Courtesy of Adam Hussman/MLC SID

ST. PAUL — The Martin Luther College football team had a nice haul of All-Upper Midwest Athletic Conference selections, as the Knights racked up 12 honors, while junior Andrew Esmay earned Defensive Player of the Year. The All-Conference teams were publicly released Wednesday at 1 p.m. and MLC had five players on offense, six on defense, and one special teams player make the list.

MLC vastly improved upon their two-win season in 2023 and went 6-4 overall, 4-3 UMAC to finish in a third-place tie in the UMAC standings in 2024 and finished with their most wins since the 2019 season. The Knights were first in the conference for points allowed (20.8 ppg) and a big reason for their success was due to the breakout season from Esmay, who led the NCAA Divison III in multiple categories including sacks (16.5), forced fumbles (8) and fumble recoveries (5). The 6-7 defensive end also led the UMAC in tackles for loss (19.5). Esmay is first in MLC single-season history in sacks and fumble recoveries.

Joining Esmay on First Team Defense was Joey Ehlke, who finished his final season as a Knight with 51 tackles, 13 tackles for loss and two interceptions as an outside linebacker.

The two MLC players named First Team Offense were Thomas Koelpin and Jude Pederson, both vital targets in the passing game for Brady Turriff this season. Koelpin was second in the UMAC in receptions (45), receiving yards (751), and receiving touchdowns (five, tied with Andrew Raasch) which were only behind Northwestern’s Beau Burk. Meanwhile, Pederson earned his second All-Conference Team selection and was second on the Knights in receptions (31), receiving yards (381), and receiving touchdowns (4).

Micah Koschnitzke was picked First Team Special Teams for MLC and paced the UMAC in made field goals, going 6-for-8 on the season with a long of 46 yards. As a junior, Koschnitzke ranks first in MLC history in career field goals (14) and now has two All-Conference honors in his career.

Four more MLC players earned Second Team Defensive honors including Daniel Biermann, Thomas Balge, David Baumann and Jeremiah Stanton. Biermann had a nice sophomore season in the defensive interior of the Knights and finished with 49 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss, and four sacks. Balge ended his year with 90 tackles, which was third in the UMAC, and picked off two passes as a safety. The junior was also named to the All-UMAC team last season.

Baumann earned a spot after finishing second on the MLC squad in tackles (68) and pass break-ups (6), while also having two interceptions in his senior season. Stanton made the All-Conference team as a sophomore last year and did now as a junior by leading the UMAC in pass break-ups (11, along with Tayven Penninger of UM-Morris). The cornerback also recorded two interceptions and 39 tackles.

Turriff had a standout freshman season at quarterback for the Knights and earned Second Team Offense honors after taking second in the conference in passing yards (1,977) and completions (145). Those two categories also put him in first place in MLC single-season history and added a third one at the top of the MLC football records book with 281 attempts.

Rees Roecker received a Second Team nod as well, leading the Knights in the backfield as a senior with 688 rushing yards and six rushing touchdowns on 220 carries.

R.J. Perry was the lone offensive lineman to make an All-UMAC team and did it at left guard, paving the way up front as a sophomore.

To top off all of the individual accolades, the Knights also won the Team Sportsmanship Award, an accolade that is selected by the UMAC coaches and awarded to the team that best represents sportsmanship throughout the entire season. Corey Tipton was chosen as the individual recipient of the sportsmanship award, representing MLC as a senior wide receiver.