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Hustedt And Bloom Tabbed To VSN All-America First-Team
Hustedt Named To AFCA All-America Team
Five Mustangs Named NAIA Scholar-Athletes
Mustangs Post 9-3 Record In 2007
Hustedt Named Mustangs' MVP
Mustang Season Ends With Loss In NAIA Quarterfinals
Nourse Named NAIA Assistant Coach Of The Year
Mustangs Blitz Jamestown In First Round Of NAIA Playoffs
Hustedt Defensive Player Of The Year Award Highlights Mustangs' All-GPAC Selections
Two Mustangs Named To Academic All-District Team
Buckley And Gradoville Receive Player Of The Week Awards
Gilworth Is GPAC Co-Offensive Player Of The Week
Gilworth Receives Weekly GPAC Honor
Gradoville Is GPAC Special Teams Player Of The Week
Mustangs Ranked 11th In NAIA Pre-Season Poll
Come join the Morningside College Mustangs for their 2008 summer camps. Last summer over 250 athletes from around the area participated in these fun-filled and exciting camps. Don't miss the opportunity to develop your skills and find out what it takes to become a champion!
For more information contact Morningside assistant coach Josh Gehring at (712) 274-5326 or by e-mail at gehring@morningside.edu.
Click here for a camp brochure and registration form.
Click here for boy's and girl's grades k-8 youth football camp information.
Morningside head football coach Steve Ryan has announced the names of 25 high school recruits who will join the Mustangs for the 2008 season.
Click here to read more.
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Antuan Bloom |
Chad Hustedt |
Morningside’s Antuan Bloom, a 5-11, 170 lb. junior wide receiver from Miami, Fla., and Chad Hustedt, a 6-2, 180 lb. senior defensive back from Galva, Iowa, have been named to the first-team of the 2007 Victory Sports Network (VSN) NAIA All-America Football Team presented by Engravers Edge of Sioux Falls, S.D.
Hustedt also received first-team VSN All-America honors in 2006.
Bloom caught 93 passes for 1,231 yards and 14 touchdowns and averaged 13.2 yards per catch during the 2007 campaign. He ranked second nationally with an average of 7.8 receptions per game and seventh with an average of 102.6 reception yards per game. His 93 receptions broke the former Morningside single-season record of 86 receptions in a season by Todd Smith in 1988. Bloom tied a Morningside single-game record when he caught four touchdown passes in a 52-3 win against Dana College on Oct. 20. His 1,231 pass reception yards was the second highest single-season total in Morningside history.
Bloom had eight 100-yard reception games during the 2007 campaign, including a season’s high 160 yards against Concordia University on Sept. 29. Two of his best performances of the season came against the two teams that played in the NAIA National Championship Game with a season’s high 14 receptions against the University of Sioux Falls on Sept. 22 and Carroll College on Nov. 24.
Hustedt, who was also named to the 2007 America Football Coaches Association (AFCA) NAIA All-America team, was the Mustangs’ leading tackler with 59 solos and 46 assists for 105 total tackles. Hustedt, who led the Mustangs in tackles for the third year in a row, also topped the team with seven interceptions, two fumble recoveries, and one forced fumble. He returned his interceptions for a school-record 300 yards and three touchdowns for an average of 42.9 yards per return. Hustedt also had eight pass breakups and five tackles behind the line of scrimmage for losses of 19 yards.
He played one of the best games of his Morningside career in the Mustangs’ 45-14 victory against Jamestown College in the first round of the NAIA National Playoffs when he returned two interceptions for touchdowns with runbacks of 54 and 99 yards and had two fumble recoveries to tie Morningside’s single-game record. His 99-yard interception return was the longest in Morningside history and his 153 interception return yards was a NAIA Playoff single-game record.
Hustedt finished his career with school-record totals of 228 solo tackles, 410 total tackles, and 527 interception return yards.
In addition to their two first-team All-America selections, the Mustangs’ Beau Kildow, Rob Mosby, and Brett Nickolite were all named to the VSN All-America honorable mention list.
Kildow, a 5-10, 170 lb. sophomore wide receiver from Omaha, Neb., caught 65 passes for 864 yards and seven touchdowns and averaged 13.3 yards per catch.
Mosby, a 6-3, 315 lb. senior offensive tackle from Omaha, Neb., was the offensive line standout for a Morningside offense that averaged 36.1 points and 405.3 yards total offense per game.
Nickolite, a 5-11, 215 lb. sophomore linebacker from Stanton, Neb., led the Mustangs’ defense with a school-record 17.5 tackles behind the line of scrimmage for losses of 68 yards. He also led the Mustangs with six quarterback sacks, two blocked kicks, and two fumble recoveries. Nickolite had 35 solos and 38 assists for 73 total tackles to go along with four interceptions and four pass breakups.
