[
PDF Release]
RIPON, Wis. – St. Norbert captured a Midwest Conference (MWC) Championship for the 15th time in school history and also co-led the league with 13 selections on the 2013 MWC Football All-Conference Team. Illinois Col. was rewarded with a pair of individual awards as running back Cecil Brimmage was named 2013 MWC Offensive Player of the year and defensive lineman Kurt Frischman was named 2013 MWC Defensive Player of the Year. Cornell Head Coach Vince Brautigam earned the 2013 MWC Coach of the Year award in just the Rams second year back in the MWC.
Every team was represented on the All-Conference list led by St. Norbert and Cornell who each had 13 selections with both of them having four on the First Team. Illinois Col. led all teams with six First Team award winners and had 12 overall selections while Lake Forest also had 12 selections (five First Team) as the only other teams to have double-digit All-Conference performers. Monmouth and Carroll both had eight selections with the Fighting Scots earning five First Team nominees. Knox was next on the list with seven selections (three First Team) followed by Ripon and Grinnell who each had one First Team player and four overall. Lawrence had three student-athlete award winners followed by Beloit with one to round out the All-Conference team.
Brimmage becomes the first Blueboy to win the Offensive Player of the Year award in school history in a year where he rushed for 1,574 yards and 17 touchdowns and finished third in the league averaging 157.4 yards per game. Brimmage rushed for 100 or more yards seven times that includes three games where he rushed for 200 or more yards. He also caught 27 passes on the season for 257 yards and a score and second in the league in scoring, averaging 10.8 points per game. Brimmages highlight of the season was a 29 carry, 273 yard performance against Lawrence on October 5 where he also caught a pair of passes for 30 yards and finished the game with 303 all-purpose yards.
Frischman is the second Illinois Col. defensive player to be named the Defensive Player of the Year and is the first one to do it since 2010 when linebacker Ricky Padilla was named co-Defensive Player of the Year. Frischman anchored a defense that surrendered only 16.9 points per game and allowed opposing passers to throw for 158.8 yards per game and only five touchdowns all season. He led the league with 20 tackles for loss and finished the year averaging 5.7 tackles per game. Frischman led the Blueboys with 5.5 sacks while intercepting two passes and forcing a fumble.
Brautigam is the first Cornell coach to win the Coach of the Year award in a season where the Rams finished with a 7-3 overall record which was the most wins for the team since the 2001 season. Cornell ranked second in the conference averaging 33.3 points per game while allowing only 20.2 points per game. Cornell ranked second in the league in total offense (435.7 yards per game), third in total defense (314.3 yards per game), and finished the year on a three game winning streak that included a 35-29 win over #22 Illinois Col. on November 9.
2012 MWC Award Winners
|
Offensive Player of the Year |
|
Cecil Brimmage |
Senior |
Running Back |
Illinois College |
|
Defensive Player of the Year |
|
Kurt Frischman |
Senior |
Defensive Line |
Illinois College |
|
Coach of the Year |
|
Vince Brautigam |
Cornell College |
First Team Offense
|
Pos. |
Athlete |
Year |
School |
|
QB |
Michael Bates |
Junior |
Illinois College |
|
RB |
Cecil Brimmage |
Senior |
Illinois College |
|
RB |
Derek Mortensen |
Senior |
Knox College |
|
RB |
Trey Yocum |
Senior |
Monmouth College |
|
TE |
Neal Moon |
Senior |
Knox College |
|
WR |
Ben Knake |
Sophomore |
Cornell College |
|
WR |
Kevin Fuller |
Senior |
Illinois College |
|
WR |
Austin Peterson |
Senior |
Monmouth College |
|
OL |
Sam Cluck |
Junior |
Cornell College |
|
OL |
Travis James |
Senior |
Illinois College |
|
OL |
A.J. Ulrich |
Senior |
Monmouth College |
|
OL |
Eric Willms |
Senior |
Ripon College |
