MIAC Release | CSB/SJU Feature

BLOOMINGTON, Minn. - Former Saint John's University All-American defensive lineman Zach Frank '25 (Lino Lakes, Minn./Centennial) was nominated for the Division III Commissioners' Association (DIIICA) Male Student-Athlete of the Year by the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) on Wednesday, Aug. 12.

Bethel track and field student-athlete Ellie Hernes was the conference's female honoree. 

Frank was a three-time All-American, three-time All-Region selection and three-time All-MIAC honoree. He was voted the 2025 MIAC Mike Stam Award recipient as the top lineman in the conference last season after he led the Johnnies in tackles for loss (17.0), sacks (13.0), and quarterback hurries (7) in 12 games. Frank ended his SJU career ranked fifth in program history in sacks (28.5) and ninth in tackles for loss (40.0).

His work in the classroom led to five Dean's List appearances, three Academic All-MIAC and College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District nods, two CSC Academic All-America selections, and induction into both Chi Alpha Sigma and the National Football Foundation (NFF) Hampshire Honor Society. 

In the community, Frank helped Saint John's raise nearly $250,000 for St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital during his playing career. He also volunteered annually with the Kids Fighting Hunger food drive and donated his time while studying abroad in London to participate in a service internship with Boxing Futures, where he helped facilitate an outreach program for at-risk youth. Those experiences guided Frank to co-found the Johnnies and Bennies in Community (JBIC) campus organization in 2025.

"We started the club because a few of my teammates and I felt that we could do more in the community," Frank said. "We connected with the principal of a local elementary school and set up a program where we visited the elementary school weekly and spent time with children who needed mentoring and/or just a positive influence in their lives."

Frank and Hernes were among six extremely deserving student-athletes nominated for the DIIICA Awards. Other institutional nominees included Bethel's Grant Nelson (men's track and field), Macalester's Nick Kent (men's soccer), St. Catherine's Helen McKinnon (softball), Saint Benedict's Ellie Peterson (softball) and St. Olaf's Isabel Wyatt (women's track & field).

This is the fourth year of the DIIICA awards, which recognize graduating student-athletes who have distinguished themselves throughout their collegiate careers in the areas of academic achievement, athletic excellence, service, and leadership. Voting is conducted by the commissioners within each of the 10 regions, with the top men's sport and women's sport honorees recognized as finalists for the Awards Committee to select the Division III Commissioner's Association Men's Sport and Women's Sport Student-Athlete of the Year. Regional and national honorees for both the DIIICA awards will be announced later this month.