Dec. 2 -- MARION, Ind. -- Mitchell High School product and Indiana Wesleyan University senior Ben Ziebarth garnered all-Mideast League first-team honors from the Mid-States Football Association, the league announced on Nov. 24.
Ziebarth, a 6-foot, 270-pound offensive lineman, helped pave the way for IWU's No. 3-ranked total offense (518.5 yards per game) and No. 4 scoring offense (49.5 points per game) in the NAIA. A balanced unit, the Wildcats are top-10 in both passing and rushing offense.
Also an honorable mention all-league pick in 2023, Ziebarth was one of 17 first-team selections this season for the Wildcats, who ran away with their third-straight MSFA championship.
As the MSFA Mideast Division Champion with a regular-season record of 10-1 -- the lone loss by three points on the road to NCAA Division I FCS Valparaiso -- IWU earned the No. 3 overall seed in the NAIA football championship series. After a first-round bye, the Wildcats defeated Southwestern College (Kan.) 24-13 in the second round to set up a meeting with Benedictine College (Kan.) in the national quarterfinal round on Saturday, Dec. 7.
SIOUX CENTER, Iowa -- Scotland native and Dordt University senior Jordan Gall was tabbed as a Great Plains Athletic Conference honorable mention pick as the conference announced its annual honors on Nov. 19.
Gall, a 6-foot-4, 253-pound defensive lineman, played in all 10 games for the Defenders this season, collecting 23 total tackles, including 7.5 tackles for loss and two sacks, and one forced fumble. Gall's best individual performance of the season came on Oct. 19 at Dakota Wesleyan, as he finished with five total tackles, three tackles for loss and one sack.
From his spot along the defensive front, Gall was part of a Dordt defense that ranked No. 5 nationally in scoring defense (12.2 points allowed per game) and total defense (256.4 yards allowed per game). Overall, the Defenders forced 16 turnovers and amassed 28 sacks this season.
Though Dordt finished its season with an 8-2 record, the Defenders were not chosen as an at-large into the NAIA football championship series.
SIOUX FALLS -- Augustana University football player Jacob Wagner, a native of Salem, was among the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference all-academic team selections for the fall season.
Wagner, a 6-foot-6, 310-pound offensive lineman, was a member of the Vikings' squad, which won the NSIC title outright for the second year in a row. The Vikings finished 8-4 on the season.
Wagner played in four games this season, including in the Vikings' NCAA first-round playoff game on Saturday, Nov. 23, against Minnesota State. The Mavericks knocked off the Vikings 20-19 on a last-second field goal.
To be eligible for the NSIC All-Academic team, members must have a 3.20 cumulative GPA or higher.
Other all-academic NSIC fall sports selections from the Mitchell area included Wessington Springs' Dylan Schimke (Northern State University men's cross country), Canistota's Josiah Schroeder (University of Sioux Falls men's cross country), Gregory's Emma Thomas (USF women's cross country) and Mitchell's Caroline Titze (USF women's soccer).