Five Wildcats named to NSIC All-Conference football honors

Posted

Five players from Wayne State College were named to the 2016 NSIC All-Conference Football Team.

Senior Cam Montgomery was a first-team All-NSIC South Division selection on defense while sophomore punter Cody Netusil was first-team All-NSIC South Division Special Teams. Senior offensive lineman Shane Finley collected second-team All-NSIC South Division honors on offense while freshman placekicker Ethan Knudson and sophomore offensive lineman Mike Milenkovich each received honorable mention honors.

Montgomery, a 6-foot-1 205-pound senior cornerback from Orlando, Fla., was a first-team All-NSIC South Division selection on defense after leading the Wildcat defense in total tackles this season with 74, solo tackles (52) and interceptions with six. He tied for the NSIC lead with six interceptions this season and his six interceptions for the season were the most by a Wildcat player since Wilson Hookfin in 1992 hauled in six interceptions. Montgomery’s three interceptions at Bemidji State made him just the fourth player in school history to have three interceptions in a single game.

Netusil, a 6-foot-3, 235-pound sophomore punter from Carroll, Iowa, received first-team All-NSIC South Division honors on special teams after ranking second in the NSIC this season with an average of 40.5 yards per punt. He had 44 punts with 11 over 50 yards, 12 inside the 20-yard line and 10 fair catches with just three touchbacks and no blocks. Netusil had a season-long punt of 70 yards at MSU Moorhead.

Finley, a 6-foot-5, 295-pound senior offensive lineman from Omaha, earned All-Conference honors for the third time in his career after named first-team All-NSIC South last year and second-team All-NSIC South this year and as a sophomore. He played in all 44 games during his Wildcat career and started the last three seasons and 33 games at either right or left tackle on the Wildcat offensive line.

Knudson, a 6-foot-3, 185-pound freshman placekicker from Harlan, Iowa, was named NSIC South Division honorable mention after finishing the year tied for third in the league with nine made field goals, going 9-for-12 on the season. He also connected on 31 of 35 PAT kicks. Knudson made a season-long 40-yard field goal at Southwest Minnesota State, going 2 for 2 in the game, helping the Wildcats to a 41-39 win. He also averaged 59.4 yards on 56 kickoffs this year with only one kick out of bounds to go with 12 touchbacks.

Milenkovich, a 6-foot-5, 300-pounder from Omaha, received NSIC South Division honorable mention honors this season after starting all 11 games at left tackles for the Wildcats. He is a two-year starter on the Wildcat offensive line and has started all but one game in his two years at Wayne State.

Wayne State College finished the 2016 season with a record of 3-8 overall and 2-5 in the NSIC South Division. The Wildcats had just five seniors on this year’s roster.