BOURBONNAIS, Ill. – The Olivet Nazarene University football team was well-represented by the Mid-States Football Association (MSFA) on Monday as they announced this season's Players of the Year and All-Conference selections.
For the second straight season, Jason Freeman was awarded the MSFA Midwest Division Defensive Player of the Year along with a first-team All-MSFA honor. Along with Freeman, Jalen Dunnigan, Brian Jenkins, Terrian Rainey, Andrew Ryczek, and Princeten Harris all were awarded First-Team Honors. Aaje Grayson, Jared Honey, Shane O'Mara, JT Price, Scotty Graziano, Joshua Mathiasen, Mark Phelps, and Patryk Ryczek were all named as Second-Team selections, while Grant Manke, Lance Walker, and Eric Cloy were tabbed as Honorable Mention picks. Dunnigan also was awarded second-team honors for special teams.
A native of Zion, Ill., Freeman had a stellar season for the Tigers. Freeman led the NAIA with 16.0 tackles-a-game and 160 total tackles. Freeman also was third in the conference and led the team with 15 tackles-for-loss. The Tiger linebacker caught three picks for 56 yards and recorded 15 quarterback hurries. Freeman was named MSFA Midwest Defensive Player of the Week four times, National Player of the Week twice, and was named as a CoSIDA Academic All-District selection. The highlight of Freeman's season was when he marked a career-high 31 tackles and five quarterback hurries against Trinity International. This is Freeman's second straight first-team selection, while also adding an honorable mention selection in the 2019 season.
A native of Jacksonville, Fla. Dunnigan had a career-defining season for the Tigers. Dunnigan caught 49 passes for 708 yards and scored six touchdowns. Dunnigan cracked the Tiger record books when he caught four passes for 203 yards and three touchdowns, against Saint Xavier, breaking the school record for the most reception yards in a single game. The Tiger wide receiver also broke into the career receiving record book as he stands in fourth place with 1,954 total receiving yards. Dunnigan was also a second-team selection in the special teams' department where he returned 12 punts for 178 yards with a long of 47-yards. This is second straight first-team nod and third second-team nod for Dunnigan.
Fellow wide receiver Brian Jenkins also earned first team accolades for the Tigers. Jenkins caught 31 receptions for 625 yards and scored a team-high nine touchdowns. Like Dunnigan, Jenkins broke into the record books for the Tigers with 1,580 career receiving yards. A native of Lafayette, Ind., Jenkins also broke the school record for the longest touchdown reception with a 97-yard touchdown against Judson. This is the first, first-team nod for Jenkins as he was an all-conference Honorable Mention last season. To close out the offensive first-team all-conference selections was Terrian Rainey. The second-team offensive selection a year ago started all 10 games at right tackle this season and was a catalyst on a young offensive line this season. Rainey was apart of an offensive line that was first in the MSFA in total offense with 420.2 yards a game, second in rushing with 178.5 yards a game, and third with 241.7 passing yards a game.
On the defensive side of the ball, Harris brought in his second straight first-team selection. Harris totaled 36 tackles, nine pass breakups, which is good for second on the team, three interceptions, and one blocked kick against Trinity International. The Calumet Park, Ill. native was apart of a defensive secondary that was second in the MSFA with 14 total interceptions. Rounding out the first-team all-conference honorees was Andrew Ryczek. Ryczek kicked 38 punts for 1,341 yards with a long of 54 yards. Additionally, he pinned opponents inside the 20-yard line 12 times and averaged 35.3 yards a punt. The Round Lake Beach, Ill. native also took over kicking duties late in the season going 10-for-12 on PATs and made a 24-yard field goal at St. Francis. Ryczek earned the MSFA Special Teams' Player of the Week once for his kicking and punting performance at St. Francis.
Nine players for the Tigers also made the second-team. Grayson won his second, second-team all-conference honor this season. Grayson led the Tigers with 111 rushes for 524 yards and six touchdowns. Jared Honey also gets the nod for a second-team selection. The Cumming, Ga. native finished with eight receptions for 129 yards and scored his lone rushing touchdown on Senior Day against Roosevelt. This is the first all-conference honor for Honey. In the classroom, Honey is a two-time MSFA All-Academic team selection and won CoSIDA Academic All-District and All-American last season.
Graziano also garnered second-team recognition after being awarded second-team honors last season. The Elgin, Ill. native finished his season with 26 receptions for 371 yards and one touchdown. O'Mara and Price rounded out the offensive line for the Tigers receiving second-team honors. A native of Glen Ellyn, Ill. O'Mara played all 10 games at left tackle and a native of Tallahassee, Fla. Price suited up for the Tigers in nine games as the right guard. Both were beneficial to the success of the top-ranked offense in the conference this season.
Mathiasen starts off the second-team honorees on the defensive side of the ball for the Tigers. The Tiger nose guard had a great season and finished ninth in the conference with 7.1 tackles a game and was tied for second on the team with 71 total tackles. He also recorded three games of at least 10 tackles. The Elmhurst, Ill. native also blocked a pair of kicks and racked up 10 quarterback hurries. Mark Phelps also earned a second-team honor for the second straight season. A native of Schoolcraft, Mich., Phelps amassed 51 total tackles this season, including notching a career-high 15 tackles against Taylor. The final defensive second-team all-conference selection was Patryk Ryczek. Ryczek was tied for the conference lead with five interceptions, led the league with 17 pass breakups, and totaled 31 tackles. The Inverness, Ill. native also earned CoSIDA Academic All-District this season for the third straight year. Ryczek was a second-team all-conference selection the past two seasons.
Manke, Walker, and Cloy were named as MSFA All-Conference Honorable Mentions. A Brownsville, Wis. native, Manke, a second-team selection last season, notched 28 total tackles and 4.5 tackles for loss. Manke also had nine quarterback hurries, combined, in his final two games. Walker, the veteran leader of the Tiger secondary, tallied 49 total tackles and four pass breakups this season. Walker was an Honorable Mention selection last season as well. Cloy, a native of Foley, Ala., was force on the defensive line for the Tigers this season. Cloy amassed 38 tackles and three tackles for loss. Cloy also marked a career-high six tackles in two games this season. This is the first all-conference selection for Tiger defensive lineman.
The Tigers saw 18 all-conference selections which is tied for the second most in school history with the 1998 team. ONU finished the 2021 season with a record of 7-3 and had its fourth consecutive winning season.
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*Contact: Sam Viebrock, Sports Information Director, stviebrock@olivet.edu