MINNEAPOLIS, MINN. -- Four members of the Trine University football team have been selected to the D3football.com All-North Region Teams for their individual performances on the playing field this season.
[2018 D3football.com All-North Region]
Seniors Lamar Carswell (Toledo, Ohio/St. Francis de Sales), Jeffery Barnett (Fremont, Ohio/Ross) and Marcus Winters (Toledo, Ohio/Central Catholic) were named first-team, while senior Andrew Hagar (Millersburg, Ind./Fairfield) earned second-team recognition.
All four players helped lead the Thunder to back-to-back undefeated regular seasons (10-0) and consecutive Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association Championships. Trine also made its fifth overall appearance in the NCAA Division III National Tournament.
Carswell earns his second straight All-Region accolade and his first first-team honor (second team in 2017). The two-time MIAA Offensive "Most Valuable Player" capped a standout playing career with a senior season that saw him rush for a school single-season record of 2,294 yards and also set single-season marks in rushing TDs (32), yards per game (208.5), all-purpose yards (2,319), all-purpose yards per game (210.8), total points scored (204) and total touchdowns scored (34; 32 rushing & two receiving). His 2,294 rushing yards this season currently leads all of NCAA Division III and his 208.5 yards per game average is also tops in the nation. He is currently second nationally in rushing TD (32) and scoring (18.5 points per game). Carswell also set a Trine and MIAA single-game record in rushing yards with his 359-yard performance against Kalamazoo (Mich.) College in the regular-season finale.
In all, Carswell ended his career with a combined 26 Trine career, season, single game and conference records that include being the program's all-time leader in rushing (5,364 yards), rushing TDs (74), rushing yards per game (137.5) and yards per rush (7.7).
Barnett earned All-Region honors as a returner for the third time in his career. As a returner, Barnett was one of the top kickoff return threats in the nation who averaged 39.0 yards per return which rank second highest among Division III schools. He also set Trine single-season records with three returns for touchdowns and kick return average (39.0). His three kickoff returns for TD currently rank as most recorded this season in the nation. In only 15 attempts, he racked up 585 yards which rank as the fourth highest in program history. In his career as a kick returner, Barnett holds the school record for kick returns for TD (five), return average (28.96) and ranks second all-time in number of return attempts (75) and total yards (2,172).
In addition to his role as a kick returner, Barnett was the top target for Trine quarterbacks with a team-high 35 receptions for 719 yards and four touchdowns this past fall. He averaged 20.5 yards per catch, which led the conference. Barnett posted two games of 100 or more receiving yards during his final season, highlighted by a season-high 147 yards against Olivet (Mich.) College. Also during the season, Barnett became the Trine all-time leader in receiving yards and ended his career with 2,907. In addition, he finished second all-time in receiving TDs with 22. Following the season, Barnett earned first-team All-MIAA honors as both a wide receiver and return specialist for the third straight season.
Winters earns All-Region honors for the third time having been a second-team pick last year and a third-team selection in 2016. Winters, who was named the MIAA Defensive "Player of the Year" for the second straight season in 2018, was part of a defense that ranked 11th in NCAA Division III in passing yards allowed per game at 147.5. Individually, Winters ended his senior campaign with 33 total tackles (24 solo and nine assists) and had three interceptions to go along with a blocked kick that came on an extra point attempt. Winters also etched his name in the Trine record books as the program's all-time leader in interceptions with 21 for his career.
Like Barnett, Winters was also a threat on special teams, but as a punt returner with two punt returns for touchdowns and averaged 23.4 yards per return. He ends his career with three program all-time marks in punt return yardage with 622, return average (18.85 yards per return) and returns for TD with four.
Hagar returns to the All-Region Teams as a second-team pick (third-team All-Region in 2017) as an offensive lineman. He was part of a Trine offensive squad that finished as one of the top in the country. In rushing alone, the Thunder rank in the top-five nationally (fourth) with 304.8 yards per game on the ground. Trine accumulated 400 yards or more of total offense in seven of the 11 games in 2018, including three games of 500 or more yards and a season-high 670 yards against Lakeland which was the third highest total in a single-game in program history. In addition to earning his second All-Region honor, Hagar was tabbed first-team All-MIAA for the second straight season.