2017 Gagliardi Trophy Fan Voting Link

COLLEGEVILLE, Minn. -- Washington & Jefferson senior wide receiver Jesse Zubik (Sewickley, Pa./Avonworth) has been announced as one of 10 semifinalists for the 2017 Gagliardi Trophy, an award presented by Jostens and the J-Club of Saint John's University (Minn.) to the most outstanding football player in NCAA Division III.

The Gagliardi Trophy, given annually since 1993, recognizes excellence in athletics, academics and community service. The award is named after John Gagliardi, Saint John's legendary Hall of Fame head football coach who retired in 2012 with 489 career victories, the most in college football history. The 25th Gagliardi Trophy will be presented on Wednesday, Dec. 13, in Salem, Va., at a banquet kicking off the Division III championship weekend, which culminates in the Stagg Bowl on Friday, Dec. 15. The four finalists, who will be announced Dec. 5, will be on hand for the announcement of the winner and presentation of the trophy at the banquet.

Zubik, a 2016 unanimous All-American (Associated Press Little All-America team, American Football Coaches Association and D3football.com) and four-time All-Presidents' Athletic Conference selection, is third in Division III with 1,324 receiving yards this season and fourth with 16 touchdowns. He ranks first among all PAC wide receivers in 2017 in yards, touchdowns and receptions (74). The four-year starter sits among the best receivers in Division III history with 281 receptions for 4,672 yards and 53 touchdowns. His yardage total is seventh all-time, while his touchdowns are tied for ninth and receptions are 13th. All three are W&J records, with yardage and touchdowns also being PAC benchmarks.

A preseason All-American by Street & Smith's and Lindy's publications, with the latter naming him its Preseason Offensive Player of the Year, Zubik has posted 23 100-yard receiving games in his career and has gone over 200 yards four times. This season, Zubik set the W&J and PAC single-game marks with 322 yards and six touchdowns in the Presidents' 37-29 win over Thomas More.

The senior also excels off the field, as the two-time Academic All-District selection boasts a 3.33 GPA as a Financial Economics major. He has volunteered as part of the Be the Match bone marrow drive and at W&J football camps and clinics in the campus community.

Zubik's selection as a semifinalist marks the fourth time W&J has had a student-athlete recognized among the best in the nation as Matt Szczypinski (DE) and Jason Baer (QB) were finalists in 1994 and 1994, and Bobby Swallow (QB) was a finalist in 2008. Prior to 2010 a list of 10 finalists was announced, but since 2010 the current format of sending four finalists to the award presentation was adopted.
 
The trophy design features a sculpture of Gagliardi and a player, representing the teacher-coach and the student-athlete in a one-on-one sideline consultation. Hand-cast in bronze on a polished wood base, the trophy stands nearly two feet tall and weighs approximately 64 pounds. The words "The Gagliardi Trophy presented by Jostens & J-Club" are printed on the acrylic panel behind the figures. The words "Division III 2017 Player of the Year" and "Honoring Excellence in Football, Academics and Community Service" are etched on two panels below the figures.
 
Nominations were submitted by colleges across the country, and the final 10 were selected by the J-Club Board of Directors. The Gagliardi Trophy national-selection committee is comprised of 40 former small college football players, former Gagliardi Trophy recipients, business leaders, academicians and sports writers from around the country. Each casts a ballot ranking the 10 semifinalists. A fan vote, which will serve as the 41st committee member, will be launched on D3football.com Nov. 21 and run until Monday, Dec. 4.