Morningside posted a 9-3 record during the 2007 season and made its fourth consecutive appearance in the NAIA National Playoffs.
Click here for the complete 2007 VSN All-America Team.
Chad Hustedt, a 6-2, 180 lb. senior defensive back from Galva, Iowa, has been named to the 2007 American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) NAIA Coaches’ All-America Team.
Hustedt was the Mustangs’ leading tackler this past season with 59 solos and 46 assists for 105 total tackles. Hustedt, who led the Mustangs in tackles for the third year in a row, also topped the team with seven interceptions, two fumble recoveries, and one forced fumble. He returned his interceptions for a school-record 300 yards and three touchdowns for an average of 42.9 yards per return. Hustedt also had eight pass breakups and five tackles behind the line of scrimmage for losses of 19 yards.
He played one of the best games of his Morningside career in the Mustangs’ 45-14 victory against Jamestown College in the first round of the NAIA National Playoffs when he returned two interceptions for touchdowns with runbacks of 54 and 99 yards and had two fumble recoveries to tie Morningside’s single-game record. His 99-yard interception return was the longest in Morningside history.
Hustedt finished his career with school-record totals of 228 solo tackles, 410 total tackles, and 527 interception return yards.
He was a first-team Victory Sports Network (VSN) All-American in 2006.
Morningside posted a 9-3 record during the 2007 season and made its fourth consecutive appearance in the NAIA National Playoffs.
The AFCA has been selecting All-America teams since 1945. The association selects All-America teams for the NAIA and NCAA Divisions I-A, I-AA, II, and III. The five teams now chosen for each AFCA division evolved from a single 11-player All-America squad in 1945.
Click here for the complete 2007 AFCA All-America Football Team.
 Morningside College’s Tyler Childress, Nathan Harris, Beau Kildow, Ryan Oetken, and Nick Reigle have been named 2007 Daktronics NAIA Scholar-Athletes in the sport of football.
Harris and Reigle were also named Daktronics NAIA Scholar-Athletes in 2006.
Childress, a 5-11, 200 lb. junior running back from Alvord, Iowa, has a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.72 with a major in business administration with an emphasis in management and marketing. Childress rushed for 366 yards and six touchdowns and caught 18 passes for 137 yards and three touchdowns during the 2007 season. He is Morningside’s all-time leader with 24 career touchdowns rushing.
Harris, a 6-0, 185 lb. senior quarterback from Akron, Iowa, has a 3.71 cumulative GPA with a major in business administration with an emphasis in finance.
Kildow, a 5-10, 170 lb. sophomore wide receiver from Omaha, Neb., has a perfect 4.00 cumulative GPA with majors in chemistry and biology. Though listed as a sophomore athletically, Kildow holds junior status academically. He caught 65 passes for 864 yards and seven touchdowns and averaged 12.2 yards on punt returns and 22.6 yards on kickoff returns during the 2007 campaign.
Oetken, a 6-0, 180 lb. junior defensive back from Akron, has a 3.90 cumulative GPA with majors in biology and chemistry. He had a school-record 17 pass breakups this past season to go along with 31 solos and 18 assists for 49 total tackles, five interceptions, and 3.5 tackles behind the line of scrimmage for losses of 17 yards.
Reigle, a 6-0, 195 lb. senior running back from Madison, Neb., has a 3.63 cumulative GPA with a major in engineering physics. Reigle, who rushed for 34 yards in 16 carries, missed the majority of the 2007 season with an injury. He will graduate as the fourth leading all-time rusher in Morningside history with 1,561 career yards.
Daktronics NAIA Scholar-Athletes must be of at least junior academic status and have a cumulative GPA of 3.50 or higher.
Morningside posted a 9-3 record during the 2007 season and reached the quarterfinals of the NAIA National Playoffs while making its fourth consecutive appearance in the NAIA Playoffs.
Click here for the complete list of Daktronics NAIA Football Scholar-Athletes.
Morningside College had a 9-3 record during the 2007 football season and made its fourth straight appearance in the NAIA National Playoffs. The Mustangs, who were ranked 11th nationally in the final NAIA regular season poll, reached the NAIA Quarterfinals after a 45-14 first round victory against sixth-ranked Jamestown College. Morningside was second in the Great Plains Athletic Conference standings with an 8-2 mark.