|
OL |
Jordan Willits |
Senior |
Knox College |
|
K |
Randy Hill |
Junior |
St. Norbert College |
|
RS |
Myron Seabrook |
Junior |
Cornell College |
First Team Defense
|
Pos. |
Athlete |
Year |
School |
|
DL |
Kurt Frischman |
Senior |
Illinois College |
|
DL |
Jake Rotkvich |
Senior |
Lake Forest College |
|
DL |
Michael Garetto-Balmer |
Senior |
Lake Forest College |
|
DL |
Jack Porter |
Junior |
Monmouth College |
|
LB |
David Ternes |
Junior |
Grinnell College |
|
LB |
John Dillon |
Senior |
Lake Forest College |
|
LB |
Brian Feltz |
Senior |
St. Norbert College |
|
LB |
John Preston |
Junior |
Lake Forest College |
|
DB |
Nick Brautigam |
Senior |
Cornell College |
|
DB |
Zack Hanlon |
Junior |
Illinois College |
|
DB |
Ed Dobernig |
Senior |
Lake Forest College |
|
DB |
Anthony Parker |
Senior |
St. Norbert College |
|
P |
Brik Wedekind |
Senior |
Monmouth College |
|
ST |
Dan Egan |
Junior |
St. Norbert College |
Second Team Offense
|
Pos. |
Athlete |
Year |
School |
|
QB |
Luke Barthelmess |
Senior |
Lawrence University |
|
RB |
Lamont Williams |
Junior |
Carroll University |
|
RB |
Stephen Covalt |
Sophomore |
Ripon College |
|
RB |
Brad Boockmeier |
Sophomore |
St. Norbert College |
|
TE |
Greg Alonso |
Senior |
Lake Forest College |
|
WR |
Brit Connor |
Junior |
Cornell College |
|
WR |
Josh Gentile |
Junior |
Illinois College |
|
WR |
Brian Fliess |
Senior |
St. Norbert College |
|
OL |
Drew Gough |
Senior |
Carroll University |
|
OL |
Zach Tamblyn |
Junior |
Carroll University |
|
OL |
Morgan Kinsinger |
Senior |
Grinnell College |
|
OL |
Tom MItchell |
Senior |
Lake Forest College |
|
OL |
Max Westphal |
Senior |
St. Norber College |
|
K |
Phil Tallman |
Senior |
Knox College |
|
RS |
Andrew Clark |
Senior |
Grinnell College |
Second Team Defense
|
Pos. |
Athlete |
Year |
School |
|
DL |
Michael Ray |
Senior |
Illinois College |
|
DL |
Taylor Holzmeyer |
Senior |
Lake Forest College |
|
DL |
Dan Savino |
Senior |
St. Norbert College |
|
DL |
Peter Latham |
Senior |
St. Norbert College |
|
LB |
Mike Sahli |
Junior |
Carroll University |
|
LB |
Geoffrey Miller |
Senior |
Cornell College |
|
LB |
Jeremy Demlow |
Senior |
Cornell College |
|
LB |
Carter Cox |
Senior |
Illinois College |
|
LB |
Jordan Cruz |
Senior |
Lake Forest College |
|
DB |
Myron Seabrook |
Junior |
Cornell College |
|
DB |
Kevin Hwang |
Senior |
Grinnell College |
|
DB |
Nick Waters |
Senior |
Lake Forest College |
|
DB |
Sam Wagner |
Senior |
Lawrence University |
|
P |
Jon Gurchak |
Sophomore |
Lake Forest College |
|
ST |
C.J. Shields |
Junior |
Monmouth College |
Honorable Mention Offense
|
Pos. |
Athlete |
Year |
School |
|
QB |
Juan Flores |
Senior |
Cornell College |
|
RB |
Mason Dixon |
Freshman |
Beloit College |
|
TE |
Dan Meyer |
Junior |
Carroll University |
|
WR |
Andy Laurin |
Senior |
Carroll University |
|
WR |
Matt Sklander |
Senior |
Carroll University |
|
WR |
Dan Dubnicka |
Senior |
Lawrence University |
|
WR |
Tommy Zak |
Senior |
Ripon College |
|
OL |
Troy Bedard |
Junior |
Cornell College |
|
OL |
Jessy Postlewait |
Junior |
Illinois College |
|
OL |
Chet Akers |
Senior |
Illinois College |
|
OL |
Jeremy Ransom |
Senior |
Knox College |
|
OL |
Kyle Vestal |
Junior |
Monmouth College |
|
OL |
Evan Broyles |
Sophomore |
St. Norbert College |
|
K |
Kaleb Whiting |
Freshman |
Cornell College |
|
K |
Jon Gurchak |
Sophomore |
Lake Forest College |
Honorable Mention Defense
|
Pos. |
Athlete |
Year |
School |
|
DL |
TJ Gray |
Junior |
Cornell College |
|
DL |
Shane McNally |
Senior |
Cornell College |
|
DL |
Adam Hickson |
Junior |
Illinois College |
|
DL |
Andy Krueger |
Senior |
Ripon College |
|
LB |
Mitch Weissenhofer |
Sophomore |
Knox College |
|
LB |
Matt Petersilka |
Junior |
St. Norbert College |
|
DB |
Eliot Fields |
Senior |
Carroll University |
|
DB |
Jacob Wilson |
Junior |
Monmouth College |
|
DB |
Joe Schlueter |
Senior |
St. Norbert College |
|
P |
Kevin Krueger |
Junior |
St. Norbert College |
|
ST |
Mitch Weissenhofer |
Sophomore |
Knox College |