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Mason Hardy (12) and Tristan Smith (43) (photo by Mia Rodriguez '25)
Mason Hardy (12) and Tristan Smith (43) (photo by Mia Rodriguez '25)
Posted: Dec 19, 2023

Three Bulldogs Selected to CSC Academic All-District Football Teams

SEGUIN, Texas -- Texas Lutheran football had three student-athletes make the College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District Football Teams announced in a release Tuesday.

Mason Hardy (Flynn/Normangee), Grayson Kowalski (Sabinal/Sabinal), and Tristan Smith (New Braunfels/Canyon) represented TLU on the NCAA Division-III team.

In order to be nominated, each student-athlete must have at least a 3.5 grade point average or higher, and participated in at least 90 percent of the institution's games or start in at least 66 percent of games.

The 2023 Academic All-District® Football teams, selected by College Sports Communicators (CSC), recognize the nation's top student-athletes for their combined performances on the field and in the classroom. The CSC Academic All-America® program separately recognizes football honorees in four divisions — NCAA Division I, NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III, and NAIA.

Hardy earns his second Academic All-District honor after earning All-ASC honors for his performance on the field in 2023. Hardy finished third on the Bulldogs with 35 tackles while adding an interception. Hardy would also earn a spot on the ASC's Outstanding Sportsman Team of the Year.

Kowalski appeared in all ten games along the TLU defensive line recording 24 tackles, four sacks, five tackles for loss and returning a recovered fumble for a touchdown against Wisconsin-Oshkosh. Kowalski had a career-high two sacks against Austin College.

Smith had a breakout season for the Bulldogs in his first season with significant playing time, joining Hardy on the All-ASC Third Team. Smith led the Bulldogs with 53 tackles, ranking 13th in the ASC. 

The All-District honors are the first for Kowalski and Smith. The CSC Academic All-District Teams can be viewed in full here.

For more information on Texas Lutheran football, follow the Bulldogs on X (Twitter) and Instagram (@TLU_Football) and as always you can find updates on all Texas Lutheran athletics on tlubulldogs.com and all official TLU social media channels (@tluathletics on X (Twitter,) @tlu_athletics on Instagram and TikTok and @tlubulldogs on Facebook).