Morningside 73, Doane 0
Nebraska Wesleyan 23, Morningside 14
Morningside 31, Dakota Wesleyan 7
Sioux Falls 34, Morningside 28
Morningside 21, Concordia 14
Morningside 38, Hastings 13
Morningside 31, Briar Cliff 13
Morningside 52, Dana 3
Morningside 51, Midland Lutheran 3
Morningside 33, Northwestern 7
NAIA Playoffs
Morningside 45, Jamestown 14
Carroll 27, Morningside 16
Morningside intercepted 31 passes during the 2007 season to shatter its former single-season record of 26 interceptions in 1985. Mike Buckley, a 6-2, 190 lb. sophomore defensive back from Sioux Falls, S.D., and Chad Hustedt, a 6-2, 180 lb. senior defensive back from Galva, Iowa, were the Mustangs’ individual co-leaders with seven interceptions each. Buckley tied the Mustangs’ single-game record with three interceptions in the Mustangs’ 33-7 victory against Northwestern College on Nov. 3. Hustedt returned his interceptions for a school-record 300 yards and three touchdowns for an average of 42.9 yards per return. He had a 99-yard return for a touchdown in the Mustangs’ 45-14 NAIA Playoff win against Jamestown College for the longest interception return in Morningside history.
 Chad Hustedt, a 6-2, 180 lb. senior defensive back from Galva, Iowa, topped the Mustangs’ tackle chart for the third year in a row when he collected 59 solos and 46 assists for 105 total tackles during the 2007 campaign. He became Morningside’s all-time leader with 228 career solo tackles and 410 career total tackles to break the former Morningside records of 215 solo tackles and 401 total tackles by Matt Walker, who played at Morningside from 1996-99. Hustedt is also Morningside’s all-time leader with 527 career interception return yards.
Antuan Bloom, a 5-11, 170 lb. junior wide receiver from Miami, Fla., caught 93 passes for 1,231 yards and 14 touchdowns to break the former Morningside single-season record of 86 receptions by Todd Smith in 1988. He tied a Morningside record with four touchdown receptions against Dana College on Oct. 20. His 1,231 pass reception yards was the second highest single-season total in Morningside history.
Bloom’s 93 receptions this season puts him in ninth place on Morningside’s all-time career pass reception list.
 Ian Gilworth, a 6-2, 195 lb. junior quarterback from Unionville, Mo., completed 283 of 432 pass attempts for a completion rate of 65.5 percent to break the former Morningside single-season accuracy mark of 61.6 percent by Craig Fobbe in 2005. Gilworth set a new Morningside single-game pass completion percentage record when he completed 23 of 28 attempts for 82.1 percent in the Mustangs’ 52-3 win against Dana and broke another single-game school record with 34 pass completions in the Mustangs’ 27-16 loss against Carroll College in the quarterfinals of the NAIA Playoffs.
Gilworth passed for 3,623 yards and 36 touchdowns for the second highest totals in Morningside history. Gilworth is fifth on Morningside’s all-time passing list with his 3,623 yards.
C.J. Gradoville, a 6-1, 180 lb. freshman kicker from Council Bluffs, Iowa, kicked 12 field goals during the 2007 season to break the former Morningside single-season standard of 11 field goals by Cory Wirth in 2002. Gradoville made 12 of 18 field goal attempts with a long of 46 yards and was a perfect 55-for-55 on PAT attempts to top the Mustangs’ scoring list with 97 points.
Brett Nickolite, a 5-11, 215 lb. sophomore linebacker from Stanton, Neb., had 17.5 tackles behind the line of scrimmage to break the previous Morningside record of 17 tackles for losses by Dean Jones in 1992. Ryan Oetken, a 6-0, 180 lb. junior defensive back from Akron, Iowa, had 17 pass breakups to break the Mustangs’ former record of 16 breakups by John Zevenbergen in 2005.
 Chad Hustedt, a 6-2, 180 lb. senior defensive back from Galva, Iowa, received the Most Valuable Player award for the Morningside College football team at the Mustangs’ 2007 awards banquet.
Hustedt was the Mustangs’ leading tackler this season with 59 solos and 46 assists for 105 total tackles. He also led the Mustangs with seven interceptions that he returned for 300 yards and three touchdowns and topped the team with two fumble recoveries. His defensive statistics also included five tackles behind the line of scrimmage for losses of 19 yards, eight pass breakups, and one forced fumble.
Hustedt finished his career as Morningside’s all-time leader with 228 career solo tackles, 410 career total tackles, and 527 career interception return yards.
Antuan Bloom, a 5-11, 170 lb. junior wide receiver from Miami, Fla., received the Mustangs’ Most Valuable Offensive Player award, and Brett Nickolite, a 5-11, 215 lb. sophomore linebacker from Stanton, Neb., received the Most Valuable Defensive Player award.
