NAPERVILLE – Five football student-athletes from North Central and Wheaton have represented the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) on the 2023 American Football Coaches Association Division III Coaches’ All-America Team, the AFCA announced Monday.
 
North Central quarterback and Gagliardi Trophy finalist Luke Lehnen joined Wheaton running back Giovanni Weeks as First-Team honorees.
 
The NCC trio of wide receiver DeAngelo Hardy, offensive lineman Jeske Maples and defensive lineman Martin Egbo were selected for the Second Team.
 
All five student-athletes were first-time AFCA All-Americans.
 
Lehnen, who was the CCIW Art Keller Offensive Student-Athlete of the Year and the D3football.com All-Region 5 Offensive Player of the Year, has guided the Cardinals to their fourth consecutive Stagg Bowl appearance. After Saturday’s semifinal win at Wartburg, he leads Division III in completion percentage (75.3), passing efficiency (270.2), passing yards per completion (19.93) and points responsible for (342). 
 
Lehnen’s passing efficiency remains on track to break the single-season Division III record of 230.4 set by De’Angelo Fulford of Mount Union in 2019.
 
Weeks closed his final collegiate season as the Division III leader with 1,687 rushing yards in 2023. The Kenty City, Mich. native, who earned his third consecutive All-CCIW First Team selection last month, also ranked fifth nationally and was the CCIW leader with 167.83 all-purpose yards per game. 
 
Weeks also paced the CCIW with 21 rushing touchdowns, 140.6 rushing yards per game, 12.7 points scored per game, 152 points scored and 25 total touchdowns.
 
Hardy has 19 receiving touchdowns this season, third-most in Division III. He’ll enter Friday’s national title game with 70 catches for 1,207 yards in 2023. Maples, who repeated as the CCIW Offensive Line Student-Athlete of the Year, has been the pillar of the NCC offensive front that leads the nation in scoring offense (60.1) and total offense (566.4). Egbo, the CCIW Don Larson Defensive Student-Athlete of the Year, has totaled 48 total tackles this fall to go along with 7.0 sacks and 19.5 tackles for loss.