Football

Five Selected To D3football.com All-America Team

Official D3football.com Release

MADISON, Wis.--Five Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) individuals have been selected to the 2022 D3football.com All-America Team.
 
University of Wisconsin-River Falls’ Michael Brown and UW-Whitewater’s Ryan Liszka were first team selections, while UW-La Crosse’s Mike Bertoia and UW-Whitewater’s Seth Roberts collected second team honors. UW-Platteville’s Justin Blazek was a third team pick.
 
Brown is the first individual in program archives to receive first team honors from D3football.com. He led the WIAC with eight interceptions and recorded multiple interceptions in three games, including a 40-yard interception return for a touchdown against UW-Stevens Point on Oct. 1. Brown added 42 tackles and broke up five passes.
 
Liszka led a UW-Whitewater defense that allowed the fewest yards per game in the conference at 287.0 per outing. The Warhawks also topped the WIAC with 66.7 rushing yards allowed per game – a mark that ranks No. 11 in NCAA Division III. Liszka added 9.5 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks. He registered double figures in tackles five times, including a season-high 12 against Aurora University (Ill.) on Nov. 19.
 
Bertoia’s selection marks the fourth time in the last five seasons that UW-La Crosse has been represented on the D3football.com All-America squad. He guided an offensive line that helped UW-La Crosse average 34.4 points per game and 418.3 yards of offense per contest. The Eagles had a season-high 632 yards of total offense and 386 rushing yards against UW-Eau Claire on Oct. 15.
 
Roberts helped UW-Whitewater register 2,171 rushing yards on 433 attempts, an average of 5.0 yards per rush. In the WIAC, the Warhawks gained 1,689 yards on the ground, averaging 5.8 per carry - the most yards and highest average in conference play for UW-Whitewater in over a decade. Roberts allowed one sack in 408 pass and quarterback run attempts this season.
 
The selections of Liszka and Roberts mark the ninth straight season that UW-Whitewater has had multiple D3football.com All-Americans.
 
Blazek is the program’s first D3football.com All-America honoree since the 2016 campaign when Dan Arnold was a first team honoree. Blazek, the WIAC Kwik Trip Defensive Player of the Year, finished second in the conference with nine sacks and 12 tackles for loss. He was third on the team with 58 tackles, including a season-high 10 against UW-River Falls on Oct. 15. Blazek recorded a pair of multi-sack contests, including three for 29 yards lost at UW-Stout on Oct. 29. He forced turnovers in back-to-back games, collecting an interception against Hardin-Simmons University (Texas) on Sept. 17, before recovering a fumble in the end zone for a touchdown at UW-Oshkosh on Oct. 1.
 
2022 D3football.com All-America First Team
Name School Year Pos. Hometown (High School) Prev. Selections
Michael Brown River Falls So. CB Victoria, Minn. (Chaska) ----
Ryan Liszka Whitewater Sr. LB Naperville, Ill. (Benet Academy) ----
2022 D3football.com All-America Second Team
Name School Year Pos. Hometown (High School) Prev. Selections
Mike Bertoine La Crosse Jr. T Lake Zurich, Ill. (Lake Zurich) ----
Seth Roberts Whitewater Sr. G Johnson Creek, Wis. (Johnson Creek) ----
2022 D3football.com All-America Third Team
Name School Year Pos. Hometown (High School) Prev. Selections
Justin Blazek Platteville Sr. DE Naperville, Ill. (Neuqua Valley) ----
 
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