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Antuan Bloom |
Brett Nickolite |
Bloom caught 93 passes for 1,231 yards and 14 touchdowns and set a Morningside single-season record with his 93 receptions. His 1,231 reception yards and 14 touchdown receptions were the second highest single-season totals in Morningside history. Bloom tied Morningside’s single-game record when he caught four touchdown passes in the Mustangs’ 52-3 win against Dana College on Oct. 20.
Nickolite was the big play specialist for the Mustangs’ defense with a team-high six quarterback sacks, 17.5 tackles behind the line of scrimmage for losses of 68 yards, two blocked kicks, and two fumble recoveries. He set a new Morningside single-season record with his 17.5 tackles for a loss. Nickolite was the Mustangs’ second leading tackler with 35 solos and 38 assists for 73 total tackles to go along with four interceptions and four pass breakups.
Morningside’s other award winners were:
Outstanding Offensive Lineman – Rob Mosby, a 6-3, 315 lb. senior from Omaha, Neb.
Outstanding Defensive Lineman – Tyler DeMaris, a 5-10, 260 lb. senior from St. Ansgar, Iowa.
Outstanding Offensive Back – Ian Gilworth, a 6-2, 195 lb. junior quarterback from Unionville, Mo.
Outstanding Linebacker – Justin Taylor, a 6-0, 245 lb. sophomore from Underwood, Iowa.
Outstanding Wide Receiver – Beau Kildow, a 5-10, 170 lb. sophomore from Omaha, Neb.
Outstanding Defensive Back – Ryan Oetken, a 6-0, 180 lb. junior from Akron, Iowa.
Outstanding Special Teams Player – Joe Don Hunter, a 6-0, 215 lb. freshman running back from Council Bluffs, Iowa.
Morningside posted a 9-3 record during the 2007 season and reached the quarterfinals of the NAIA National Playoffs. The Mustangs have qualified for the NAIA National Playoffs each of the past four seasons.
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Ian Gilworth |
Antuan Bloom |
Carroll College was one of the nation’s best teams at returning kickoffs this football season. That ability put the finishing touches on the Fighting Saints 27-16 victory against Morningside in the quarterfinal round of the NAIA National Playoffs on Saturday at Helena, Mont.
The Mustangs, ranked 11th in the nation, created some anxious moments for second-ranked Carroll after they closed within 21-16 with 3:36 left in the game on a one-yard touchdown pass from Ian Gilworth to Chris Becker to cap an 11-play, 86-yard drive.
The touchdown gave the Mustangs a streak of 13 unanswered points after they had fallen behind 21-3 early in the third quarter.
But Carroll’s Marcus Miller stymied the Mustangs’ momentum and ended their upset hopes when he returned the ensuing kickoff 85 yards for a touchdown to put the host on top 27-16 with 3:21 left in the game.
Carroll, which had entered the game averaging 27.7 yards per kickoff return for the second highest average in the nation, moves on to the NAIA semifinals for the seventh time in the last eight years. Carroll, which won four consecutive NAIA National Championships from 2002 to 2005, improved its record to 13-0.
Morningside, which was making its fourth consecutive appearance in the NAIA Playoffs, closed the books on a 9-3 campaign. The Mustangs’ 16 points matched the highest point total Carroll has allowed all season. The Fighting Saints have given up only seven touchdowns in 13 games and had a defensive scoring average of 4.1 points per game going into Saturday’s quarterfinal.
The Mustangs had a chance to score first, but were turned away in the second quarter when a 36-yard field goal attempt by C.J. Gradoville was partially blocked and fell short.
Carroll then drove 80 yards in 11 plays for the first score of the game on a 26-yard touchdown pass from John Barnett to Travis Browne with 8:17 left in the second quarter.
Carroll made it 14-0 at the 4:07 mark of the second quarter on a one-yard touchdown run by Barnett that was set up by a 45-yard run by Gabe Le.
Morningside closed within 14-3 on a 31-yard field goal by Gradoville 20 seconds before the intermission. It was Gradoville’s school-record breaking 12th field goal of the season to break the former school-mark of 11 field goals in a season by Cory Wirth in 2002.
Carroll went up 21-3 with 11:49 left in the third quarter on a two-yard touchdown run by Le to cap a 68-yard drive on the hosts opening possession of the second half.
Morningside tried to rally on Gilworth touchdown passes of seven yards to Antuan Bloom and one yard to Becker before Miller’s clinching kickoff return.
