KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Twenty-five student-athletes on the Missouri Southern football team earned Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association academic awards for the 2025 season, the league announced Friday.
2025 MIAA FOOTBALL ACADEMIC HONOR ROLL MEMBERS (3.0 GPA)
Name Academic Yr. GPA Major Hometown
Colton Bass Senior 3.09 Business Administration-Accounting Adrian, Mo.
Zach Bergmann Senior 3.64 Exercise Science Rogersville, Mo.
David Bethune Senior 3.36 SRM - Kinesiology emphasis Jefferson City, Mo.
Holt Chappell Junior 3.45 Exercise Science Little Rock, Ark.
Victor Chionuma Sophomore 3.40 Business Administration-Management Prosper, Texas
Thomas Cordes Sophomore 3.21 Health Care Administration Paola, Kan.
Ralph Covington II Senior 3.44 Business Administration - Finance Independence, Mo.
Isaac Edwards Freshman 3.64 Criminal Justice Administration Granite City, Ill.
Braeden Foster Sophomore 3.60 Business-General Owasso, Okla.
Jayce Hitt Sophomore 3.20 Business-General Neosho, Mo.
Dmitri Lloyd Senior 4.00 Communication- Mass Communication Fort Smith, Ark.
Malo Mata'u Sophomore 3.24 Criminal Justice Pago Pago, American Samoa
Briar McIntire Sophomore 3.56 Undeclared Archie, Mo.
Kason Messenger Sophomore 3.47 Exercise Science Cheney, Kan.
Diego Oliver Sophomore 3.35 Communication- Mass Communication Chicago, Ill.
Andrew Portillo Senior 3.51 Business Administration-Accounting Aurora, Mo.
Thessen Prenger Sophomore 3.35 Biomedical Sciences Rogersville, Mo.
Dillon Ramella Sophomore 3.87 Business Administration-Accounting Manchester, Mo.
Khelton Reed Junior 3.13 Criminal Justice Earlham, Iowa
Lincoln Renfro Sophomore 3.41 Nursing Seneca, Mo.
Huston Rotich Senior 3.45 Business Administration-Finance Shawnee Mission, Kan.
Mason Rumsey Junior 3.83 Exercise Science Higginsville, Mo
Morgan Vaughn Sophomore 3.24 Industrial Engineering Technology Seneca, Mo.
Jace Whatley Sophomore 3.44 Exercise Science Ozark, Mo.
Mychai Williams Sophomore 3.13 SRM - Kinesiology emphasis Los Angeles, Calif.
2025 MIAA FOOTBALL SCHOLAR-ATHLETES (3.50 GPA, All-MIAA)
Name Academic Level GPA Major Hometown
Zach Bergmann Senior 3.64 Exercise Science Rogersville, Mo.
2025 MIAA FOOTBALL EXCELLENCE AWARD RECIPIENTS (4.0 GPA)
Name Academic Level GPA Major Hometown
Dmitri Lloyd Senior 4.00 Communication- Mass Communication Fort Smith, Ark.
Three hundred and 92 student-athletes from all ten MIAA football institutions were honored by the Association for their efforts in the classroom during the 2025 season. There were also 41 players named MIAA Scholar-Athletes and 30 who earned the Association's Academic Excellence Award.
The league's prestigious Academic Excellence Award was awarded to only 30 football players in the 2025 season. An Academic Excellence Award recipient must have a grade point average used by the institution for NCAA academic certification of at least 4.00 at the certifying member institution. The honoree also must have at least two terms of grades reported at the certifying member institution, excluding summer terms.
Missouri Western had a league-best nine student-athletes to boost 4.0 GPAs in the 2025 season, followed by Pittsburg State with seven Academic Excellence Award winners.
The Scholar-Athlete Award distinction went to 41 football players who excelled in the classroom and on the field. In the classroom, a MIAA Scholar-Athlete is an individual who has a grade point average used by the institution for purposes of NCAA academic certification of 3.50 or better at the certifying member institution, with at least two terms of attendance at the certifying member institution. The athlete must have also received All-MIAA honors in the 2025 season to achieve full Scholar-Athlete status.
Three hundred and 92 players were named to the league's Academic Honor Roll. To be recognized on the league's Academic Honor Roll, student-athletes must have a grade point average used by the institution for purposes of NCAA academic certification of 3.00 or above at the certifying member institution. They also need at least two terms of attendance at the certifying member institution, excluding summer terms.
Only nine MIAA football student-athletes earned all three of the league's postseason academic awards:
- Central Missouri's Donovyn Omolo – 4.00 GPA – Co-MIAA Freshman of the Year & All-MIAA First Team Offense (QB)
- Central Missouri's Bo Reeves Graduate – 4.00 GPA – Honorable Mention Offense (TE)
- Central Missouri's Shawn Martinez – 4.00 GPA – All-MIAA Second Team Offense (OL)
- Missouri Western's Trevon Holmes – 4.00 GPA – All-MIAA Second Team Defense (DB)
- Northwest Missouri's Shane Fredrickson – 4.00 GPA – All-MIAA First Team Defense (DB)
- Northwest Missouri's Chris Ruhnke – 4.00 GPA – Honorable Mention Offense (QB)
- Pittsburg State's Jeremy Sharp – 4.00 GPA – All-MIAA First Team Defense (DL)
- Pittsburg State's Carter Stanchfield – 4.00 GPA – All-MIAA First Team Offense (OL)
- Washburn's Jordan Finnesy – 4.00 GPA – Honorable Mention Defense (DB)
These academic awards do not include first-year freshmen or first-year transfers. The MIAA will release its Newcomer Academic Awards from the 2025-26 academic year in late June.
MIAA FOOTBALL
Academic Honor Roll Members: 392
Scholar-Athletes: 41
Academic Excellence Award Recipients: 30
