PLATTEVILLE, Wis. – The WIAC announced its 2025 football postseason awards on Thursday afternoon, with 13 members of the University of Wisconsin-Platteville football team bringing home honors. The Pioneers had seven players earn First Team recognition, and had six student-athletes repeat on the All-WIAC teams.
Zackary Bothun, Running Back (First Team Offense)
Bothun earns his second straight WIAC postseason award after being named to the Honorable Mention team last season. The junior running back missed three games but still tied for second in the conference with a career-high 13 rushing touchdowns. Bothun ran for 614 yards on 6.4 yards per carry across his seven games and surpassed the 100-yard mark twice. He scored nine touchdowns across the first three games and closed the regular season with three more in the win over UW-Eau Claire.
Trevor Syse, Wide Receiver (First Team Offense)
Syse emerged as the Pioneers go-to target in the passing game and tied for first in the WIAC with 10 receiving touchdowns on the season. The senior tied for second in the conference with 810 receiving yards and led UW-Platteville with 50 catches. Across the seven conference games, Syse paced the WIAC with 708 yards and eight touchdowns while averaging nearly 17 yards per reception. The Belleville native had four 100-yard games on the season and scored multiple touchdowns on three occasions.
Joshua Zitzer, Offensive Line (First Team Offense)
Zitzer anchored UW-Platteville's offensive line while starting all 10 games at left tackle. The Pioneers allowed just five sacks on the season, tied for the fifth fewest in NCAA DIII while averaging 4.6 yards per carry and a WIAC-best 8.4 yards per pass attempt. Zitzer collects his second straight All-Conference award after being named to the Second Team last season.
Riley Christensen, Defensive Line (First Team Defense)
Christensen started all 10 games along the Pioneers defensive line and finished with 28 tackles and 2.5 tackles for loss. The senior created pressure with four quarterback hurries and was an important piece of UW-Platteville's stout run defense that allowed just 3.4 yards per carry to opponents.
Harrison Meyer, Defensive Back (First Team Defense)
Meyer continued to operate as one of the best ball-hawking defensive backs in the conference, as his four interceptions were tied for the most in the WIAC. The junior made 52 tackles on the season, second-most on the team and added 3.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks, showcasing his ability to make in impact all over the field. In addition to his interceptions, Meyer broke up four other passes and forced a fumble. It's the second straight All-Conference selection for the Pioneers defensive back.
Benjamin Younker, Punter (First Team Special Teams)
Younker garnered First Team All-WIAC honors for the second straight year after serving as one of the best punters in the conference. The junior averaged 40.4 yards per punt on the season and placed 12 of his 32 attempts inside the 20-yard line. Younker only recorded one touchback on the season and helped the Pioneers pace the conference in net yards per punt at 38.2.
Beau Kopp, Long Snapper (First Team Special Teams)
After being named WIAC Honorable Mention last season, Kopp picked up First Team honors after appearing in all 10 games as the Pioneers long snapper. His talents saw UW-Platteville convert 47-of-48 extra points tries while adding four field goal makes. Kopp also added one special teams tackle.
Jonah Larson, Offensive Line (Second Team Offense)
Larson started all 10 games at left guard for the Pioneers and earned his first All-WIAC selection as a junior. Larson and the offensive line unit allowed just five sacks on the season, fewest in the WIAC and fifth-best mark in NCAA DIII. The junior helped pave the way for UW-Platteville's 24 rushing touchdowns on the season, second-most in the conference.
Elijah Krantz, Linebacker (Second Team Defense)
Krantz paced the Pioneers defense in several statistical categories while starting all 10 games at linebacker. The junior finished with a team-high 67 tackles and made plays in opponents' backfields with 7.5 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks. Krantz added five more quarterback hurries and recovered a pair of fumbles on the year. He reached double-digit tackles twice on the year and had a season-high two sacks in UW-Platteville's win over UW-Oshkosh.
Nicholas Brattleaf, Offensive Line (Honorable Mention Offense)
Brattleaf joined Zitzer and Larson as the third UW-Platteville offensive lineman to garner WIAC postseason recognition. The sophomore center started all 10 games and was a key piece in the Pioneers run and pass game. Brattleaf and the Pioneers offensive line allowed the passing game to complete 68.9 percent of pass attempts while throwing for 23 touchdowns, second-most in the WIAC.
Nathan Uselding, Quarterback (Honorable Mention Offense)
Uselding stepped into the starting quarterback role as a sophomore and put together a strong season that saw him throw 20 touchdowns against 10 interceptions. His 69.8 completion percentage was tops in the WIAC and he finished second in the conference with 2273 yards. Uselding added value on the ground, rushing for 217 yards and an additional five touchdowns. The Port Washington native threw multiple scores in five games, including four touchdowns in wins over Dubuque, UW-Stevens Point, and UW-Eau Claire.
Logan Drone, Defensive Line (Honorable Mention Defense)
Drone joined Christensen along the defensive line to give the Pioneers a pair of All-Conference selections up front. Drone made an impact both in run defense and rushing the passer, as he finished fourth on the team with 44 tackles, second with 5.0 tackles for loss, and tied for second with 2.5 sacks. The senior forced and recovered a fumble and added one quarterback hurry and one pass breakup.
Cormac Sammons, Defensive Line (All-Sportsmanship Team)
Sammons was UW-Platteville's representative on the All-Sportsmanship Team after playing in all 10 games along the defensive front. The junior recorded 28 tackles and 3.0 tackles for loss on the season while adding 0.5 sacks and an additional two quarterback hurries. Sammons broke up a pair of passes and recovered one fumble.
