Blazek Wins DPOY, 11 Total Pioneers Earn Postseason WIAC Awards

PLATTEVILLE, Wis. – Eleven members of the University of Wisconsin-Platteville football team received All-WIAC recognition the league announced on Thursday afternoon, highlighted by senior defensive lineman Justin Blazek, who was named Kwik Trip Defensive Player of the Year as well as First Team All-Defense. Senior linebacker Sam Smith joined Blazek on the defensive First Team, while nine others earned spots on the Second and Honorable Mention teams.

Three other Pioneers were named to the Second Team All-Defense in seniors Tyler Bacon, Colton Ingram, and Aidan Tyk. Senior kicker and punter Andrew Schweigert earned a spot on the Second Team All-Special Teams group. Senior wide receiver Ben Wilson, junior defensive lineman Aidan Sproule, and senior defensive backs Dayne Friday and Samuel Tausz also earned recognition as WIAC Honorable Mentions, while senior Gerrit Schomaker was named to the All-Sportsmanship Team.

Blazek was a stout presence on the Pioneer defensive front, finishing second in the WIAC with nine sacks and 12 tackles for loss. The senior finished third on the team with 58 total tackles, including a season-high ten stops in an upset win over UW-River Falls on Oct. 15. Blazek recorded a pair of multi-sack games, including three for 29 yards lost at UW-Stout. He tallied a pair of turnovers in back-to-back games, collecting an interception against Hardin-Simmons on Sept. 17 before recovering a fumble in the end zone for a touchdown Oct. 1 at UW-Oshkosh.

Smith paced the Pioneers in tackles with 83, which placed him fifth in the WIAC. The senior reached double-digits tackles in two games, including a season-high 18 in the win over UW-River Falls. Smith added a pair of sacks and was third on the team with nine tackles for loss. The linebacker recovered a fumble and tied for the team lead with two interceptions, both coming in the Pioneers win over UW-Whitewater on Oct. 22.

Bacon joined Blazek on the strong Pioneer defensive line, finishing third in the WIAC with 10.5 tackles for loss. The senior was second on the team with five sacks and paced the conference with three forced fumbles. Bacon totaled 53.0 tackles and broke up seven passes. He put together a dominant performance against UW-Stevens Point with three sacks, four tackles for loss, and a forced fumble in the Pioneers win.

Ingram finished second on the team with 64 total tackles from his linebacker position and added four tackles for loss and half a sack. The senior made a pair of interception, including a 46-yard pick-six to give the Pioneers the lead before halftime in the win over UW-Whitewater. Ingram reached double digit tackles on Nov. 5 against UW-Eau Claire, finishing with 11.

Tyk patrolled the secondary and helped UW-Platteville finish with the top passing defense in the conference. The senior finished with 48 tackles and 3.5 tackles for loss while recording an interception. Tyke tied for second on the team with seven pass breakups, including four against the Warhawks.

Schweigert connected on 8-of-12 field goal attempts and was nearly perfect on extra points, finishing 19-of-20. The senior made five field goals of at least 40 yards, including a season-long 49 yards in a win over Bethel on Sept. 10. Schweigert was the primary punter for the Pioneers as well and averaged 38.0 yards across 50 punts. His 71-yard punt against UW-Stout was the longest punt in the conference this season and he finished second in the WIAC with 14 landing inside the 20-yard line.

Wilson was the top receiver for the Pioneers, finishing with team-highs in receptions (35) and yards (413) to go along with a pair of touchdowns. The senior put together his best game of the season against UW-Stout with five catches for 106 yards and a 64-yard touchdown reception.

Sproule finished third on the team with 4.5 sacks and six tackles for loss on the Pioneers deep defensive front. The junior posted a pair of sacks and 2.5 tackles for loss at UW-Stout.

Friday put together a strong season on the boundary for the defense, totaling 34.0 tackles and a pair of interceptions while breaking up a team-high eight passes. The senior tallied both interceptions in the win over UW-Eau Claire and took one 41-yards for a touchdown.

Tausz finished fourth on the team with 56 tackles and forced two fumbles while grabbing a pair of interceptions. The senior tallied a season-high nine tackles twice against UW-Oshkosh and UW-La Crosse.

Schomaker totaled 21 tackles and 2.5 tackles for loss on the defensive line. The senior finished with three tackles including two tackles for loss in the Pioneers win over UW-Eau Claire.