CLEVELAND, OH – Wabash senior kicker Brody Rucker (Haskell, OK/Coweta) along with DePauw seniors, wide receiver Robby Ballentine (Crown Point, IN/Andrean) and defensive lineman Dominic Seibal (Indianapolis, IN/Cathedral) have been named the Players of the Year to highlight the 2025 All-North Coast Athletic Conference football selections.
Ballentine is the second-consecutive and third overall DePauw student-athlete to earn the Mike Gregory Award, as the NCAC’s Offensive Player of the Year after former teammate Nathan McCahill was selected last season. The offensive award is presented in honor of Mike Gregory, a multi-sport standout at Denison in the 1920s. Seibal is the fifth-consecutive DePauw student-athlete to earn the Hank Critchfield Award as the league’s Defensive Player of the Year after former teammate Jonathan Bruder collected the honor a season ago. The award is presented in honor of Hank Critchfield, who was a 1927 graduate of The College of Wooster. Finally, Rucker is the second Wabash recipient of the NCAC’s Special Teams Player of the Year award following Joey Annee, who earned back-to-back selections in 2019 and 2021.
Ballentine, who claimed his third-consecutive first-team selection, has established himself as one of the top wide receivers in the conference. The senior was one of only three league players to top the 1,000-yard receiving mark through the regular season, recording the second-most at 1,172. In 10 games, Ballentine tallied an NCAC-high 83 receptions (8.3/game) and a league-best 15 receiving touchdowns. He surpassed the 100-yard mark in five of the 10 regular season games, including two 200+ yard games. He currently ranks in the top 10 nationally in three different categories, sitting in seventh in both receiving touchdowns and receiving yards per game (117.2) and eighth in receptions per game.
Seibal collects his first All-NCAC certificate, landing a spot on the top team. He closed out the regular season ranked 11th in the nation averaging 1.06 sacks through nine games played. The defensive lineman owns the league’s most sacks at 9.5 to go along with 14.5 tackles for loss and has caused an NCAC-high 105 yards lost. Seibal added 36 total tackles (24 solo, 12 asst.), four quarterback hurries, three pass breakups and two forced fumbles. As a team, the Tigers allowed a league-low 117 points through 10 regular season games and enter the 2025 NCAA Division III Football Championships with the nation’s lowest rushing yards allowed per game at 12.3. DePauw has the sixth-best scoring defense in all of Division III (11.7), while the Tigers’ team sacks (3.4) is ninth in the nation.
Rucker collects his third all-conference certificate this season, after claiming a spot on the third team in 2024 and a second-team selection in 2023. The senior was tabbed the league’s top special-teams athlete after converting 11 of his 14 field goal attempts, going 40-for-42 in point after attempts and recording 73 points for the Little Giants this season. Rucker ended the regular season with the second-longest field goal in the conference after nailing a career-long 50-yarder against Denison on Sept. 27.
Ohio Wesleyan first-year wide receiver Reddik Pillarelli (Holland, OH/Ottawa Hills) was named the NCAC’s Newcomer of the Year as the top player in the league in his first year of collegiate competition. He is the Battling Bishops third Newcomer of the Year selection, and first since senior teammate Josh Hurst ( Port Clinton, OH/Port Clinton) was selected in 2022. The second-team All-NCAC selection wasted little time finding his stride on the gridiron this fall as the Battling Bishops’ top receiving target. Pillarelli ranks among the top five in the NCAC after hauling in 58 receptions for 876 total yards, averaging 5.8 receptions and 87.6 receiving yards per game. His receiving yards and receiving yards per game currently rank 43rd and 48th in Division III prior to the NCAA Championships. He topped the 60-yard receiving mark in six games this season, which included a season-high 183 yards against Wabash on Oct. 11.
John Carroll claimed the conference’s Coaching Staff of the Year honor in the program’s inaugural NCAC season. The Blue Streaks are led by Head Coach Jeff Behrman, along with Assistant Head Coaches Dean Paul and Travis James; Assistants Rex Rover, Joe Vacik, Ron Dolciato, Nate Dean, Joey Torok, Tyler Hughes, Bryce Paul, Mike Soeder, JT Monahan, Drew Schiano and Braeden Gedeon; and Quality Control Coaches Caleb Miller, Greg Campbell, Nate Kosko, Trevor Horvath and Issac Conners. The JCU squad posted a 9-1 regular-season record and captured their first NCAC title with a perfect 8-0 mark in conference play. Through 10 games, their offense led the league in rushing yards (2,007), total yards (4,644), rushing touchdowns (28), total touchdowns (57), points (451), completion percentage (.791), passing efficiency (191.80), red zone offense (.934) and recorded an NCAC-low two interceptions. Defensively, the Blue Streaks held regular-season opponents to league lows in total yards (2,176), passing yards (1,843) and plays run (540), while producing the conference’s top total defense (217.6) and second-best rushing defense (33.3). They also allowed just 16 touchdowns, the second-fewest in the NCAC. Nationally, JCU currently leads all of Division III in completion percentage and fewest interceptions thrown. Their rushing defense ranks No. 2, passing efficiency is No. 5, red-zone offense ranks No. 7 and total defense is No. 8.