Jordan Talge Named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America Second Team. 
Concordia senior cornerback Jordan Talge (Moorhead, Minn.) completed his academic fall season by being receiving ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America honors as selected by CoSIDA. Talge was named to the ESPN The Magazine College Division Football Academic All-America Second Team. He becomes the first football player to earn CoSIDA Academic All-American honors since Bob Zacher ('99) earned second team honors in 1998. Talge is just the tenth honoree from Concordia to earn Academic All-American honors as voted on by CoSIDA, and first since Micah Benson was named to the Track and Field Academic All-America First Team in 2000. 

Talge is one of only 50 players that earned Academic All-America honors in the College Division. The College Division squad is selected from NCAA Divisions II and III and the NAIA. There are approximately 450 football schools in D-II (110), D-III (257) and NAIA (91) -- so the 50 players selected on the College Division squad are the elite student-athletes from more than 35,000 players in these divisions. 

Talge carries a 3.735 grade point average, and is majoring in Economics and Political Science with a minor in German. 

Three other MIAC football players were honored on the elite teams -- St. Thomas senior defensive tackle Ben Kessler (4.00, Business and Philosophy) was named to the first team; Gustavus senior LB Isaac Sieling (3.974, Financial Economics) was voted to the first team; and St. John's junior linebacker Matt Hawn (4.00, Biology/Pre-Dentistry) was voted to the second team.

Talge had a dream-like senior season for the Cobbers. He helped Concordia win the MIAC outright for the first time since the 1986 season. The Cobbers finished the season 11-1 and advanced to the second round of the NCAA playoffs for the first time since the 1986 campaign. Concordia tied a school record for most wins in a season, and also for most consecutive wins in a season. 

Last week, Talge was named one of the ten finalists for the Gagliardi Trophy, which honors the Outstanding Division III football player of the year. 

He was named to the MIAC All-Conference First Team. It was the second straight year that he earned all-conference honors. 
Talge led the MIAC in interceptions and passes defended. He was named the MIAC Defensive Player of the Week on October 25, and was also named to the Don Hansen’s Football Gazette and D3football.com’s Team of the Week on October 26. 

Talge tied a school record for interceptions in a single season (8) and was one interception shy of tying the school record for interceptions in a career. He finished the year being ranked 15th in the nation in interceptions per game. Statistically, he completed the 2004 season with 38 solo tackles, 52 total tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 8 interceptions and 17 passes defended.
 

First-Team Defense
NAME SCHOOL POSITION YR. HOMETOWN GPA MAJOR
Matt Crispell East Stroudsburg Defensive Back Sr. Berwick, Pa. 3.625 Health & Physical Ed.
Matt Garner Juniata Defensive Back Sr. Tyrone, Pa. 3.993 Biology
Ty Touchstone Eastern New Mexico Defensive Back Sr. Lubbock, Texas 4.00 Business Administration
John Woock Washington (Mo.) Defensive Back Sr. Louisville, Ky. 4.00 Biomedical Engineering
Michael Irvin Buena Vista Linebacker Sr. Bedford, Iowa 3.663 Mathematics
Isaac Sieling Gustavus Adolphus Linebacker Sr. Watertown, Minn. 3.974 Financial Economics
Troy Tysdahl Northwest Missouri Linebacker Sr. Hubbard, Iowa 3.93 Social Sci. Secondary Educ.
Neil Baumgartner Saginaw Valley State Defensive Line Sr. Iron River, Mich. 4.00 Education
Ben Kessler St. Thomas (Minn.) Defensive Line Jr. Janesville, Wis. 4.000 Business / Philosophy
Eric Schneider Mt. Saint Joseph Defensive Line Sr. Cincinnati, Ohio 3.867 Rehabilitation Science
Kevin Yurkewich Mass. Inst. of Tech. Defensive Line Jr. Fairfield, Conn. 4.4 (5.0) Chemistry
Mark Giesmann Wartburg Punter Sr. Waverly, Iowa 3.910 Math/Engineering Science

Second-Team Offense
NAME SCHOOL POSITION YR. HOMETOWN GPA MAJOR
Zachary Bruney Mount Union Quarterback Sr. Martins Ferry, Ohio 3.837 Exercise Science
Dane Haskins Thiel Wide Receiver Jr. Coudersport, Pa. 4.00 Binary Physics
Craig Winfrey Missouri Southern Wide Receiver Sr. Bluejacket, Okla. 3.922 Accounting
Andrew Lehman Wisc.-La Crosse Tight End Sr. Onalaska, Wis. 3.97 Biology
Lee Marana Michigan Tech Running Back So. Ishpeming, Mich. 3.71 Information Systems
Travis Sleight Olivet Running Back Jr. Battle Creek, Mich. 3.96 Health, Phy. Edu., Rec., Math
Matt Bush Mary Hardin-Baylor Offensive Line Sr. Temple, Texas 3.81 Psychology
Marc Hedglin Ithaca Offensive Line Sr. Clarks Summit, Pa. 3.891 Biochemistry
Bob Jeske Minn. State -Mankato Offensive Line Sr. Springfield, Minn. 3.91 Human Biology
Patrick Regan St. Lawrence Offensive Line Sr. Glenfield, N.Y. 3.941 Neuroscience
Josh Van Auken Hobart Offensive Line Sr. Rochester, N.Y. 3.80 English
Will Rhody Valdosta State Kicker Sr. Jupiter, Fla. 3.44 Finance, Accounting

Second-Team Defense
NAME SCHOOL POSITION YR. HOMETOWN GPA MAJOR
Justin Andes Baldwin-Wallace DB Sr. Canal Fulton, Ohio 3.739 Biology/Pre-Med
Jason Dauch Fairmont State DB Sr. Bowling Green, Va. 3.82 Civil Engineering
Neil Harrison Rose-Hulman DB Sr. Tucson, Ariz. 3.90 Mech. Engineering
Jordan Talge Conc.-Moorhead DB Sr. Moorhead, Minn. 3.735 Economics / Poly Science
Grant Cochran Rensselaer (RPI) LB Jr. Kent, Wash. 3.80 Biomedical Engineering
Matt Hawn St. John's (Minn.) LB Jr. Eau Claire, Wis. 4.00 Biology / Pre-Dentistry
Lloyd Price California Univ. (Pa.) LB Jr. Monongahela, Pa. 3.83 Elementary Education
David Bleitner Lake Forest DL Sr. St. Louis, Mo. 3.71 Business
Ben Hare North Central DL Jr. Marengo, Ill. 3.857 Social Science / History
Ryan Meredith Pittsburg State DL So. Bartlesville, Okla. 3.90 Management
Chris Purtell Hobart DL Sr. Sardinia, N.Y. 3.588 Economics/Political Science
Daniel Eggertsson Franklin & Marshall Punter Sr. Royal Palm Beach, Fla. 3.38 Religious Studies

ACADEMIC ALL-AMERICA® OF THE YEAR: Ty Touchstone, Eastern New Mexico