ROLLA, Mo. – Eight student-athletes representing Missouri S&T's football team were named Academic All-District for the 2023 season by the College Sports Communicators.

Of the eight selections, three – Justin Gniedziejko (Chicago, IL/Taft), Bentley Hart (Brookland, AR/Brookland) and CJ Wiggins (Yuma, AZ/Gila Ridge) -- were also selected to the Great Lakes Valley Conference's all-league team from the past season.  The other five selections were Aidan Hurtado (Austin, TX/McNeil), Rhet Liley (Jackson, MO/Jackson), Zach Roberts (St. Charles, MO/Orchard Farm), Kian Shafe (Kansas City, MO/Park HIll) and Tyke Wells (Branson, MO/Branson).

Hart, a history major at S&T and Wiggins, who is majoring in civil engineering, were second-team All-GLVC selections from the past season, with Wiggins leading the Miners with 40 catches for 615 yards and four touchdowns from the wide receiver position.  Hart finished the season with six quarterback sacks and nine tackles for a loss along the defensive line.

Gniedziejko, a mechanical engineering major who was named honorable mention All-GLVC at linebacker, finished second on the team with 68 tackles during the campaign.  The other defensive players to earn academic all-district honors were Hurtado, a business and management systems major who had 27 tackles and four sacks at defensive end and Shafe, who is majoring in electrical engineering and recorded three tackles and two interceptions on the season.

Shafe was also named as the GLVC's Defensive Player of the Week following the game at Southwest Baptist when he had both of his interceptions, including one that was returned for a touchdown.

Roberts, a wide receiver majoring in biological sciences, played primarily on special teams for the Miners, while Liley and Wells also represented the offensive unit on the squad.  Wells, an aerospace engineering major, started every game on the offensive line and Liley, who is studying mechanical engineering at S&T, caught five passes for 81 yards and had a key touchdown catch in the win at SBU.