NORTHFIELD, Minn. – Sophomore Ethan Hess of the St. Olaf College football team was recognized as one of 41 semifinalists for the 2025 Fred Mitchell Award, as announced last week.
Hess was one of six NCAA Division III kickers among the semifinalists for the award, which is presented annually to the top placekicker at the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III, National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA), and California Community College Athletic Association (3C2A) levels for excellence on the football field and community service.
The namesake for the award, Fred Mitchell, was a longtime (1974-2015) award-winning sports columnist for the Chicago Tribune and the author of 12 sports books. Mitchell set the NCAA record for career kick-scoring at Wittenberg University in 1968 among "College Division" schools that are now classified as FCS, Division II and Division III.
"The volume of high-quality non-FBS place-kickers has reached a new level in 2025 when it comes to field goal distances and accuracy," said Fred Mitchell. "Our FMA Selection Committee will be narrowing down this national semi-final list of 40 premium kickers to a Top 10 in the coming days. Factoring in the important criteria of community service, we hope to come up with the very best of the best."
In his sophomore season, Hess became St. Olaf's first kicker to earn All-Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) honors since 2012 during a season where he went 14-for-17 on field goals and 25-for-25 on extra points. His 14 made field goals this season established a new single-season program record and included three makes of at least 40 yards.
The top-10 finalists for the award will be released on Dec. 5 and the recipient will be named later this month.