For the Tomahawk Leader
WHITEWATER – Kaleb Kaminski, a native of Tomahawk and senior on the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater football team, was one of five Warhawks who were selected to D3football.com’s 2020 Preseason All-America team.
Senior offensive linemen Kyle Gannon (Waukesha, Wis./West), Quinn Meinerz (Hartford, Wis./Hartford Union), senior defensive lineman Mackenzie Balanganayi (Palatine, Ill./Palatine) and senior linebacker Kaleb Kaminski (Tomahawk, Wis./Tomahawk) garnered first team accolades. Senior defensive back Mark McGrath (Lisle, Ill./Lisle) earned second team honors.
Meinerz, Balanganayi and Kaminski were also named to Street & Smith’s Preseason All-America team.
All five players helped the Warhawks finish with a 13-2 record in 2019, including a 6-1 mark in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. The team won the WIAC championship for the 37th time and reached the Stagg Bowl (NCAA Division III national championship game) for the 10th time in program history.
Meinerz and Gannon helped the Warhawks average 30.1 points per game and a conference-leading 195.7 rushing yards per game last fall. Meinerz was selected first team All-America by the Associated Press and American Football Coaches Association and second team All-America by D3football.com, while Gannon collected second team D3football.com All-West Region recognition.
Balanganayi, the 2019 WIAC Defensive Player of the Year and D3football.com West Region Defensive Player of the Year, totaled 42 tackles, including nine sacks. He finished the year as a second team D3football.com All-American.
McGrath joined Balanganayi on the All-America second team with 59 tackles and three blocked kicks.
Kaminski earned honorable mention All-America from D3football.com in 2019 after tallying a team-best 101 tackles to go along with four forced fumbles.
UW-Whitewater’s 2020 season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.