University of St. Thomas Athletics
Rasmussen, Wurtz named FCS ADA Academic All-Stars
1/7/2025 9:59:00 AM | Football
CLEVELAND, OHIO – Postseason awards continue to roll in for the University of St. Thomas football team. Tuesday morning, Tommie standouts Alec Rasmussen (Wayzata, Minn. / Wayzata) and Grif Wurtz (Chaska, Minn. / Chaska) were named to the Football Championship Subdivision Athletics Directors Association (FCS ADA) 27th Annual Academic All-Star Team.
In order to be eligible for the FCS ADA Academic All-Star Team, student-athletes must have a minimum grade point average (GPA) of 3.20 while serving as a key player or starter for their team. Additionally, student-athletes must be in their second year of athletic and academic standing and have completed a minimum of one full academic year at their institution. They must also have participated in 50 percent of games played at their designated position.
Fifth year seniors, both Rasmussen and Wurtz met all the requirements for the award and are the first Tommies in the DI era to earn this recognition. Additionally, they were two of eight student-athletes from the Pioneer Football League (PFL) to earn Academic All-Star recognition, which led all conferences in the FCS.
St. Thomas 2024 FCS ADA Academic All-Stars:
Alec Rasmussen (Sr.; Offensive Line; Plymouth, Minn. / Wayzata)
A key part to St. Thomas' offensive success in 2024 was none other than Rasmussen, who earned was named a FCS ADA All-Star for the first time in his career Tuesday morning. It is yet another honor Rasmussen can add to his already impressive resume, as he was named the PFL Scholar Athlete of the Year at the conclusion of the 2024 season and additionally earned First Team All-Conference and Academic All-Conference honors. A senior business administration major, Rasmussen appeared in 10 of the Tommies 12 games in 2024, helping the team rush for 1745 yards, including 1137 by Adebayo himself. Additionally, St. Thomas may have produced its most balanced offense, as the team also passed for 1762 yards and recorded 12 passing touchdowns in 2024. The protector of the quarterback's blindside, Tommie quarterbacks were sacked less than 30 times this season and only threw five interceptions against PFL opponents under Rasmussen's watchful eye.
Grif Wurtz (5th; Defensive Back; Chaska, Minn. / Chaska)
A 2024 PFL Academic All-Conference honoree, Wurtz earned FCS ADA Academic All-Star honors for the first time in his career after an outstanding senior season with St. Thomas. As a defensive back, Wurtz appeared in all 12 games for the Tommies and racked up 73.0 tackles, two interceptions and four pass break ups in his final season. He ranked second on the team in total tackles (73.0) and 14th in the conference, having tallied 44 of his 73 tackles against PFL opponents. Wurtz also played a key role in St. Thomas' special teams success, becoming the first Tommie in the DI era to record an interception and a completed pass in the same quarter.
