2023 Football NAIA Scholar-Athletes
SEWARD, Neb. – The Concordia University Football program is represented by 16 student-athletes on the list of 2023 Daktronics NAIA Scholar-Athletes. The NAIA unveiled the football honor roll on Thursday (Dec. 14). Repeat award winners from the Bulldog program include Jackson Anderson, Mason Edwards, Toby Hager, Joe Kahrs, Jaxson Kant, Karsten McCarter, Reed McFadden and Nathan Miller.
The 2023 list of football honorees nationally includes 968 student-athletes. In order to be nominated by an institution’s head coach or sports information director, a student-athlete must maintain a minimum grade point average of 3.5 on a 4.0 scale, must appear on the eligibility certificate for the sport and have attended one full year at said institution.
A first time NAIA Scholar-Athlete, receiver Austin Jablonski was also named an NAIA First Team All-American on Wednesday. Another new honoree, Charles Nshimiyimana picked up Scholar-Athlete recognition. Nshimiyimana’s story is an inspiring one as someone who was born and raised in a refugee camp in Uganda. Upon relocating to the United States, his family eventually settled in St. Louis, Mo. The full list of 2023 NAIA Scholar-Athletes from Head Coach Patrick Daberkow’s program can be found below.
Concordia University ranks as the NAIA’s all-time leader in number of Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athletes with 2,322 entering the 2023-24 academic year. The school record for number of Scholar-Athletes in one academic year is 226 achieved in 2019-20. Concordia has been a regular national leader for both Scholar-Athletes and Scholar-Teams.
2023 Concordia Football Scholar-Athletes
· Jackson Anderson (Highlands Ranch, Colo.)
· Mark Arp (McCook, Neb.)
· Brevin Damrow (Plymouth, Neb.)
· Christian Dyhrkopp (Columbus, Neb.)
· Mason Edwards (Wichita, Kan.)
· Carson Fehlhafer (Utica, Neb.)
· Toby Hager (La Mirada, Calif.)
· Austin Jablonski (Lincoln, Neb.)
· Joe Kahrs (Naponee, Neb.)
· Jaxson Kant (Norfolk, Neb.)
· Karsten McCarter (Elm Creek, Neb.)
· Reed McFadden (Purdum, Neb.)
· Nathan Miller (Seward, Neb.)
· Charles Nshimiyimana (St. Louis, Mo.)
· Nick Price (Colusa, Calif.)
· Jaden Seier (Kearney, Neb.)