University of St. Thomas Athletics
Football gets 8 players on Pioneer, District academic honor teams
11/30/2022 1:00:00 PM | Football
Click HERE to access Pioneer news release
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St. Paul, Minn. -- League champion St. Thomas has five of the conference's 25 players recognized overall on the 2022 Academic All-Pioneer Football League first team.
Dayton (six) and St. Thomas (five) combined to receive 11 of the 25 honors.
LB Jonathan Bunce (So, Edina, Minn.) tied for second among Pioneer players in sacks with 6.5 over eight games, part of his 50 tackles and 10.5 tackles for loss. He also had six QB hurries. Additionally, has a 3.93 grade-point average with a double major in Finance and Operations/Supply Chain Management.
QB Cade Sexauer (Sr., South St. Paul, Minn.) led all Pioneer quarterbacks with 17 total touchdowns (12 passing, seven rushing) over the eight league games. He averaged 204 yards of total offense in the 8-0 run to the title, with 320 total yards and four total TDs in the Tommies' win over San Diego on October 29th. He also has a 3.64 GPA with a major in Mechanical Engineering. OT Alec Rasmussen (So., Wayzata, Minn./Wayzata) is a Financial Management major and has a GPA of 3.89. On the field, he contributed to an offensive line that helped produce an eight-game conference total of 3,004 offensive yards (1606 rushing, 1398 passing), 375.5 yards per game, while the offensive line allowed just nine sacks and 25 tackles for loss. The line helped produce three different players who posted 100-yard rushing games this season.
DL Seth Bickett (Sr., Pewaukee, Wis.) has built a 3.98 GPA with an Actuarial Science major. This season, he posted seven total tackles (one tackle for loss) in Pioneer play, recording three] total tackles in back-to-back wins over Davidson and Drake. He also started for a defensive line that led the Pioneer League in both fewest rush yards allowed, with 94.5, and yards per attempted allowed, with 3.0. Bickett was also nominated for the AFCA Good Works Team and National Football Foundation's Campbell Trophy.
DL Brent Robley (Sr., Brownsville, Minn./Caledonia) had 18 tackles in Pioneer games, including 2.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks. He also started on the defensive line for St. Thomas' league-leading rush defense. He has a 3.88 GPA with a major in Biology.
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Tommies get eight players on Academic All-District Team
St. Thomas capped a 10-1 season and secured the solo Pioneer Football League championship with a 27-13 road win at Butler. The Tommies (10-1 overall, 8-0 Pioneer) finished the season ranked at No. 19. Picked for third place in the Pioneer Football League, St. Thomas lost on the road in the 2022 season opener at Southern Utah before reeling off 10 consecutive victories. The Toms beat 2021 conference co-champions Davidson and San Diego in the same month en route to an 8-0 conference finish.
Of the two dozen programs to join FCS since 2004, the Purple are the first team to win a conference championship in season one or two. Two other programs -- Kennesaw State in 2017 and North Dakota State in 2006 -- won conference championships in their third seasons.
College Sports Communicators (formerly CoSIDA) recognizes student athletes who have excelled academically and been key contributors on the field. Here are the eight Tommies being recognized:
Grif Wurtz, Jr., Defensive Back, Chaska, Minn.
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Major: Economics
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GPA: 3.79
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79 yard scoop and score TD in win over Valparaiso
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Career: 20 games, 84 tackles, 2 INTs, 1 forced fumble, 2 fumble recoveries
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Honorable Mention All-Pioneer Football League for 2022
Seth Bickett, Sr., Defensive Line, Pewaukee, Wis.
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Major: Actuarial Science
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GPA: 3.98
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Nominated for AFCA Good Works Team and NFF's Campbell Trophy
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Career: 24 games, 47 tackles, 7.5 TFL, 3.5 sacks, 1 FF, 1 blocked kick
Noah Borgeson, Sr., Defensive Line, Rochester, Minn.
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Major: Political Science
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GPA: 3.95
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Had 1.5 sacks in 2022 win over Valparaiso
Brent Robley, Senior, Defensive Line, Brownsville, Minn.
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Major: Biology
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GPA: 3.88
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Career: 28 games, 50 tackles, 9 TFLs, 5.5 sacks, 1 INT, 1 FR
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Honorable Mention All-Pioneer Football League for 2022
Jonathan Bunce, So., Linebacker, Edina, Minn.
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Major: Finance and Operations and Supply Chain Management double major
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GPA: 3.93
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Played on D-III Baseball NCAA runner-up team as true freshman in 2021
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Career: 20 games, 104 tackles, 16 TFLs, 8.5 sacks, 1 INT, 1 FF, I FR, 1 pick six TD
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1st Team All-Pioneer Football League for 2022
Cade Sexauer, Sr., Quarterback, South St. Paul, Minn.
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Major: Mechanical Engineering
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GPA: 3.64
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320 total yards, 4 total TDs in win over San Diego
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2nd Team All-Pioneer Football League for 2022
Joshua Komis. Sr., Running Back, Green Bay, Wis.
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Major: Business Leadership and Management
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GPA: 3.51
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Lead blocker for 11 100-yard games over the last two seasons
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1st Team All-Pioneer Football League for 2022
Max Zimmerman, Sr., Senior, Tight End, Brainerd, Minn.
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Major: Mechanical Engineering
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GPA: 3.53
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51 yard TD reception in win over Marist in 2021
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Honorable Mention All-Pioneer Football League for 2022
