Ten seniors and three juniors make up the semifinalists for the 2018 Gagliardi Trophy, an award presented by Jostens and the J-Club of Saint John's University (Minn.) to the most outstanding football player in NCAA Division III. The semifinalist list also contains at least two nominees from all four NCAA regions, as well as four defensive players. Ten of the thirteen participated in the first round of the Division III playoffs with five moving on to the second round this coming Saturday, Nov. 24.

The Gagliardi Trophy, given annually since 1993, recognizes excellence in athletics, academics and community service. The award is named after John Gagliardi, Saint John's legendary Hall of Fame head football coach who retired in 2012 with 489 career victories, the most in college football history. John passed away this past fall at the age of 91.

Four Gagliardi Trophy finalists will be released by D3football.com on Thursday, December 6th, in a live streaming broadcast. The winner of the 2018 Gagliardi Trophy will be announced by D3football.com on Friday, December 14th prior to the Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl. 

 

The trophy design features a sculpture of Gagliardi and a player, representing the teacher-coach and the student-athlete in a one-on-one sideline consultation. Hand-cast in bronze on a polished wood base, the trophy stands nearly two feet tall and weighs approximately 64 pounds. The words "The Gagliardi Trophy presented by Jostens & J-Club" are printed on the acrylic panel behind the figures. The words "Division III 2018 Player of the Year" and "Honoring Excellence in Football, Academics and Community Service" are etched on two panels below the figures.

Nominations were submitted by colleges across the country, and the semifinalist were selected by the J-Club Board of Directors. 13 semifinalists will now move on to the national-selection committee. In past years 10 semifinalists have been named, but additional spots were needed for 2018 based on the voting totals at the nominee stage. The Gagliardi Trophy national-selection committee is comprised of 39 former small college football players, former Gagliardi Trophy recipients, business leaders, academicians and sports writers from around the country. Each cast a ballot ranking the semifinalists. A fan vote, which will serve as the 40th committee member, is live on D3football.com and runs until Monday, Dec. 3, the same day the national-selection voting is closed.

 

The fan voting link is: http://www.d3football.com/gagliardi-voting

 

Semifinalists and statistics 

Hayden Bauserman, Shenandoah University

-Named team co-captain... named ODAC Player of the Week on September 16 after posting a school record 46 completions on 64 attempts... had 471 yards passing and a program-record-tying six TD passes... earned a second ODAC honor on October 7 after throwing for 490 yards and five touchdowns in a 59-34 victory over Hampden-Sydney... broke his previous record for completions with 47... named ODAC Player of the Week on November 4 after throwing for 578 yards and a league-record-tying eight touchdowns in a 62-47 win over Guilford... also set the ODAC career touchdowns record in that game with 129... set ODAC season records for passing attempts, completions, yardage and touchdowns... earned first team All-ODAC honors for third straight season and was named as the J. Stokeley Fulton Offensive Player of the Year... finished the year 355-for-555 for 3832 yards and 43 touchdowns...

 

 

- Named the 2018 MIAA Offensive Most Valuable Player …2018 First-Team All-MIAA…helped lead Trine to back-to-back undefeated regular seasons (10-0) and MIAA Championships…rushed for 2,294 yards in 11 games….averaged 8.3 yards per carry and 208.5 yards per game…currently leads NCAA Division III in rushing (as of Nov. 19)…set Trine single-season records for rushing yards (2,294), 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)…recorded school and MIAA single-game record 359 rushing yards against Kalamazoo (Mich.) College in final game of regular-season...tied school single-game record of five TDs scored in win against Alma (Mich.) College…owns or shares a combined 22 school career, single season and single game records and owns two MIAA records…school records include career rushing yards (5,364), single-season rushing yards (2,294) and single-game rushing yards (359)…owns conference records for rushing yards in a game (359) and most points scored vs. conference opponents (144)…rushed for 100 or more yards in 31 career games, 200 or more yards nine times and two games of 300 or more yards…volunteered with "Project Help," an organization created to better meet the needs of the under-resourced of our community…volunteered at the Steuben County Humane Society….assisted with trail clean-up at Pokagon State Park in Angola, Ind….active assistant on Trine's campus within Campus Operations Department.

 

- Was the ASC Special Teams player of the year each of the last two seasons...Led the ASC in punting 41.3...Averaged 20.7 yards per punt return...Named first-team All-Conference at WR and punter...Had 72 catches for 897 yards and 10 TDs. Added 3 rushing TDs and a punt return TD. Finished his career with 4603 all-purpose yards and 46 touchdowns. Three-time academic all-conference selection...Active with Young Life and Special Olympics...Team captain. 

 

-2018 MIAC Most Valuable Player…is second in Division III in both passing efficiency (201.2) and passing touchdowns (40), fourth in yards per pass attempt (10.41) and points responsible for (246), and eighth in completion percentage (.672)...set SJU single-game records for passing yards (470) and passing touchdowns (7) this fall…member of 22-man 2018 AFCA Allstate Good Works Team…started teaching ESL class one night (1.5 hours) per week this fall…participated in an 18-day service trip last winter to northern Thailand, where he worked with various organizations that fight child sex trafficking…ran a church youth group last summer.

