Springfield, Ohio – Wittenberg University senior offensive tackle Aaron Coeling (Centerville, Ohio/Centerville) has capped his spectacular collegiate career with third-team All-America honors from D3football.com, while three other student-athletes picked up All-America awards from beyondsportsnetwork.com.
Senior quarterback Reed Florence (South Charleston, Ohio/Southeastern), sophomore center Alec Nutting (Lakeland, Fla./Lakeland) and senior offensive tackle Matt Widemon (Indianapolis, Ind./Cathedral) were all honored by beyondsportsnetwork.com. Florence and Nutting earned second-team All-America honors, while Widemon was named honorable mention.
Coeling was the foundation of one of the Tigers’ finest offensive units in Wittenberg history. He and his line mates cleared the way for a squad that racked up averages of 45.4 points and a league-leading 511.5 yards per game, both of which ranked among the best in all of NCAA Division III. Wittenberg allowed just 15 sacks in 12 games for a second straight season while pacing the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) in passing efficiency and ranking second in rushing and passing yards. Coeling earned first-team all-conference honors in both 2012 and 2013, in addition to first-team All-North Region from D3football.com.
Widemon also was a first-team all-league selection each of the last two seasons, while Nutting was a first-team All-NCAC honoree in 2013, his first season as a starter.
Florence put together one of the finest seasons in the storied history of Wittenberg football en route to NCAC Offensive Player of the Year honors in 2013. He threw for school-record totals of 3,366 yards and 38 touchdowns, which is also an NCAC record, while completing more than 64 percent of his passes and finishing in the top five nationally in pass efficiency rating. In addition, Florence ran for 376 yards while setting the Wittenberg record for career rushing yards by a quarterback, and he finished with 74 career passing touchdowns, breaking the nearly 50-year-old mark established by National College Football Hall of Fame inductee Charlie Green.
Wittenberg bounced back from a season-opening loss to NCAA Division I FCS opponent Butler to win its fourth NCAC title in the last five years and league-best 12th since joining the league in 1989. The Tigers advanced to the second round of the 2013 NCAA Division III Tournament before losing to defending national champion Mount Union on Nov. 30 to finish with records of 10-2 overall and 9-0 in the NCAC.
Written By: Ryan Maurer