Three Tiger football players earn scholar-athlete status

MITCHELL, S.D. – Three members of the Dakota Wesleyan University football team earned Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athlete honors, it was announced Tuesday afternoon by the NAIA.

Tyler Severson, Josh Thompson and Skyler Eriksen all earned academic accolades for their work in the classroom as well as on the gridiron this season. This is the second straight honor for Severson and Thompson and the first Daktronics honor for Eriksen.

Severson, a senior linebacker from Aberdeen, S.D., is a history education major with a 3.56 GPA. He played in seven games this season and recorded four total tackles, including two solo tackles. Thompson, a junior defensive back from Lead, S.D., has a 3.79 GPA and a biology major. He finished eighth on the team with 48 total tackles and had a team-high 13 pass breakups. He had 4.5 tackles for a loss and one interception in the end zone against Concordia to help the Tigers seal a 26-23 win over the Bulldogs.

Eriksen is a junior elementary education major from Presho, S.D., with a 3.73 GPA. He was part of an offensive line that helped the DWU throw for 2,397 yards and run for 1,251 more. The Tigers scored 234 points and amasses 3,648 yards of total offense. Eriksen – who recently earned Capital One Academic All-American College Division Second Team honors – played in nine of the Tigers' 10 games and started in eight.

In order to be eligible for Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athlete status, student-athletes must have a minimum GPA of 3.5 and have achieved junior academic status.