It was Carroll’s first touchdown return of the season. For Miller, the TD return was just one of several firsts for him this season. He missed his first PAT of the season after his kickoff return and earlier in the game he missed on a 43-yard field goal attempt after being successful on his previous 16 field goal attempts of the campaign.
Morningside finished with 362 yards total offense, including 353 yards through the air, against one of the nation’s premier defenses, while Carroll put up 364 yards total offense against a Morningside defense that also ranked among the nation’s best.
Gilworth finished with 34 completions in 54 attempts for 353 yards and broke the Mustangs’ former single-game pass completion record of 31 completions by Craig Fobbe in a quarterfinal round playoff win against Evangel University in 2005.
Gilworth’s favorite target was Bloom, who finished with 14 receptions for 134 yards for his eighth 100-yard game of the season. Bloom raised his season’s total to 93 receptions to break the former Morningside single-season record of 86 catches by Todd Smith in 1988.
Beau Kildow and Blake Anderson also figured prominently in the Mustangs’ passing scheme with six receptions each for 84 and 75 yards, respectively.
Le and Barnett were the Fighting Saints’ offensive standouts. Le rushed for 129 yards in 26 attempts, while Barnett completed 19 of 30 pass attempts for 211 yards.
Chad Hustedt topped the Mustangs’ tackle chart with five solos and eight assists for 13 total tackles. Brett Nickolite added nine tackles and the Mustangs’ school-record 31st pass interception of the season.
Carroll’s Owen Koeppen collected a game-high 16 tackles, while Nick Gilchrist had two quarterback sacks to lead a ferocious pass rush that sacked Gilworth four times.
Click here for a box score.
 Ryan Nourse has been named the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) 2007 NAIA Assistant Coach of the Year.
Nourse, the Mustangs’ associate head coach and defensive coordinator, was the architect of a Morningside defense that limited its opposition to averages of 13.2 points and 249.9 yards total offense per game this season to rank among the NAIA national leaders. The Mustangs, who posted a 9-3 record and reached the quarterfinals of the NAIA National Playoffs, allowed an average of only 2.3 yards per rushing attempt and intercepted a school-record 31 passes. Morningside held five of its 12 opponents to single-digit scoring totals.
The Mustangs’ defensive success was a carryover from last season when Morningside limited its opposition to averages of 15.8 points and 249.1 yards total offense per game. Morningside had three shutouts for its most shutouts in one season since 1952.
The AFCA Assistant Coach of the Year award was first presented in 1997 and was created to honor assistant coaches who excel in community service, commitment to the student-athlete, on-field coaching success, and AFCA professional organization involvement.
The award’s criteria are not limited to on-field coaching ability and team success. Service to the community through chartable work and other volunteer activities, participation in AFCA activities and events, participation in other professional organizations, and impact on student-athletes are also considered.
Nourse has been an assistant coach at Morningside for the past seven seasons. He was previously a defensive backs coach at Western State College and Western Montana College.
Nourse is a volunteer for Read Across America, mentors at-risk students, tutors students in history and political science at Morningside. Nourse sets up volunteer opportunities for Morningside football players at Goodwill Industries, Sioux City Gospel Mission, YMCA, and Read Across America.
He graduated from Western Montana in 1997, where he was a two-year starter and helped lead the team to a pair of Frontier Conference championships. He played his first two seasons at Dickinson State University, where he played for teams that twice reached the semifinals of the NAIA National Playoffs.
The AFCA Coach of the Year award recipients will be recognized at the AFCA Kickoff Luncheon on Jan. 7 at the 2008 AFCA Convention in Anaheim, Calif.
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Chad Hustedt |
Pete Lewis |
Morningside rolled through the first round of the NAIA National Playoffs with a convincing 45-14 thrashing of sixth-ranked Jamestown College on Saturday at Jamestown, N.D.
The Mustangs, who won their seventh game in a row, advance to the NAIA Quarterfinals with a 9-2 record. The quarterfinal round matchups will be announced on Sunday.
Chad Hustedt, this year’s Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) Defensive Player of the Year, returned two interceptions for touchdowns to lead the way. He intercepted a Josh Kittell pass and returned the theft 54 yards for a touchdown at the 11:41 mark of the first quarter, and then returned an interception 99 yards for a touchdown with 11:49 left in the third quarter for the longest interception return in Morningside history. His 99-yard return broke the former record of 82 yards by Ernest Maxino against North Dakota State University during the 1998 season.
Aside from his two interceptions, Hustedt also had nine tackles and a pair of fumble recoveries. He was named the Outstanding Defensive Player of the Game.
Hustedt’s two thefts were two of four interceptions thrown by Jimmie quarterback Josh Kittell, this year’s Dakota Athletic Conference (DAC) Offensive Player of the Year. The Mustangs have intercepted 14 passes over their last three games.
