BURNSVILLE, Minn. – The Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference announced on Wednesday two Southwest Minnesota State University football student-athletes have earned All-NSIC accolades as voted upon by the league's head coaches.
 
Junior linebacker Onte Burns earned first team All-NSIC South Division honors, while senior offensive left tackle Jay Atherton was named second team All-NSIC South. Burns was also named first team All-NSIC South in 2019.
 
A 6-foot, 205-pound, native of Plymouth, Minn., Burns led the NSIC in tackles for the second straight season in 2021. He finished the year with 106 tackles, including 76 solo stops, while adding four tackles for loss and one sack. Burns had double-figure tackles in five games, including 14 tackles versus Northern State and UMary. In the final regular season NCAA statistics, Burns ranks third in solo tackles and 18^th in total tackles.

Atherton, a 6-foot-7, 290-pound, native of Rolla, Mo., had a strong year in his only season with the Mustangs. He started the first nine games at left tackle before missing the final two games due to COVID protocols. A transfer from CSU-Pueblo, Atherton helped an SMSU offense rush for more than 138 yards in six of the nine games he played in with 13 rushing touchdowns.

Southwest Minnesota State finished the season 2-9 overall.