Release
COLLEGEVILLE, Minn. – Five Saint John’s University football student-athletes were named to the
ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District Five team Thursday, Nov. 5. Senior defensive lineman
Nick Gunderson (Woodbury, Minn.) was named to the first team, while seniors
Russell Gliadon (Fridley, Minn.),
Dominic Haik (Minneapolis, Minn./Totino-Grace) and
Ryan Wimmer (St. Cloud, Minn./Cathedral), and junior offensive lineman
Jeff Gilbertson (Wabasha, Minn./Winona Cotter) were named to the second team.
Only first-team Academic All-District selections are eligible for
ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America recognition, which will be announced Tuesday, Nov. 24. The Johnnies have now had at least one first-team Academic All-District selection each of the past seven seasons.
An accounting major with a 3.53 GPA, Gunderson is a two-time All-American and two-time All-MIAC selection. He returned to the playing field this fall after suffering a season-ending knee injury in the 2008 season opener, only to injure the ACL in his other knee this season. Gunderson is playing through the injury and is second on the team in sacks (2.5), third in tackles for loss (6.5) and sixth in total tackles (30).
Gilbertson has started all eight games at left tackle and has been an instrumental part of the Johnnies’ offensive success this season. A biology major (pre-veterinary emphasis) with a 3.66 GPA, Gilbertson has helped SJU claim the No. 2 spot in both rushing offense (189.8 yards per game) and rushing touchdowns (18) in the MIAC.
A communication major with a 3.45 GPA, Gliadon is a three-year starter at kicker and punter. Gliadon, who was named to the 2009 Fred Mitchell watch list in August, received monthly recognition for his record-setting October. He made a school-record 49-yard field goal with three seconds remaining to give then-No. 6 SJU a 16-14 win over Bethel on Oct. 3 and broke his own record two weeks later with a 52-yard field goal in the Johnnies’ 10-3 win over St. Olaf on Oct. 24. He is a three-time MIAC Special Teams Player of the Week, as well as a 2008 All-MIAC first-team selection. Gliadon currently leads the team in scoring with 37 points and is averaging 63.2 yards per kickoff.
Haik is a three-year starter at cornerback and has earned Academic All-MIAC recognition all three seasons. A political science major (pre-law emphasis) with a 3.75 GPA, Haik leads SJU with two interceptions and is fifth on the team with 31 tackles (21 solo). He was named a 2009 William V. Campbell Trophy semifinalist earlier this fall.
Wimmer is a two-time All-MIAC selection at linebacker as well as a two-time MIAC Defensive Player of the Week. He was named to the 2009 Lindy’s Preseason All-Division II second team and currently leads the Johnnies with 55 tackles (34 solo) and is second on the squad with 7.5 tackles for loss. Wimmer is fifth on the school’s all-time list in solo tackles (146), sixth in total tackles (300) and ninth in assisted tackles (154). He is an environmental studies major with a 3.43 GPA.
SJU (8-0, 6-0 MIAC), ranked No. 4 nationally, returns to action this Saturday, Nov. 7 against Augsburg. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. at the H.H.H. Metrodome in Minneapolis. The Johnnies are 61-7-2 all-time against the Auggies, including a 51-4-1 record under the direction of head coach John Gagliardi. SJU has won each of the past 11 meetings and 28 of the last 29 games overall. Saint John’s is 12-3-1 all-time (.781) at the Metrodome, and has won nine of its last 10 games under the Teflon.