted the biggest two-year improvement in Division III football -- from a 2-8 finish in 2007, to 7-3 last season, to 11-2 in 2009.
Saint John’s University senior defensive lineman Kyle Schroeder (Richmond, Minn./Rocori) is now the 91st All-American in SJU football history (seventy SJU student-athletes have earned All-America honors a total of 91 times). Schroeder played in all 11 games and led the team with eight sacks and led the MIAC with 16.5 tackles for loss. He also posted four quarterback hurries, three forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries and 41 tackles (26 solo). Schroeder has the option to return for the 2010 season due to a medical hardship earned during the 2007 campaign. SJU ended the 2009 season with an 8-0 record in the MIAC and a 10-1 overall record. The Johnnies earned their MIAC-record 31st conference championship, the 27th under the direction of Gagliardi, and made their 24th postseason appearance (and 11th in the past 12 seasons).
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