Gustavus senior linebacker Isaac Sieling
Sieling making a tackle against Concordia.
Sieling intercepting a pass against St. Olaf
Gustavus Adolphus linebacker Isaac Sieling has been selected to play for the American Football Coaches Association’s Division III all-star team that will represent the United States against the Mexican National Team in the 2004 Aztec Bowl on December 11 in Cancun, Mexico.
Sieling, a senior from Watertown, Minn., was an All-Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference selection as a senior in 2004. He finished the year with 157 total tackles and five tackles for a loss.
His 157 stops led the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference and ranked second in all of Division III. He finished his career ranked 4th on the Gustavus all-time tackle list with 266.
Sieling is one of 42 NCAA Division III seniors from around the country who will make up this year’s team. Former Central (Iowa) College Head Coach Ron Schipper will coach the team for the eighth consecutive year. Sieling is the third Gustavus player to take part in the Aztec Bowl following Shane Thielke in 1997 and Brent Staples in 1998.
Event Information: This year’s game is scheduled to kick off at 4 p.m. CST on December 11 at Estadio Cancun 86 in Cancun.
The Aztec Bowl is the traditional season-ending game for Mexico’s college football season. The game has been played 33 times since 1947 with the last seven contests featuring the United States-Mexico match-up. The United States is 6-1 in the series. Mexico’s lone victory came in last year’s game, which was also played in Cancun.
Chitwood Sports Media of Jefferson, Texas will again provide a live webcast of the Aztec Bowl in 2004. Along with the game webcast on December 11, announcers Charlie Chitwood and Ned Fratangelo will provide 90-minute preview shows on December 8, 9 and 10. The preview shows will
originate from the Team USA hotel and will begin each night at 6:30 p.m. CST.
The preview shows and game webcast can all be accessed via the AFCA’s website at www.afca.com and via the Aztec Bowl website at www.aztecbowl.com. Postgame results will also be available at www.afca.com.
Aztec Bowl Alumni: Two former Team USA members, London Fletcher and Clint Kriewaldt, are currently playing in the National Football League. Fletcher, who played collegiately at John Carroll and was a member of the 1997 U.S. team, is a linebacker with the Buffalo Bills. Kriewaldt was the Detroit Lions’ 1999 fifth-round draft pick out of Wisconsin-Stevens Point and played in the 1998 Aztec Bowl. He is currently a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The AFCA was founded in 1922 and currently has more than 10,000 members around the world ranging from the high school level to the professional ranks. According to its constitution, the AFCA was formed, in part, to “maintain the highest possible standards in football and in the coaching
profession” and to “provide a forum for the discussion and study of all matters pertaining to football.
2004 United States Aztec Bowl Roster
Wide Receivers: Scott Burnoski, Wisconsin-La Crosse; Nick Cushman, Albright; Brad Musso,
Wheaton; Jamarcus Shepherd, DePauw
Tight Ends: Vince Dargush, Ithaca; Matt Ross, Texas Lutheran
Offensive Linemen: Kent Bailey, Pacific Lutheran; Alex Bell, Hobart; Nick Didier, Concordia-Moorhead (Minn.); Jim Diley, St. John’s (Minn.); Tommy Fitzgerald, Christopher Newport; Mark Hamilton, Susquehanna; Jon Hart, Millikin; Brad Kassner, Wittenberg; Matt Keem, St. John Fisher; Jamie Kleinle, Delaware Valley
Quarterbacks: Joe Brannen, Coe; Dan Desplaines, Trinity (Texas)
Runningbacks: Adam Chorazy, Monmouth (Ill.); Tony Sutton, Wooster; Brett Trichilo, Wilkes;
Dante Washington, Carthage
Defensive Linemen: Clint Bakken, Wis.-Stevens Point; Brandon Clum, Muskingum; Lawrence
Frierson, Bridgewater (Va.); Mike Lloyd, Concordia (Wis.); Nate Matlock, Willamette; Peter
Sherman, Colby; Brandon Tisdale, Wilmington
Linebackers: Michael Irvin, Buena Vista; Mark Sanger, Central (Iowa); Isaac Sieling, Gustavus
Adolphus; Jeremy Vanisacker, Kalamazoo
Defensive Backs: Trey Bell, Wisconsin-Whitewater; Aaron Goldstein, Trinity (Conn.); Scott
Greenberg, John Carroll; Steve Groth, St. Thomas; Brian McIntire, Wartburg; Frank Pilato,
Washington & Jefferson; Micheaux Robinson, Otterbein; Andy Snyder, Hope; Darren Venable, Ferrum
Placekicker: Mike Clark, Augustana (Ill.)
Punter: Dan Eggertsson, Franklin & Marshall