Blazek Named AFCA First Team All-American For Second Time
PLATTEVILLE, Wis. – For the second straight year, senior Justin Blazek of the University of Wisconsin-Platteville football team was named American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Division III All-American First Team it was announced on Monday.
PLATTEVILLE, Wis. – For the second straight year, senior Justin Blazek of the University of Wisconsin-Platteville football team was named American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Division III All-America First Team it was announced on Monday.
Blazek becomes the first player in program history to be named an AFCA All-American twice, after earning the same honors in 2022. The accolade adds to growing list of postseason awards for Blazek, including D3football.com All-Region Defensive Player of the Year and WIAC Defensive Player of the Year. The Gagliardi Trophy Semifinalist was one of just five players on the AFCA All-American list to receive the recognition back-to-back years.
The senior defensive end paced the WIAC with 8.5 sacks and 17 tackles for loss while starting all 11 games for the Pioneers. In UW-Platteville's seven conference games, Blazek posted seven sacks and 12 tackles for loss while intercepting two passes and forcing two fumbles. The Naperville, Illinois native finished with 60 total tackles (35 solo, 25 assist), including a season-high 10 stops against UW-La Crosse on October 14. Blazek had multiple tackles for loss in five of the final six games, with the last 2.5 coming in the Pioneers Isthmus Bowl win over Augustana (Ill.).
The full AFCA release can be found HERE.