 

- 2018 NCAC Offensive Player of the Year ... first-team All-NCAC at QB ... co-captain ... led Denison to a share of the 2018 NCAC championship, the program's first championship since 1986 ... also led Denison to its first NCAA playoff appearance since 1985 ... started all 11 games at QB ... passed for 2,153 yards and a career-high 25 TD passes ... rushed for 612 yards and 14 TDs ... also caught two TD passes... was named to the D3football.com Team of the Week after his 8 touchdown performance against Wooster ... was 19-of-23 for 284 yards and 4 TD passes, 120 yards rushing and 3 TDs and one receiving TD ... is Denison's all-time leader in passing yards (7,608) and rushing yards by a quarterback (2,420) ... 66 career TD passes is a Denison record ... is the third player in NCAC history to eclipse 10,000 yards of total offense in a career (10,039) ... responsible for 106 TDs in his career ... second in Division III in points responsible for (252) ... ranks ninth at Denison in rushing yards and second in career rushing TDs (38) ... Twenty-three wins as a starting quarterback ... Denison is 30-11 since his arrival in 2015 ... is a three-time All-NCAC selection (second-team in 2017 and 2016, first-team in 2018) ... Member of the sports analytics club at Denison. It is in its first year and we recently had Jim Albert, a professor at Bowling Green State, come to campus and discuss his MLB sports analytics on the Home Run boom in the MLB ... Studied abroad for one semester at the University of Alicante in Spain ... Volunteered with young Spanish football players in the area to foster goodwill and expand their love of American football while studying abroad at the University of Alicante ... Participated in A Call to College Program (Newark public schools) where we read to young Newark elementary school children, encouraging them to aim their goals toward a college education ... Volunteered at the Shiloh Baptist Church in Newark, Ohio to help clean out and rebuild a halfway house that would be supported by the church. (Roughly 15+ hours my sophomore year). It was part of our community efforts in the Black Studies course at Denison ... Provided free coaching to underserved Washington DC high school football players during their summer workouts.

 

-Named 2018 Empire 8 Offensive Player of the year for the season straight year… Empire 8 Rookie of the Year in 2016… completed 227 of 338 passes for 2,900 yards with 26 touchdowns and seven interceptions in 11 games…. Also rushed for 348-yards on 85 carries and eight touchdowns… Has a .672 completion percentage (No. 9 in nation) and a 160.3 passing efficiency rating (No. 20 in nation) … Became the All-Time Passing Yards Leader at Brockport (7,884-career yards)… Led the Golden Eagles to the Final Four round of the 2017 NCAA Division III Football Championships… active member of the Student Athlete Advisory Committee and the Brockport Read program, the Brockport Athletics Leaf Raking and the Brockport Athletics Food Drive… Active in hometown community service efforts, participating annually in the Troy Turkey Trot… Worked in Soup Kitchen at church from age of 10 till it closed… participates in caner walks and lymphoma events on behalf of family members fighting cancer… actively donates blood for Red Cross… volunteers at football camps at high school and serves as a volunteer coach with the little league and with the CYO basketball teams…

 

-  Named the 2018 NEWMAC Defensive Athlete of the Year for the second-straight season... 2018 Gridiron Club of Great Boston Division II/II Outstanding Defensive Player of the Year in New England... Totaled 82 tackles, including 29 tackles-for-loss and 14 sacks, to go along with four forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, and two blocked kicks... Currently ranks No. 2 among active college football players for career tackles-for-loss per game (1.91) and the Division III active leader for career forced fumbles (9)... Springfield's all-time leader in career sacks (29.5) and tackles-for-loss (70.5)... 2018 Lindys' Division III Preseason National Defensive Player of the Year... Led Springfield to 18 wins in the last two seasons, their most over a two-year span since 2003-04... Chosen to the CoSIDA Google Cloud Academic All-District Team for the second-season in a row in 2018... A national semifinalist for the 2018 NFF William V. Campbell Trophy.... Actively involved with Team IMPACT and the Pride's relationship with cancer-survivor and teammate Luke Bradley... Participated in St. Baldrick's Pediatric Cancer Awareness events, a Be the Match donor and bone marrow drive leader.

