ST. PAUL, Minn. -- A busy preseason football awards season continued last week for the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC), as three student-athletes from member institutions were nominated for a prestigious honor by the nation's coaches and the conference placed three teams in the Top 20 of another preseason ranking.

Bethel University's Erik Smith, Saint John's University's Stephen Johnson and Michael Valesano were all selected as nominees for the 2012 Allstate American Football Coaches' Association (AFCA) Good Works Team. The three were among a group of just 65 nominees that covers the Combined Divisions team and is made up of Football Championship Subdivision, Division II, Division III and NAIA members. The other team of nominees for the Football Bowl Subdivision featured 52 student-athletes, for a total of 117 nominees in all of college football.

The Allstate AFCA Good Works team is one of football's most prestigious off-the-field honors, as the team recognized players committed to making a different in their communities. The award is meant to spotlight the countless good works and service projects completed by football student-athletes who represent the sport's finest individuals in terms of character and leadership in the community. (AFCA Press Release)

Smith is a Henning, Minn., native and a senior linebacker for the Royals and an All-Conference selection in 2011, and was nominated by Bethel for his efforts to mentor and tutor area youth, as well as volunteer work at his church and in the community. (Bethel press release)

Johnson is a Mahtomedi, Minn., native, and a senior running back for the Johnnies who was named All-MIAC second team last season. Johnson was nominated by Saint John's for his work with a water transport system and teaching children in the village of Yambiro, Ecuador, as well as other sustainability and service projects. (Saint John's Press Release)

Valesano, a Brainerd, Minn., native and fifth-year senior linebacker for the Tommies, is coming off a medical hardship year to rejoin the St. Thomas defense. He was nominated by his school for his work in creating the Daily Dribble, a nonprofit organization that unites diverse communities and helps at-risk youth develop into leaders and find success through access to soccer, as well as numerous over volunteer projects. (St. Thomas press release)

In addition, those same three schools all received Top 20 rankings recently by Compughter Rankings.com's 2012 Division III Preseason Rankings. Bethel was rated No. 12, St. Thomas is just a spot behind the Royals at No. 13, while Saint John's checks in at No. 20 to represent the strength atop the league. (Compughter Rankings.com Division III Rankings).

The Compugher Rankings.com's list features all 230 Division III teams, with all nine MIAC schools ranked in the Top 185, including six of nine ranked in the top 100. In addition to Bethel, the Tommies and the Johnnies, St. Olaf is No. 44, Concordia is No. 62 and Augsburg also joined the top 100 at No. 88. Gustavus is ranked No. 117, Carleton is No. 146 and Hamline rounds out the MIAC teams at No. 185.

The 2012 MIAC football season will kick off on Sept. 1, with seven of the conferences' nine teams making their season debut in nonconference action. Conference games will begin Sept. 15, and the regular season will conclude with the final week of MIAC action on Nov. 10. The 2012 MIAC Football Preseason Coaches' Poll will be released in late August, with additional preseason polls and honors still scheduled for release between now and kickoff.

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