KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- A total of 12 members of the University of St. Francis football program have claimed placement on the 2025 NAIA Scholar-Athlete list, the national office has announced.

In order to receive NAIA Scholar-Athlete recognition, nominees must be a sophomore or above in academic standing, must have been in attendance at the nominating institution for one full academic year and must have a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.50 or higher at the time of the nomination deadline.

Gaining NAIA Scholar-Athlete honors for the third year in a row were senior defensive backs Nick Franciskovich and Nick Mabutas, as well as junior defensive lineman Curtis Reeves.  Franciskovich is a History major, while Mabutas is a pursing a degree in Special Education.  Reeves, is currently working on a Bachelor's degree in Values-Based Management.

Notching the national award for the second time were:

Robert Baranowski:  Redshirt sophomore defensive back seeking a degree in Finance
Marcello Bernardi:  Junior Digital Audio Recording Arts major and defensive lineman
Rylan Heersink:  Senior offensive lineman working towards a Bachelor's degree in Criminal and Social Justice

First-time national selections were:

Connor Engstrom:  Redshirt freshman Marketing major and wide receiver
Cortez Johnson:  Graduate senior wide receiver pursuing a Master's in Business Administration
Ryan Little:  Junior Information Technology major and wide receiver
Anthony Niecikowski:  Senior offensive lineman majoring in Nursing
Peyton Norton:  Junior offensive lineman obtaining a degree in Entrepreneurship
Trey Sayers:  Graduate student and defensive back working on a Master's in Business Administration

For the NAIA academic awards release, go to RELEASE.
For the NAIA academic scholar-athlete awards list, go to LIST.

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