While Hustedt was the game’s defensive star, the Mustangs’ offensive standouts were Ian Gilworth and Pete Lewis. Gilworth, one of the nation’s leading passers, completed 22 of 29 attempts for 248 yards and three touchdowns and did not throw an interception. Lewis, named the Offensive Player of the Game, rushed for 122 yards in 26 attempts and became the Mustangs’ first back to rush for 100 yards in a game this season.
Antuan Bloom led the Mustangs’ pass receivers with nine catches for 66 yards, plus returned the opening kickoff 66 yards to set up the first score of the game.
Morningside led wire-to-wire after C.J. Gradoville opened the scoring with a 31-yard field goal with 12:49 left in the first quarter. The field goal was Gradoville’s 11th of the season to tie a school record previously set by Cory Wirth in 2002.
After falling behind 10-0 less than four minutes into the game, the Jimmies closed within 10-7 with 5:44 left in the first quarter on a 72-yard touchdown bomb from Kittell to Zack Bolger, who finished with 150 receiving yards on seven receptions.
Morningside answered with the first of Gilworth’s three touchdown passes, a 25-yard strike to Blake Anderson at the 9:38 mark of the second quarter, to go up 17-7.
The Mustangs took the 17-7 lead into the intermission after a defensive stand late in the first half when Jamestown passed up a field goal and came up empty when it went for it on fourth-and-one from the Mustangs’ 15-yard line.
The Morningside defense came up big again early in the third quarter after the Jimmies had driven to the Mustangs’ six-yard line. That drive ended in disaster for the hosts when Hustedt intercepted a Kittell pass and ran it back 99 yards for a touchdown.
Morningside tacked on two more touchdowns in the third quarter on a 13-yard pass from Gilworth to Tyler Childress and a five-yard run by Lewis.
The Mustangs capped the scoring with 11:15 left in the fourth quarter on an eight-yard touchdown pass from Gilworth to Bloom.
Brett Nickolite topped the Mustangs’ tackle chart with eight solos and five assists for 13 tackles, including a quarterback sack and three stops behind the line of scrimmage for losses of 19 yards. Marshall Tuttle also had a quarterback sack.
Aside from Hustedt’s two interceptions, the Mustangs also had interceptions from Mike Buckley and Justin Taylor to raise their season’s total to a school-record 30 interceptions.
Click here for a box score.
 Chad Hustedt, a 6-2, 180 lb. senior defensive back from Galva, Iowa, is the 2007 Hauff Mid-America Sports/Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) Defensive Player of the Year to headline the Mustangs’ six players named to the 2007 All-GPAC Football First-Team as selected by the leagues’ head coaches.
Hustedt is joined on the All-GPAC first-team by Morningside teammates James Mowrey, Brett Nickolite, Antuan Bloom, Beau Kildow, and Rob Mosby. Hustedt and Mowrey are both repeat selections from last year’s All-GPAC first-team.
Morningside finished the regular season with an 8-2 record and a No. 11 NAIA national ranking. The Mustangs will face sixth-ranked Jamestown College in the first round of the NAIA National Playoffs this Saturday at noon at Jamestown, N.D.
Hustedt is the standout performer on a Morningside defense that has limited its opposition to averages of 11.7 points and 233.6 yards total offense per game. The Mustangs have a school-record 26 pass interceptions this season.
Hustedt is the Mustangs’ leading tackler for the third season in a row with 48 solos and 35 assists for 83 total tackles, including 4.5 stops behind the line of scrimmage for losses of 18 yards. He ranks second on the team with five interceptions and eight pass breakups. Hustedt has returned his interceptions for 147 yards and a touchdown for an average of 29.4 yards per interception return.
He has collected 388 tackles to go along with 17 interceptions and 37 pass breakups during his Morningside career. He is Morningside’s record holder with 374 career pass interception return yards and has averaged 22.0 yards per interception return during his career.
Mowrey, a 6-2, 220 lb. senior defensive lineman from Weeping Water, Neb., is the Mustangs’ co-leader with four quarterback hurries and ranks second on the team with nine tackles behind the line of scrimmage for losses of 27 yards, including 2.5 quarterback sacks. He leads the Mustangs’ defensive lineman with 16 solo tackles and 25 assists for 41 total tackles.
Nickolite, a 5-11, 215 lb. sophomore linebacker from Stanton, Neb., is the big play specialist for the Mustangs’ defense with a team-high five quarterback sacks and 14 tackles behind the line of scrimmage for losses of 48 yards. Nickolite also leads the Mustangs with two blocked kicks and two fumble recoveries to go along with 25 solos and 26 assists for 51 total tackles, four pass breakups, and three interceptions.
