Twenty-three Mustangs recognized on All-GPAC lists
For the ninth time since 2010, Morningside University claimed some special awards concerning the All-Great Plains Athletic Conference postseason honors. Senior quarterback Joe Dolincheck (Bellevue, Neb.) was tabbed Offensive Player of the Year, and head coach Steve Ryan, in the wake of the program's 11th straight league title, picked up Coach of the Year accolades.
Dolincheck enters the 2021 National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics' Championship Series, leading the country in pass completion percentage (68 percent), overall yards (3308), and per game (330.8), and pass efficiency (185) and is third in touchdown strikes (32). Ryan earned his fifth successive and 10th all-time league Coach of the Year recognition.
Multiple teammates on the first unit joined Dolincheck. Senior running back Anthony Sims (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.), senior wide receiver Reid Jurgensmeier (Wahoo, Neb.), senior offensive lineman Jason Hahlbeck (O'Neill, Neb.), and senior offensive lineman Tyler Anderson (Ida Grove, Iowa) added their names to the offensive squad. Junior Chase Carter (Knoxville, Iowa), for placekicking, and senior return specialist Caleb Schweigart (Omaha, Neb.) were first-team special team picks. Senior defensive lineman Weston Schultz (Mason City, Iowa), senior linebacker Tyler Wingert (Holstein, Iowa), junior defensive back Lonell Boyd, Jr., (St. Louis, Mo.), and junior defensive back Jamal Jones (Adelanto, Calif.) were Mside's first-team defensive selections.
The cadre only grew from there. In regards to the second team, sophomore wide receiver Zach Norton (Sioux Falls, S.D.), senior tight end Sione Tuifua (Barrow, Alaska), and senior offensive lineman Hunter Behrens (Manning, Iowa) were offensive awardees. Senior defensive linemen Carter Anderson (Blair, Neb.) and Dominick Barrett (Baltimore, Md.) and junior linebacker Jalen Portis (St. Louis, Mo.) gained defensive honors.
On the honorable mention section, Schweigart as a wide receiver, senior wide receiver Austin Johnson (Sioux Falls, S.D.), senior punter Colton Irlbeck (Templeton, Iowa), junior offensive lineman Mason Williams (Omaha, Neb.), senior defensive back Drew Bessey (Palmyra, Neb.) and kick return specialist Michael Payne, a sophomore from Omaha, Neb., were each recognized.