Five South Dakota State football student-athletes have been honored as members of the NCAA Division I Academic All-District 6 Team, selected by CoSIDA. All five will advance to the national ballot for Academic All-America consideration next month.
Headlining the Jackrabbits’ district-leading five selections is three-time honoree Wes Genant. A senior offensive lineman from Parkston, Genant has compiled a 3.89 grade-point average as a biochemistry and pre-medicine major. Genant, the team’s starting center, was a second-team Academic All-America honoree in 2017 and a first-team selection in 2018.
SDSU’s four other selections came from the defensive side of the ball: senior linebackers Logan Backhaus and Preston Tetzlaff, junior defensive end Reece Winkelman and sophomore defensive back DyShawn Gales.
Backhaus, from Spirit Lake, Iowa, holds a 3.65 GPA in human biology, while Tetzlaff, a Brookings native, posted a 3.92 GPA in business economics. The Jackrabbit tandem ranked second and third in tackles during the 2020-21 season with 72 and 70, respectively.
A native of Marshall, Minnesota, Winkelman turned in a 3.85 GPA as a sociology major. He contributed 25 total tackles and tied for second on the squad with three sacks this past spring.
Gales, from North Chicago, Illinois, made the squad with a 3.42 GPA while majoring in physical education/teacher education. A part-time starter at cornerback during the recently completed 2020-21 season, he registered 17 tackles, including three for loss, with an interception and two pass breakups.
