Based on his success in the classroom and on the playing field, Valparaiso University football redshirt senior Evan Annis (Hilliard, Ohio / Hilliard Davidson) has been named the Pioneer Football League’s Scholar-Athlete of the Year, as announced by the league office on Wednesday.

Annis, who headlines a half a dozen Beacons on the Academic All-PFL Teams, becomes the first player in program history to earn the award, which began in 2014.

The owner of a 3.94 grade point average in bioengineering, Annis earned Academic All-PFL First Team status for the third time in his career. He returned to action this season after missing all of the 2022 campaign with a knee injury. A team captain, Annis was recently named to the 2023 All-PFL Second Team after previously achieving Spring 2021 All-PFL Second Team, Fall 2021 All-PFL Honorable Mention, Spring 2021 Team Koenig Award (Outstanding Sportsmanship & Character) and the 2022 Team Most Inspirational Player Award.

Annis led the team with 79 tackles including 5.5 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks to go along with three pass breakups and four QB hurries. He ranked 12^th in the PFL at 7.18 tackles per game and recorded a huge sack to help Valpo get a third-down stop in an overtime win over Stetson on Nov. 11. The sack was likely the final play of his career at Brown Field. He had seven or more tackles on seven occasions including a season-high 10 on Oct. 21 at Davidson and Nov. 4 vs. Dayton. Annis accrued nine or more tackles in four of his final five games. 

Annis was joined on the Academic All-PFL First Team by redshirt junior wide receiver Tytus Ragle (New Castle, Ind. / New Castle), redshirt junior defensive lineman Sam Hafner (Green Bay, Wis. / De Pere), senior defensive lineman Kurt Kessen (Shelby Township, Mich. / Utica) and sixth-year senior punter Evan Matthes (Reston, Va. / South Lakes [West Virginia]). In addition, redshirt sophomore running back Ryan Mann (Vernon Hills, Ill. / Vernon Hills [Northern Illinois]) was named to the Academic All-PFL Second Team.

Valpo’s five Academic All-PFL First Team selections tied with Dayton for the league lead.

Ragle, who boasts a 3.96 GPA in biology/chemistry, had 13 receptions for 120 yards, making at least one catch in each of his final seven games after having five grabs over the first two weeks of the season. He had a season-high three catches for 41 yards on Sept. 9 at Indiana Wesleyan.

Hafner, named to the 2023 All-PFL First Team this week, is the owner of a 3.78 GPA in biology. He led the PFL and finished among the national leaders in tackles by a defensive lineman with 63 (5.73 per game). Hafner ranked fifth in the PFL in sacks with five and was one of 10 players in the league with multiple fumble recoveries with two. He notched a team-high 10.0 tackles for loss totaling 43 yards. Last season, he earned Academic All-PFL First Team, All-PFL Second Team and College Sports Communicators Academic All-District.

Kessen, who owns a 3.99 GPA in mechanical engineering, corralled 29 tackles including 2.5 tackles for loss and 0.5 sacks this season. He started all 11 games on Valpo’s defensive line and had a season-high six tackles on Sept. 23 vs. Marist. Kessen has been on the College of Engineering dean’s list for each of six semesters so far. He was the team’s 2022 Scholar-Athlete award winner and was inducted into Tau Beta Pi, the engineering honors society, in fall of 2022. His community service and philanthropic efforts include volunteering at the Boys & Girls Club and Polar Plunge.

Matthes, named to the All-PFL First Team this week, owns a 3.88 GPA in sports administration after completing his undergraduate degree with a 3.45 in exercise psychology. He led the PFL and ranked 16^th nationally in punting average at 43.2. He went 2-for-2 passing this season, twice successfully converting first downs on fake punts. The standout punter pinned 20 of his 50 boots inside the 20 with a long of 70. He had 10 punts that covered 50+ yards. Matthes was named PFL Special Teams Player of the Week on Nov. 5 after playing a crucial role in the field-position battle in the Nov. 4 win over Dayton. He was a member of the 2023 Preseason FCS Punter of the Year Watch List, earned a spot on the 2022 All-PFL Second Team and was named the team’s Special Teams Player of the Year last season.

Mann, named All-PFL Honorable Mention this week, possesses a 3.62 GPA in finance. He led the team in rushing and ranked 10^th in the PFL at 48.7 yards per game. The Valpo running back had 487 rushing yards on 106 carries, scored three rushing touchdowns and added 85 receiving yards on nine catches including one receiving TD this fall. Mann had a breakout season in his first year seeing action at running back and won Valpo’s starting job in a competitive backfield. He enjoyed his first 100-yard rushing performance on Oct. 14 with 102 yards vs. Morehead State, a game in which he scored two touchdowns, one rushing and one receiving. Mann achieved a season-high 121 rushing yards in the Nov. 11 win over Stetson.