Courtesy of Adam Hussman/MLC SID

ST. PAUL – On Thursday, the 2025 UMAC Football All-Conference awards were officially announced, and the MLC football squad received 11 selections. Eight players were voted to the First Team, while three were named to Second Team All-UMAC.

The MLC offense picked up the most selections with six players coming from that side of the ball. Wide receivers Thomas Koelpin and Jude Pederson were given First Team nods for the second consecutive season, as Koelpin finished first in receptions (49) and second in touchdowns (5) at the receiver position. Koelpin ends his time in a Knights’ uniform third in career receptions (122) and fifth in receiving yards (1,687).

Pederson tied for first in touchdowns (6) and was second in receiving yards (675) in nine games played. The quarterback, Brady Turriff, who found those receivers, was also awarded First Team All-Conference after earning Second Team as a freshman a season ago. Turriff led the UMAC by a good margin in touchdowns (19), passing yards (2,312), and completions (179), and broke his own school record that he set last season in all three categories, including attempts (319). In just two seasons played, Turriff is already on pace to break most passing records in MLC career history.

Arthur Robinson collected First Team honors as well, as the main running back for the Knights in 2025. Robinson finished second in the conference in rushing yards (1,126), first in carries (247), and third in rushing touchdowns (9). The sophomore’s 247 carries this season broke the MLC single-season record, and his 1,126 yards on the ground were the second most totaled by an MLC ball carrier. Additionally, in his last game of 2025, Robinson ran for 278 yards, which is a new MLC single-game rushing record.

The success of the four players mentioned wouldn’t have been possible without the contributions and efforts of two interior linemen who earned First Team accolades in junior Robert (R.J.) Perry and senior Timothy Manning. The pair helped lead the Knights to a conference-best 3,476 yards of total offense.

Micah Koschnitzke finished his MLC career with a third First Team Special Teams All-UMAC selection. Koschnitzke wrapped up his MLC career as the school’s leader in made field goals (25) and also broke the single-season mark in field goals this year with nine.

Jeremiah Stanton was the only MLC defender named First Team, and the defensive back made his presence known once again in the secondary, receiving his third All-Conference award. The senior recorded 44 tackles, which was T-4th on the Knights.

Three other Knights were voted Second Team All-UMAC, with Thomas Balge, Andrew Esmay, and Jesus “Chuy” Medina being the trio. In only eight games played, Balge recorded 69 tackles (5th in UMAC) as a senior and has now garnered three All-UMAC honors and sits fourth in career tackles at MLC (277).

Esmay followed up his record-breaking junior season which he led Division III in sacks, forced fumbles, and fumble recoveries, with a senior season in which he only played five games due to injury. Still, the defensive end had an impact on the edge in limited action, recording a team-high 5.5 sacks and two forced fumbles. Esmay concludes his career with the most fumble recoveries at MLC with eight, and is second in sacks (25.5).

Medina had another big role as the other defensive end for the Knights and earned Second Team accolades after finishing fifth in the UMAC in sacks this season (5), sixth in tackles at MLC (39), and first in tackles for loss (10.0).

In addition to all of the success on the field, MLC 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. Balge was the MLC Individual Sportsmanship winner as well.