 The Mustangs have two of the three wide receivers on the All-GPAC first-team offensive unit in Bloom, a 5-11, 170 lb. junior from Miami, Fla., and Kildow, a 5-10, 170 lb. sophomore from Omaha, Neb.
Bloom is the Mustangs’ leading receiver with 70 receptions for 1,031 yards and 12 touchdowns for an average of 14.7 yards per catch. His 1,031 reception yards are the fourth highest single-season total in Morningside history and his 70 receptions is the sixth highest single-season mark in the Mustangs’ annals. Bloom had over 100 reception yards in seven of the Mustangs’ 10 regular season contests, including a streak of six games in a row.
Kildow has caught 58 passes for 780 yards and seven touchdowns for an average of 13.4 yards per catch. His 780 reception yards are the ninth highest single-season total in Morningside history and his 58 receptions rank 11th.
Kildow was also named to the All-GPAC first-team as a punt return specialist. He has returned 26 punts for 322 yards for an average of 12.4 yards per return.
Mosby, a 6-3, 315 lb. senior offensive tackle from Omaha, is the standout lineman on a Morningside offensive unit that is averaging 37.2 points and 409.3 yards total offense per game. The Mustangs scored over 30 points in eight of their 10 regular season contests, including a high of 73 points when they blasted Doane College 73-0 in their first game of the season. Mosby earned honorable mention All-GPAC honors last season.
The Mustangs placed Justin Taylor, a 6-0, 245 lb. sophomore linebacker from Underwood, Iowa; Mike Buckley, a 6-2, 180 lb. sophomore defensive back from Sioux Falls, S.D.; and C.J. Gradoville, a 6-1, 180 lb. freshman kicker from Council Bluffs, Iowa, on the All-GPAC second-team.
Taylor is the Mustangs’ second leading tackler with 25 solos and 35 assists for 60 total tackles. His statistics also include 6.5 tackles behind the line of scrimmage for losses of 11 yards, two quarterback hurries, one quarterback sack, one interception, one fumble recovery, and one pass breakup.
Buckley leads the Mustangs with six interceptions and is the team’s third leading tackler with 28 solos and 29 assists for 57 total tackles. Buckley tied Morningside’s single-game record when he had three interceptions in the Mustangs’ 33-7 win against Northwestern College on Nov. 3. Buckley has three pass breakups and two tackles behind the line of scrimmage for losses of three yards.
Gradoville is the Mustangs’ leading scorer with 10 field goals, 48 PATs, and one touchdown for 84 points. He has made 10 of 14 field goal attempts with a long of 46 yards and is a perfect 48-for-48 on PAT attempts. Gradoville is just one field goal shy of the Mustangs’ single-season record of 11 field goals by Cory Wirth in 2002.
In addition to their first and second-team All-GPAC selections, the Mustangs had eight players named to the All-GPAC honorable mention list. They were Nolan Abel, a 6-0, 215 lb. senior fullback from Royal, Iowa; Blake Anderson, a 6-4, 215 lb. junior wide receiver from Randolph, Neb.; Chris Becker, a 6-5, 250 lb. senior tight end from Fordyce, Neb.; Pat Dempsey, a 6-4, 270 lb. junior offensive lineman from Omaha; Ian Gilworth, a 6-2, 195 lb. junior quarterback from Unionville, Mo.; Tyler DeMaris, a 5-10, 260 lb. senior defensive lineman from St. Ansgar, Iowa; Ryan Oetken, a 6-0, 180 lb. junior defensive back from Akron, Iowa; and Travis Uleman, a 6-1, 240 lb. sophomore defensive lineman from Elkhorn, Neb.
Click here for the complete 2007 All-GPAC Football Team.
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Beau Kildow |
Ryan Oetken |
Beau Kildow, a sophomore wide receiver from Omaha, Neb., and Ryan Oetken, a junior defensive back from Akron, Iowa, were named to the second-team of the 2007 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District VII College Division Football Team as selected by College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).
Kildow has a 4.00 cumulative grade point average (GPA) with majors in chemistry and biology. He leads the Mustangs with an average of 147.4 all-purpose yards per game. Kildow has caught 58 passes for 780 yards and seven touchdowns and is the Mustangs’ top kick return specialist with averages of 22.6 yards on kickoff returns and 12.4 yards on punt returns.
Oetken has a 3.90 cumulative GPA with majors in biology and chemistry. He is the Mustangs’ defensive leader with 16 pass breakups and ranks second on the team with five interceptions to go along with 25 solo tackles and 15 assisted tackles.
