GRAND FORKS, N.D. (UND Athletics) – The University of North Dakota football program received its first piece of respect since joining the Missouri Valley Football Conference in early July on Friday, with six Fighting Hawks earning selection to the Phil Steel Preseason All-MVFC Team.
All sides of the ball were represented for UND, as Garett Maag (WR) and Nathan Nguon (OL) earned offensive appearances, Jaxson Turner (LB), C.J. Siegel (DB) and Noah Larson (LB) anchored the defensive selections and Brady Leach (K) represented special teams.
Despite an injury limiting him to just nine starts, Turner finished the 2019 season sixth with 44 total tackles, second with 4.5 sacks and forced a pair of turnovers to enter the 2020 campaign as a first team selection. The Esko, Minn., native currently sits alone in fourth place in UND’s Division I history (2008-present) with 11.0 career sacks.
Fellow linebacker Larson followed his explosive freshman season in 2018 with an even stronger campaign in 2019, racking up 82 total tackles to sit third on the squad and tying for the team lead with two interceptions, earning third team nods entering 2020. The Barboo, Wis., native’s 147 total stops through two seasons of play are the most by a UND player in its DI era.
Siegel’s debut season as a Fighting Hawk was a success, as the redshirt freshman was selected to the Freshman All-American Team by the publication following the 2019 season where he led all defensive backs in tackles, pass deflections and interceptions. His 12 passes defended ranked inside the top-50 among all defensive players in the FCS and cracked the top-10 among rookies, placing him on the third team heading into the new year.
On the offensive side of the ball, Maag emerged as a lethal pass catcher for UND in 2019, duplicating his five-touchdown season while exploding for career-highs in yards (610) and catches (59). Slated to be the primary target through the air in 2020, the Inver Grove Heights, Minn., native was selected to the third team.
Nguon joins Maag on the third team after becoming a Swiss Army knife on the offensive line over his career. The Burnsville, Minn., native started 11 of the 12 games in 2019, seeing action at three-different positions along the line and helping the Fighting Hawks surrender only 19 sacks on the season.
Entering his third season handling the primary kicking duties, Leach earns third team nods after connecting on a career-high 12 field goals and 35 extra points in 2019. Leach was nearly perfect inside 40 yards, drilling 8-of-9 attempts and polished off a victory over No. 12 UC Davis with a game-winning, career-long 46-yard field goal in the final minute.
This is the first preseason recognition for all six players.
