Contact: Chassidy Holloway, Associate Executive Director, holloway@midwestconference.org
GRINNELL, Iowa – Today the Midwest Conference (MWC) announced the All-Conference Teams and major award winners for the 2023 football season, as selected by the league’s ten head coaches.
Monmouth College sophomore
Anthony Cikauskas was selected as the MWC Football Defensive Line MVP. In MWC play, Cikauskas led in the league in sacks with 15 (13 solo/4 assisted) and forced fumbles with four, while tying for second in tackles for loss with a total of 21.5 (18 solo/7 assisted).
Illinois College senior linebacker
Charlie Patterson was tabbed the MWC Football Defensive Skill MVP. Patterson finished second in the league in tackles, registering 63 solo and 20 assisted against league teams, while ranking first in tackles for loss with 22 solo and 3 assisted for a total of 23.5 and 99 yards. Patterson also picked up 7 sacks on the year.
For the second season in a row, Monmouth College fifth-year senior
Derek Brown is the MWC Football Offensive Line MVP. Behind Brown, the Fighting Scots put up the league’s second-ranked scoring offense. In league play, Monmouth racked up 4,429 yards of offense, including 1,979 rushing yards and 2,450 passing, and scored 53 touchdowns. Brown also recorded his first career reception and score in the Scots' final regular season game against Knox.
Illinois College junior quarterback
Destin Chance was selected as the MWC Football Offensive Skill MVP. Spearheading the Blue Boys’ high-powered offense against conference opponents, Chance led the league in total offense, completing 207-324 passes for 3,440 yards and 43 touchdowns. Chance also rushed for 185 yards and two touchdowns.
Lawrence University junior wide receiver
Alex Lippert earned the MWC Football Newcomer of the Year Award. In his first season with the Vikings, Lippert tied for second in the league in receptions with 61, tied third in receiving touchdowns (11), and finished fourth in the league in receiving yards (865).
The
Beloit College Buccaneers received the league’s Team Sportsmanship Award honor. The award recognizes the team that best exemplifies and upholds the sportsmanship ideals of the Midwest Conference.
Illinois College head coach
Ray DeFrisco was named the MWC Football Coach of the Year by his peers. In his eighth season as head coach, DeFrisco led the Blue Boys to an 8-1 league record (9-1 overall), the program’s first MWC football championship, and secured its second NCAA postseason appearance.
Illinois College senior tight end
Blake Bratt is the recipient of the MWC Football Elite 20 Award, presented to the student-athlete with the highest cumulative grade-point average on the championship football team.
Monmouth College had a league-high sixteen players receive All-Conference honors, including eleven on the First Team, while Illinois College and Lake Forest College each had thirteen. The University of Chicago picked up ten honorees, followed by Cornell College with seven, Knox College with four, Ripon College and Beloit College with three, and Lawrence University with one.
The full 70-member All-MWC Football Team can be found below:
| 2023 Midwest Conference Football All-Conference Teams & Major Awards |
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| First Team - Offense |
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First Team - Defense |
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First Team - Special Teams |
| Offensive Linemen |
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Defensive Linemen |
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Kicker |
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| Ryan Boles |
UChicago |
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Justin Albee |
Lake Forest |
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Will Goodman |
UChicago |
| Derek Brown |
Monmouth |
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Tevin Baker |
Monmouth |
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| Evan Henley |
Illinois College |
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Garrett Bearden |
Illinois College |
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Punter |
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| James Conner |
Monmouth |
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Alex Bendler |
Lake Forest |
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Tony Gomez |
Cornell |
| Coby McMillan |
Monmouth |
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Anthony Cikauskas |
Monmouth |
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| Collier McPherson |
Illinois College |
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Return Specialist |
| Ian Ramey |
Lake Forest |
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Linebackers |
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Trey Birdsong |
Cornell |
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Javan Ah Quin |
Lake Forest |
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| Running Backs |
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Aidan Cappellino |
UChicago |
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Special Teams Player |
| Thomas Little |
Illinois College |
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Jermaih GlennLouisCharles |
Monmouth |
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Gavin Thorpe |
Beloit |
| Kaile Williams |
Knox College |
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Charlie Patterson |
Illinois College |
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Will Skowronski |
UChicago |
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| Wide Receivers |
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| Trey Birdsong |
Cornell |
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Defensive Backs |
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| Collin Brunstein |
Illinois College |
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Trenton Brail |
Lake Forest |
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| Jackson Bergren |
Monmouth |
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Dante Esposito |
Lake Forest |
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| Nate Thornton |
Monmouth |
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Nick Harris |
Monmouth |
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Michael Lord |
Monmouth |
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| Tight End |
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Cory Walbert |
Illinois College |
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| Aiden Mandel |
UChicago |
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| Quarterbacks |
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| Carter Boyer |
Monmouth |
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| Destin Chance |
Illinois College |
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| Second Team - Offense |
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Second Team - Defense |
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Second Team - Special Teams |
| Offensive Linemen |
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Defensive Linemen |
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Kicker |
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| Jacob Baggs |
Cornell |
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Drew Gognat |
Illinois College |
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Toby McTamney |
Illinois College |
| Sean Brady |
Lake Forest |
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Kourosh Hassibi |
Chicago |
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| Chandler Brown |
Illinois College |
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Jaylen Johnson |
Lake Forest |
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Punter |
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| Creed Justice |
Knox College |
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Donnevan Plummer |
Lake Forest |
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Jonathan Walker |
Knox College |
| Braxton Matteson |
Lake Forest |
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Jonathan Sarich |
Knox College |
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| Kyle Olson |
Ripon |
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Return Specialist |
| Tyrek Tripp |
Monmouth |
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Linebackers |
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A. J. Jackson |
Lake Forest |
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Christopher Croft Jr. |
Beloit |
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| Running Backs |
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Caleb Endicott |
Monmouth |
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Special Teams Player |
| Tony Gomez |
Cornell |
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Nik Rieck |
Lake Forest |
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Tanner Spencer |
Illinois College |
| McKade Brooks |
Monmouth |
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Luca Schoensee |
Cornell |
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Tanner Tomaschke |
Monmouth |
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| Wide Receivers |
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| Trevor Land |
Lake Forest |
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Defensive Backs |
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| Alex Lippert |
Lawrence |
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Carlos Cardona |
UChicago |
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| Alex Mosqueda |
Ripon |
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Jake Davies |
Ripon |
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| Aden Nava |
UChicago |
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Stirling Sakashita |
UChicago |
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Keane Shaw |
Illinois College |
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| Tight End |
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Gavin Thorpe |
Beloit College |
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| Dylan Bone |
Monmouth |
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| Quarterbacks |
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| Jack Ruff |
UChicago |
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| John Smith |
Cornell |
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| Offensive Line MVP |
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| Derek Brown |
Monmouth |
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| Offensive Skill MVP |
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| Destin Chance |
Illinois College |
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| Defensive Line MVP |
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| Anthony Cikauskas |
Monmouth |
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| Defensive Skill MVP |
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| Charlie Patterson |
Illinois College |
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| Newcomer of the Year |
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| Alex Lippert |
Lawrence |
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| Team Sportsmanship |
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| Beloit College |
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| Elite 20 Award Recipient |
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| Blake Bratt |
Illinois College |
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| Coach of the Year |
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| Ray DeFrisco |
Illinois College |
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