 

DE | 6-1, 250 | Senior | Occupational Safety
Janesville, Wis. | Janesville Craig High School

- Named the 2018 WIAC Defensive Player of the Year and first team All-WIAC … selected to D3football.com National Team of the Week (games of Sept. 7-8) after posting five tackles, including 2.5 for a loss, and one forced fumble in the Warhawks' 24-6 victory over Concordia-Moorhead (Minn.) … two-time WIAC Defensive Player of the Week this season … tied a season high with 2.5 tackles for a loss each in games against nationally ranked UW-La Crosse (Sept. 29) and UW-Oshkosh (Oct. 6) … currently tied for the conference lead with two forced fumbles … also tied for third in the league in sacks (7.5) and tackles for loss (13.0) … currently seventh on the program's all-time career sacks list (22.5) … was a first team All-WIAC, first team All-West Region and third team All-America selection in 2017 … three-time member of the WIAC Scholastic Honor Roll … volunteers annually as a coach for the Janesville Craig High School youth football camps … also volunteers time through team initiatives with Fairhaven Senior Services in Whitewater, Special Olympics and the Whitewater Food Pantry

 

Momence, Ill. | Momence High School  

-A two-time conference Offensive Player of the Year, including the 2018 Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference honor ... Closed his final season as the NCAA Division III leader with 252 points scored, 42 total touchdowns and 2,599 all-purpose yards ... Ran away with the NACC's rushing title with 2,187 yards and also led the NACC with 319 total rushes and 40 rushing touchdowns ... Ran for at least 125 yards and two touchdowns in 10 games, logged five 200-yard games, two 300-yard games and set the NACC single-game record with five rushing touchdowns in four consecutive outings from Oct. 6 through Nov. 3 ... Five-time NACC Offensive Player of the Week and two-time D3football.com Team of the Week selection in 2018 ... Finished his 41-game career with 6,036 rushing yards, the 10th player in NCAA Division III history to reach the 6,000-yard plateau ... Scored 95 rushing touchdowns and his 600 career points were third-most in Division III history.

 

-Team captain … Named 2018 OAC Gene Slaughter Linebacker of the Year … Currently tied for team lead in tackles and has led team in tackles each of the last two seasons … Had a forced fumble and fumble recovery for a touchdown and helped lead a defense that has scored 12 touchdowns this season while only allowing its first 11 opponents a total of 12 touchdowns … Three-time All-Ohio Athletic Conference selection and three-time Academic All-OAC honoree … 2017 and 2018 Google Cloud Academic All-District … Joined a group of fellow Mount Union engineering students on a Spring 2018 trip to Belize to construct a water line to a village … Volunteer for Relay for Life, Be The Match bone marrow drive, Trick or Treat with the Raiders, Walk a Mile in Her Shoes fundraiser and Alliance Parks Community Clean-Up Day … In his hometown of Massillon, Ohio, he has been a youth baseball and football camp volunteer while aiding Special Olympic events in Stark County.

 

- Named the 2018 CCIW Art Keller Offensive Player of the Year, winning the award for the second time in three seasons…has completed 257 of 358 passes for 3,275 yards with 29 touchdowns and just three interceptions in 11 games…current Division III national leader in completion percentage (.718) while ranking fourth in passing yards and eighth in efficiency (173.7)…has started every game for North Central the past three seasons, owning a career record of 31-4 with three CCIW titles and three trips to the postseason…has been responsible for at least two touchdowns in every game in 2018…set North Central single-game record with 35 completions vs. WashU and threw for career-high 426 yards vs. Wheaton…volunteered with Best Buddies and Peer Partners programs, local organizations which provide activities for people with special needs…volunteers with Home 2 Home Project, helping move homeless families into apartments of their own.

 

-Two-time Conference MVP … three-time All-Conference honoree … second quarterback in program history to earn two Conference MVP honors … a previous Gagliardi Trophy semifinalist … Wartburg repeated as the Conference Champions … Sacia helped Wartburg make second-straight appearance in NCAA Playoffs … Wartburg won the Conference Championship for the 16th time in program history and second-straight…  Sacia became Wartburg's career leader in TD passes and pass completions this year … tied the single game school record with five TDs against Loras on Oct. 27 … currently third in completion percentage (.700) and passing TDs (34), fifth in passing efficiency (179.6) and eighth in passing yards (3,071) … four-time American Rivers Conference Offensive Player of the Week … Academic All-Conference honoree … serves on the Leadership team member for the Wartburg Dance Marathon, volunteer for the SAAC Unified Sports Day (partnership with Special Olympics).

 

LB | 5-10, 224 | Senior | Economics
Lewisville, Texas | Prestonwood Christian Academy

-  Named the 2018 College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin's (CCIW) Don Larson Defensive Player of the Year...First Team All-CCIW at linebacker…had a team-high 73 total tackles this season, marking the third time in his career that he has led the Wheaton defense in tackles...served as team captain an team leader for a Wheaton defense that ranked fifth in Division III in scoring defense and sixth in total defense...had 40 solo tackles, with 9.5 tackles for lost yardage (-29 yards)...named a 2018 finalist for the National Football Foundation's (NFF) Campbell Trophy, known as the "academic Heisman", and is the lone Division III finalist for the award...as a Campbell Trophy finalist, Stevenson is Wheaton's first recipient of the NFF Scholar-Athlete Award and an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship...took part in a mission trip through the Wheaton Football Ministry Partnership to the Dominican Republic, where he helped build new home structures...he has volunteered with the Greater Chicago Food Depository and the Feed My Starving Children organization...interned twice with B.C. Ziegler and Company investment bank...mission and cultural exchange trip to China.