BROOKINGS – South Dakota State University football student-athlete Jake Wieneke was honored as a member of the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team during a recognition event Wednesday morning at Medary Elementary School in Brookings.
A senior from Maple Grove, Minn., Wieneke has continually worked with several community service initiatives since arriving at SDSU in the fall of 2013. He is in his fifth year as serving as a mentor to a student through the Brookings County Youth Mentoring Program and has worked with ESL students at a local elementary school He also has served as a youth group leader at St. Thomas More Catholic Church in Brookings and has been active in the Fellowship of Christian Athletes by serving as a flag football coach and sports/youth camp counselor.
In addition, Wieneke has taken his devotion to service both regionally and abroad. He has participated in two mission trips to the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation and also has been a part of a mission trip to Kenya in which he taught in schools, as well as four mission trips to Jamaica - three times to build houses and one to serve people with disabilities who have been abandoned.
The 2017 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team will be invited to New Orleans to participate in a special community service project ahead of the 2018 Allstate Sugar Bowl, where the entire team will also be recognized on the field at halftime. Fans are encouraged to visit ESPN.com/ Allstate to vote for the 2017 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team Captain now through Nov. 23. Wieneke is the lone player on the 22-member team from a Football Championship Subdivision team.
Representatives from Allstate also presented a donation of gym equipment to Medary Elementary on Wieneke's behalf. He is currently completing some of the student-teaching requirements at the school as a physical education instructor.
Also on Wednesday, Wieneke was named a semifinalist for the 2017 William V. Campbell Trophy, which is awarded to the top football scholar-athlete in the nation. The award is sponsored by The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame, and presented by Fidelity Investments.
From the 181 semifinalists, 12-14 finalists will be announced on Nov. 1. Each of the finalists will receive an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship as a member of the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class. The winner of the William V. Campbell Trophy, who will be announced at the 60th NFF Annual Awards Dinner Dec. 5 in New York City, will receive a $25,000 postgraduate scholarship.
On the field, Wieneke has earned All-America honors each of his first three seasons and holds SDSU career records for receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns. He also is a two-time CoSIDA Academic All-America honoree.
