Six Oredigger Football Players named on Academic All-District Team

The following is a release from the Montana Tech Sports Information Department:

AUSTIN, Texas -- Six Montana Tech football players earned spots on the College Sports Communicators' Academic All-District team, the organization announced Tuesday morning.

Graduate student Cole Wyant; seniors Jadyn Downs and Angel Sanchez III; and juniors Derek Pearse, Levi Torgerson, and Matt Whitcomb represented the Orediggers on the team.

A student-athlete must carry a 3.5 cumulative GPA, sophomore standing or better both academically and athletically, and be a starter or significant contributor to his team to be eligible for the award. The Academic All-District award makes the six student-athletes eligible for CSC's Academic All-America honors.

Downs, a cornerback from Pocatello, Idaho, led the Orediggers and ranked seventh in the NAIA with five interceptions on the year. He also made 49 tackles, including 1.5 for a loss, and broke up four passes. A second-team All-Frontier Conference selection, Downs holds a 3.71 grade-point average in his exercise and health science major.

Pearse, a tight end from Post Falls, Idaho, proved pivotal for Montana Tech as a red-zone receiving threat and a dominant run blocker. The honorable mention all-conference pick was a key cog in the 15th-best rushing offense in the NAIA, and five of his seven catches on the season went for touchdowns. The mechanical engineering student holds a 3.91 GPA.

Sanchez, a cornerback from Tacoma, Wash., totaled 62 tackles, 1.5 of which went for a loss for the Montana Tech defense. The team captain and second-team all-conference selection also intercepted a pass and recorded a team-best 10 breakups. A Western Undergraduate Exchange scholar at Tech, the mechanical engineering major holds a 3.87 GPA.

Torgerson, a wide receiver and return specialist from Great Falls, did a little bit of everything for Montana Tech. A first-team All-Frontier pick at returner and honorable mention at receiver, Torgerson took a pair of kickoffs back for touchdowns on the season. He caught 35 passes for 487 yards and six touchdowns and also passed for a TD. An exercise and health science major, Torgerson holds a 3.52 GPA.

Whitcomb, a safety from Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, led the Orediggers and ranked seventh in the NAIA with 111 tackles on the season. His 15 tackles-for-loss led the conference and ranked 18th in the country, and he added 3.5 sacks, five forced fumbles, an interception, and a fumble recovery on the year. The first-team all-conference performer carries a 3.73 GPA in his exercise and health science major.

Wyant, a linebacker from Rocklin, Calif., was a first-team All-Frontier selection and team captain for Montana Tech. His 101 tackles ranked 11th in the NAIA, and Wyant also recorded 3.5 tackles-for-loss, half a sack, three pass breakups, and a fumble recovery. Wyant earned his master's in engineering from Montana Tech last month with a 3.74 GPA and his bachelor's in geological engineering with a 3.65 GPA in 2023.

The group helped Montana Tech to a 9-3 season and a second-straight NAIA playoff appearance. Tech took the seventh seed and a first-round bye into the Football Championship Series before bowing out against Northwestern (Iowa) in the second round. The Orediggers finished the season ranked 10th in the NAIA's postseason top 25.

The NAIA CSC Academic All-America program is partially financially supported through the NAIA governance structure. For more information about CSC's Academic All-District and Academic All-America teams program, visit AcademicAllAmerica.com.

The Academic All-America teams will be announced January 28. Montana Tech has never had an Academic All-America honoree in football.

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