AFCA Release
Waco, Texas - University of Wisconsin-La Crosse senior offensive lineman
Dain Walter of
New Glarus (H.S.) has been named to the 2025 American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III All-America First Team, the organization announced Wednesday.
It is Walter's first career All-America selection.
Named to the 2025 All-Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) First Team, Walter started all 11 games this season at left tackle. It marked his second straight all-conference selection after being voted to the 2024 All-WIAC Second Team. Walter did not allow a sack this season.
He helped UWL average 29.5 points per game in 2025. The Eagles averaged 386.1 yards per game, including 136.5 rushing and 249.6 passing.
Dain Walter was a 2025 All-WIAC First Team choice.
UWL had a season-high 640 yards, including a season-high 370 rushing, in a 41-21 win over UW-Eau Claire on October 11. The 640 total yards and 370 rushing yards were the most since UWL finished with 632 total and 386 rushing yards at UW-Eau Claire on October 15, 2022.
The team had a season-high 437 passing yards this year in a 44-13 victory versus UW-Oshkosh on October 25.
The Eagles are second in the WIAC in fourth-down conversions (60.0%), third in total offense (386.1), passing yards (249.6), first downs (230) and third-down conversions (46.7%) and fourth in scoring (29.5).
Walter is the 22nd player in UWL history to earn AFCA All-America honors, including the 20th to be named to the First Team. He joins
Bryan Buelow (1972),
Joel Williams (1978),
Jim Bryne (1983),
Tom Newberry (1985),
Ted Pretasky (1988),
Terry Strouf (1989),
Jon Lauscher (1991),
Norris Thomas (1992),
Rick Schaaf (1993),
Craig Kusick (1995),
Mike Maslowski (1996),
Ric Mathias (1997),
Brock Ryan (1999),
Jeff Kostrewa (2000),
Steve Teeples (2006),
Derek Dreher (2011),
Christian Hallingstad (2012),
Nick Holcomb (2017) and
Mike Bertoia (2023) in earning AFCA All-America First Team accolades.
The AFCA added an All-America Second Team in 2016. The Eagles'
Ryan Daines was selected to the 2021 AFCA All-America Second Team while
Alex Bongers was voted to the 2022 AFCA All-America Second Team.
The AFCA's Division III All-America Selection Committee is made up of head coaches representing each conference from each of the AFCA's seven districts, one of whom serves as a district chairman, along with another head coach who serves as the chairman of the selection committee. The coaches in each district are responsible for ranking the top players in their respective districts prior to a conference call between the district chairmen and the committee chairman on which the team is chosen. The AFCA has selected an All-America team every year since 1945.
UWL finished 8-3 overall and 5-2 in the WIAC in 2025 under head coach
Matt Janus. The Eagles, making their fifth consecutive national championship berth, advanced to the NCAA Division III Third Round. After receiving a first round bye, UWL earned a 9-7 victory at 15th-ranked Hope College (Mich.) on November 29 before falling, 35-27, at top-ranked North Central College (Ill.) in the third round on December 6.
UWL was ranked 16th on the final AFCA Top 25 Poll of the regular season.
