COLLEGEVILLE, Minn. – Mount Union senior quarterback senior Braxton Plunk (Plant City, Fla./Plant City) is one of 15 semifinalists for the 2022 Gagliardi Trophy given to the nation's top all-around football player in NCAA Division III.
 
Plunk currently leads the Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) and is among the top 5 nationally in every major quarterback statistical category, including second in passing touchdowns (41), passing yards (3,440), and points responsible for (270). Plunk leads one of the top offensive teams in the country (third in scoring offense).
 
2022 Individual National Rankings:
-No. 2 in passing touchdowns (41)
-No. 2 in passing yards (3,440)
-No. 2 in points responsible for (270)
-No. 3 in completion percentage (73.6)
-No. 3 in passing yards per game (312.7)
-No. 5 in passing efficiency (187.4)
 
Currently, Plunk ranks fifth all-time in both career passing touchdowns (116) and career passing yards (10,482) in the rich program history.
 
A semifinalist for the Gagliardi Trophy as a junior, Braxton was voted the OAC Bob Packard Offensive Back of the Year and All-OAC First Team both in three-straight years.
  
Off the field, Plunk has a 3.4 cumulative grade point average as a marketing major with a minor in entrepreneur. Braxton is a member of Fellowship of Christian Athletes and the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. He has volunteered for multiple organizations and functions, including Walk a Mile in Her Shoes, a domestic violence awareness event, Be the Match, to encourage students and staff to sign up for the Be the Match Registry, Read with a Raider, reading to a local elementary school, and volunteered at a local library.
 
The Raiders have seven Gagliardi Trophy winners since the award was first given in 1993. Quarterback and College Football Hall of Famer Jim Ballard won the inaugural trophy in 1993. Quarterback Bill Borchert claimed the honor in 1997 while running backs Chuck Moore and Dan Pugh won the award in 2001 and 2002 respectively. Quarterback Greg Micheli took home the trophy in 2008 while quarterback Kevin Burke, the only two-time winner of the award, got it in 2013 and 2014.
 
The 40-member Gagliardi Trophy national selection committee reviews the credentials, ranks the candidates 1-15 and casts their votes. Fan balloting, which is available on D3football.com, accounts for the 41st ballot, and is being conducted on D3football.com for the 12th consecutive season. Fans will be permitted to cast one ballot per device, through 1 p.m. ET on Dec. 3.
 
The Gagliardi Trophy, given annually since 1993, recognizes excellence in athletics, academics and community service. The award is named after the late 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. In its message to the voting panel, the Gagliardi Trophy administration reminds voters: "The Gagliardi Trophy is a football award but incorporates the philosophy of the well-rounded student-athlete."
 
Nominations were submitted by colleges across the country, and the semifinalists were selected by the J-Club Board of Directors. The Gagliardi Trophy national selection committee is comprised of 18 Division III coaches (three from each NCAA Region), six Division III administrators (one from each region), twelve regional notable voters (two from each region), and eight national voters with Division III backgrounds.
 
The Gagliardi Trophy finalists will be announced during a live show on Wednesday, Dec. 7, on D3football.com. Hosts Pat Coleman and Frank Rossi will profile the finalists during the program. The 2022 Gagliardi Trophy winner will be revealed on D3football.com during the week of the NCAA Division III football national championship on Friday, Dec. 16 at 6 p.m. CT. In the lead up to the announcement of the 2022 Gagliardi Trophy winner, D3football.com and the J-Club Twitter account (@JClubSJU) will provide updates on specific dates and times of the announcement.