Student-athletes must be of at least sophomore status and have a cumulative GPA of 3.20 or higher to be eligible for ESPN The Magazine academic honors.
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Mike Buckley |
C.J. Gradoville |
Mike Buckley, a 6-2, 190 lb. sophomore defensive back from Sioux Falls, S.D., and C.J. Gradoville, a 6-1, 180 lb. freshman kicker from Council Bluffs, Iowa, have been named the Hauff Mid-America Sports/Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) Defensive and Special Teams Players of the Week for their performances in the Mustangs’ 33-7 victory against eighth-ranked Northwestern College last Saturday.
Buckley intercepted three passes to tie the Mustangs’ single-game record and help Morningside tie a team single-game record with five interceptions.
Gradoville kicked field goals of 35 and 42 yards and made all three of his PAT attempts to make him 48-for-48 on PAT attempts for the season.
 Ian Gilworth, a 6-2, 195 lb. junior quarterback from Unionville, Mo., has been named the Hauff Mid-America Sports/Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) Co-Offensive Player of the Week for his performance in the Mustangs’ 52-3 victory against Dana College last Saturday.
Gilworth accounted for all seven touchdowns in the Mustangs’ victory with five touchdown passes and a pair of touchdown runs. Gilworth, who completed 23 of 28 pass attempts for 361 yards, finished one TD pass shy of the Mustangs’ single-game record.
His touchdown passes included a 46-yard strike to Trevor Alfredson and completions of 16, 19, 44, and 20 yards to Antuan Bloom. Gilworth also had touchdown runs of 10 and eight yards and finished the game with 379 yards total offense.
He shared the weekly GPAC award with JaMaine Lewis of Concordia University, who rushed for 261 yards and four touchdowns in the Bulldogs’ 31-24 win against Dakota Wesleyan University.
Gilworth has passed for 2,492 yards so far this season for the third highest single-season total in Morningside history. He has thrown for over 300 yards in each of the last four games and is averaging 318.4 yards total offense and 311.5 yards passing per game to rank second nationally in both categories.
Ian Gilworth, a 6-2, 195 lb. junior quarterback from Unionville, Mo., has been named the Hauff Mid-America Sports/Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) Offensive Player of the Week.
Gilworth accounted for all five of Morningside’s touchdowns in last Saturday’s 38-13 victory against 25th-ranked Hastings College. He threw touchdown passes of 20 yards to Antuan Bloom and four and six yards to Trevor Alfredson and had touchdown runs of one and six yards.
He amassed 413 yards total offense and passed for 389 yards for the eighth highest single-game passing yardage total in Morningside history. Gilworth completed 28 of 37 pass attempts in the contest.
Gilworth is averaging 309.7 yards total offense and 302.2 yards passing per game for the Mustangs, who will take a 4-2 record into a game against city rival Briar Cliff this Saturday. He has completed 64.6 percent of his pass attempts with 146 completions in 226 attempts for 1,813 yards and 16 touchdowns.
 C.J. Gradoville, a 6-1, 180 lb. freshman kicker from Council Bluffs, Iowa, was named the Hauff Mid-America Sports/GPAC Special Teams Player of the Week after he scored 19 of the Mustangs’ points in their 73-0 opening game triumph against Doane College.
He had a seven-yard touchdown run on the recovery of a blocked field goal attempt, 10 PATs, and a 39-yard field goal. The field goal, the first three-pointer of Gradoville’s career, came at the 13:09 mark of the first quarter to open the game’s scoring. He was a perfect 10-for-10 on PAT attempts. Gradoville scored the touchdown after his bid for a 20-yard field goal was blocked and he scooped up the ball and ran untouched into the end zone.
Gradoville was a two-time all-stater during his prep career at Council Bluffs St. Albert High School. Gradoville earned first-team Class 1A all-state laurels from both the INA and the Des Moines Register as a senior and was a second-team INA all-state selection as a junior. He is the younger brother of Zac Gradoville, a former All-GPAC kicker at Midland Lutheran College.
 Morningside is ranked 11th nationally in the NAIA Pre-Season Football poll released August 13.
The Mustangs posted a 9-3 record last season en route to their third consecutive appearance in the NAIA National Playoffs. Morningside is Iowa’s most successful four-year collegiate football program in terms of total victories and winning percentage over the last three seasons with a 29-7 record for a .806 victory rate.
Morningside will open the 2007 season on Saturday, Sept. 1, with a 1 p.m. game against Doane College at Crete, Neb.
Click here for the complete NAIA Pre-Season Top 25.
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