GREENVILLE, S.C. – The National Christian College Athletic Association delivered some early Christmas gifts to nine University of Northwestern Football players on Friday morning when it announced its 2024 Football Awards. Five Eagles were named First Team All-NCCAA, four were named to the Second Team, and Sivert Klefsaas (Motley, Minn./Staples-Motley) was crowned as the NCCAA Offensive Player of the Year.
 
The NCCAA press release can be found here.
 
Klefsaas adds to his ever-growing trophy case after an historic season which saw him break UNW's single-season rushing record on his final carry of the season. In addition to earning the Offensive Player of the Year honor, he was also placed on the All-NCCAA First Team. The junior is still eighth in all of NCAA Division III in total rushing yards despite Northwestern's season ending nearly a month ago. In addition to Friday's awards from the NCCAA, this season earned Klefsaas the UMAC Offensive Player of the Year award, D3Football.com Second Team All-Region and UMAC First Team All-Conference honors. His 1,334 rushing yards, 14 rushing touchdowns and 1,476 all-purpose yards all topped the NCCAA stat leaderboard.
 
While Klefsaas was a newcomer to the NCCAA Postseason Awards, Beau Burk (Ogilvie, Minn./Ogilvie) was recognized as First Team All-NCCAA for the third time in his career. His 75 receptions ranked first in the NCCAA, while finishing second in receiving yards (1,065) and fourth in receiving yards per game (96.8). The senior added two more program records to his mantle this fall, giving him four total. Burk was joined on the First Team Offense by offensive lineman Luke Ainsley (Palm Bay, Fla./Heritage), who anchored an offensive line that helped produce the best rushing and passing attack in the UMAC, as well as the top rushing offense in the NCCAA.
 
A pair of Eagles were named to the First Team Defense as well. Jayden Goodwin (New Richmond, Wis./Saint Croix Central), a First Team All-UMAC selection, makes his debut as an All-NCCAA selection. His 87 tackled ranked third in the NCCAA and his tackles for loss (10.5) and sacks (5) were among the leaders as well. Luke Malamisuro (Cambridge Isanti, Minn./Cambridge Isanti) rounds out the First Team All-NCCAA selections for UNW at the defensive back position. His four interceptions were seventh-most in the NCCAA this season and his 10 passes defensed ranked fifth. Malamisuro was also named to the Second Team as a kick returner thanks to his two punt return touchdowns, which topped the NCCAA. This marks the second time the senior has been an All-NCCAA selection, as he was named to the Second Team Defense in 2022.
 
Caden Cantrell (Snowflake, Ariz./Snowflake) makes his All-NCCAA debut as the Second Team quarterback. His 66.4% completion rate (a Northwestern program record) topped the NCCAA in 2024, while his passing yards (2,466) and passing touchdowns (21) were both fourth-best. The junior led the UMAC in every passing statistic and is climbing up the UNW career record books as his career progresses. Two of the offensive linemen that kept Cantrell clean and healthy this season landed on the Second Team as well. Jack Roberge (Randolph, Minn./Randolph) and Keevon McCullough (Palm Bay, Fla./Heritage) both are first-timers on the All-NCCAA list and were both All-UMAC recipients this season as well.
 
The lone Eagle on the Second Team Defense was linebacker Ian Ahrendt (Nevis, Minn./Nevis Public). The sophomore logged 74 tackles this season, which ranked 10^th in the NCCAA. He was a major part of a UNW defense that finished fifth in the NCCAA in scoring defense and top five in multiple other defensive categories.