BURNSVILLE, Minn. – The Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference announced on Wednesday four Southwest Minnesota State University football student-athletes have earned All-NSIC South Division accolades as voted upon by the league's 14 head coaches.
 
Earning All-NSIC South first team honors for the Mustangs include senior linebacker Josiah Hedensten and sophomore safety Parker Knutson, while senior wide receiver Colin Maher and senior offensive lineman Tyler Nebelung were both named All-NSIC South second team.

Hedensten, a 6-foot-1, 187-pound, native of Faribault, Minn., earns All-NSIC South first team honors for the first time in his career after earning All-NSIC second team honors in both 2023 and 2024. He started all 11 games for the fourth straight season and led the team in tackles for the third straight season with 117, while ranking tied for first in tackles for loss (6.5). The 117 tackles rank eighth in program single-season history.
 
In the final NSIC statistics, Hedensten ranked first in total tackles (104) and tied for 16^th in tackles for loss (6.5), while in the final Division II regular season national statistics, he ranked eighth in tackles per game (10.6) and ninth in solo tackles (5.7).
 
Hedensten started all 44 games during his career ranking second in team history in total tackles (369), second in solo tackles (207), sixth in assisted tackles (162) and 10^th in tackles for loss (30).
 
A 6-foot-1, 193-pound, native of Sartell, Minn, Knutson earns All-NSIC first team honors for the second straight season. He started all 11 games and finished the regular season leading Division II with eight interceptions and ranking 15^th in passes defended (1.27). The eight interceptions tied a team single-season record, while his 13 career interceptions are tied for first in team history. He led the team with six pass break-ups and ranked seventh on the squad with 39 tackles.
 
In the final NSIC statistics (10 league games only), Knutson led the NSIC in interceptions (8) and tied for first with 14 passes defended.
 
Maher, a 6-foot-2, 181-pound, native of San Diego, Calif., earns All-NSIC honors for the first time in his career. He led SMSU with 46 receptions for a team-high 750 yards and tied for the team-lead with four touchdown receptions. He recorded three 100-yard receiving games and closed conference play ranking sixth in the league in receiving yards (726) and ninth in receptions (44).
 
In the final Division II regular season statistics, Maher was 42^nd in receiving yards, 50^th in receiving yards per game (68.2) and 84^th in receptions per game (4.1).
 
Nebelung, a 6-foot-5, 331-pound, native of Ramsey, Minn., earns all-league honors for the first time. Nebelung started all 44 games in his career and this fall helped an SMSU offense rank fifth in the NSIC in passing yards per game. He was also a four-year member of the SMSU track & field team.