Alex Berg (L) and Willie Julkes both earned D3football.com All-West Region honors.
Alex Berg (L) and Willie Julkes both earned D3football.com All-West Region honors.

Berg, Julkes Named All-Region 1st Team

MOORHEAD, Minn. (12/10/19)---Concordia seniors Alex Berg (Moorhead, Minn.) and Willie Julkes III (Mesa, Ariz.) were both named to the D3football.com All-West Region First Team it was announced on Tuesday.

Berg earned All-Region First Team honors as a punter but was also named to the All-Region Third Team as a linebacker while Julkes earned first team honors as a special teams player. Concordia was one of only two schools in the MIAC to have multiple All-Region First Team award winners.    

It marks the second time in program history that Concordia has had multiple All-Region First Team award winners. Brett Baune and Tom Knowlton both earn first team honors in 2012.

It is the second All-West Region honor for Berg and first for Julkes. Berg was named to the All-Region Second Team as a sophomore in 2016.

Players were nominated for these awards by the Sports Information Directors at the various schools. In total, 1,065 players were nominated.

The teams, selected in balloting by West Region sports information directors and D3football.com staff, were chosen from 270 nominations by Division III member schools. A total of 79 players were chosen. Players nominated for All-Region are eligible to be considered for D3football.com All-America honors, which will be announced the evening of Dec. 20, in D3football.com's pregame coverage for Stagg Bowl XLVII.

Berg was second in all of Division III in yards per punt average. He finished the year with a 45.0 average for his 45 punts. His 45.0 yards per punt average is a new school record for highest punting average in a single season.

Berg had at least one punt of 50 or more yards in nine of the team's 10 games. He also connected on a punt of at least 55 yards in five games and had a pair of punts that traveled 70 yards or further.

On defense Berg led the team in tackles with 88 and had a team-high 54 solo tackles. He had at least six tackles in nine of the Cobbers' ten games and had double-digit tackle totals in four contests including a season-high 16 tackles against Hamline on Sept. 28.   

Julkes led the nation in kicks blocked. He blocked a school-record six kicks on the season.

Julkes' biggest contribution in a game came against national semifinalist St. John's when he blocked a pair of kicks including the game-deciding extra point in overtime. Julkes also had a pair of blocked punts against Wis.-La Crosse. His other blocked kicks cam against Augsburg and Carleton.    

Complete List of 2019 D3football.com All-West Region Teams


Past Cobber D3football.com All-West Region Award Winners (award started in 2005)
2017 - Chad Johnson (1st Team), Brandon Bundgaard (3rd Team)  
2016 - Alex Berg (2nd Team), Josh Berg (2nd Team)
2015 - Erik Bye (3rd Team)
2014 - Nate Adams (3rd Team) 
2013 - Nate Adams (1st Team), Kenyon O'Brien (2nd Team)
2012 - Brett Baune (1st Team), Tom Knowlton (1st Team)
2008 - Travis Aufderheide (2nd Team)
2007 - Grant Weller (1st Team)
2005 - Travis Almquist (2nd Team), Mark Halley (3rd Team), Brian Halverson (3rd Team), Josh Linman (2nd Team)