Football Places Eight On All-GLIAC Teams
MIDLAND, MICH. – The Northwood University football team placed a total of eight players on the All-Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) teams, the league announced Tuesday (November 19).
Senior defensive back Dimitri Abro and sophomore punter/kicker Parker Blust each were named First Team All-GLIAC. Six Timberwolves were named to the Honorable Mention team: redshirt freshman defensive lineman Dantae Banton, redshirt freshman Cashual Goldsmith, senior offensive lineman Zach Graham, redshirt freshman wide receiver Noah Koenigsknecht, senior wide receiver/kick returner Alex Spicuzzi and junior offensive lineman Damon Sutton.
Abro was one of the top defensive players in the conference this season. He led the GLIAC in tackles per game at 11.6 per game. That total was good for fifth in all of Division II. Abro had at least nine tackles in nine of 11 games and registered 15 or more stops in four times. He also added two sacks and 6.5 tackles for loss.
Blust was both Northwood's punter and place kicker this season. He averaged 40.9 yards per punt, placing 14 inside the 20 this season. His punting average ranked him 25th in Division II. Blust also connected on seven field goals as well as 25 of 26 extra points.
Banton came on strong in his first season on the field for Northwood. He finished the season with 31 tackles and two sacks. Over his final seven games, Banton had at least two tackles in each contest. In NU's game at Davenport, Banton had 10 tackles, a sack and two tackles for loss.
Goldsmith ended his redshirt freshman season leading Northwood in rushing, ended the year with 439 yards. He averaged 4.2 yards per carry while ranking third on the team with three rushing touchdowns. Goldsmith had three games where he rushed for at least 66 yards.
Koenigsknecht led Northwood in receptions (23) despite missing a pair of games this season. He finished the year with 250 yards. Koenigsknecht's best game came at Ashland, when he finished with six receptions for 62 yards.
Spicuzzi was a key player for Northwood both on offense and special teams. He had 16 receptions for 226 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Spicuzzi also ranked second in the GLIAC and first on team in kick return average at 23.7 yards per return. His long return of the season came against Hillsdale, which covered 72 yards.
Graham and Sutton were both mainstays on the offensive line for the Timberwolves this season, starting 21 of a possible 22 games. Graham started mostly at center while Sutton lined up at left tackle.