ROCKFORD, Ill. -- The Rockford University football team had six players honored by the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference on Thursday. Linebacker Joey Alvarez and defensive lineman Ethan Rager were both First-Team All-NACC selections. Wide receiver Timothy Bearden earned Second-Team All-NACC honors, while Napoleon Williams, Joshua Harris, and Caden Record were named Honorable Mention.  In addition to Alvarez and Rager's First Team All-NACC selections, they both had other NACC honors. Alvarez was honored as the NACC Defensive Skill Player of the Year, while Rager was honored as the NACC Freshman of the Year. 

Junior Linebacker Joey Alvarez was selected First Team All-NACC for the second year in a row. In his freshman year, Alvarez was selected as both the NACC Freshman of the Year and Second Team All-NACC. Alvarez led the NACC in assisted tackles (83) and total tackles (140), and was top five in two other categories. In the final game of the season, Alvarez also broke his own record for single-game tackles with 21 against Wisconsin Lutheran. In addition to that, Alvarez became the all-time program leader in career tackles with 361, and at the NCAA Division III level, was second in the country in total tackles this season (140), and fifth in fumble recoveries (3). 

Freshman defensive lineman Ethan Rager was named First Team All-NACC, while also tabbed as the NACC Freshman of the Year. Rager had an outstanding freshman season and was named NACC Freshman of the Year, the first Regent since 2023 to win this honor, since Joey Alvarez in 2023. Rager was fourth in the NACC in fumbles forced (2) and fourth in sacks (7.5). 

Senior Timothy Bearden was selected Second Team All-NACC. Bearden led the NACC in receptions (82) and was fourth in total receiving yards (705). On the year, he posted four games of receiving over 100 yards, and three games with over 10 receptions. Bearden will end his career fourth all-time in program history in receptions (134). 

Senior Linebacker Napoleon Williams made the Honorable Mention team. In the NACC, Williams was third in solo tackles (49), seventh in total tackles (71), fourth in sacks (3.5), and ninth in tackles for loss (10). 

Freshman Joshua Harris had a solid first season to receive an Honorable Mention with 28 total tackles and 2.5 TFLs. 

Rounding out the conference honors for the Regents was Caden Record on the offensive line, who also earned an Honorable Mention.