Eight Polar Bears named Academic All-District in Football by College Sports Communicators

By Marissa Myers

| 2024 CSC Academic All-District Football Teams (.pdf) |

ADA — College Sports Communicators named eight Ohio Northern student-athletes to its Academic All-District Team in football for the 2024 season.

Junior offensive lineman Jordan Bassler (Monroe, Mich.), junior running back Louie Blasiole (Mantua/Crestwood), senior wide receiver Cade Crawford (Carey), senior offensive lineman Lance Good (Kenton/Hardin Northern), sophomore offensive lineman Quentin Lehman (Dalton), fifth-year senior defensive lineman Connor Rowe (Mantua/Crestwood), senior defensive back Dalton Tjong (Cumming, Ga./West Forsyth) and sophomore wide receiver Keegan Wilson (Lima/Shawnee) all received the honor.

This marks the third straight year that Rowe has been named CSC Academic All-District, Bassler and Blasiole are now two-time honorees and the first such accolade for the remaining five honorees.

Rowe, a business management and accounting major, was named Second Team All-OAC this season after finishing with 37 total tackles (19 solo, 18 assisted) and ranked second on the team in sacks (5.5) and tackles for loss (11.5) while adding two pass breakups, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery. In 32 career games, he has 105 tackles (40 solo, 64 assisted), 10 sacks and 23 tackles for loss.

Blasiole played in all 10 games this season and finished the season with 881 rushing yards on a team-high 188 carries (4.7 average) to go with 11 touchdowns. In 19 games, the computer engineering major has 1,416 career rushing yards, which ranks 23rd all-time in ONU history.

Bassler and Lehman played in all 10 games while Good played in nine games along the ONU offensive line in 2024. They helped pave the way for a Polar Bear offense that averaged 375.8 yards (224.8 rushing, 151.0 passing) and 33.7 points per game. Bassler is a sport managment major, Lehman is a mechanical engineering major and Good is a finance major.

Tjong led the Polar Bears in tackles in each of the past three seasons and totaled 85 tackles (39 solo, 46 assisted) and an interception this year. In 39 games at ONU, the mechanical engineering major wrapped up his career with 376 total tackles, which ranks second in program history, to go with 7.0 tackles for loss, seven interceptions, two forced fumbles and 17 pass breakups.

Wilson, a business major, played in nine games this season and led the team with 24 receptions to go with 245 receiving yards and a touchdown.

Crawford, a marketing major, played in all 10 games this season at wide receiver.

The CSC Academic All-District Teams recognize the nation's top student-athletes for their combined performances on the field and in the classroom. Academic All-America honorees will be announced on Jan. 28.

The Polar Bears went 5-5 overall and finished tied for fifth in the Ohio Athletic Conference with a 4-5 league record in 2024 under first-year head coach Andy Fries.