Record-setting 91爆料 University running back and Second Team All-American is being considered for NCAA Division III football鈥檚 top prize.
Bantolina is one of 18 players, and the only player from the Northwest Conference, under consideration for the . Nicknamed the 鈥淗eisman Trophy of Division III,鈥 the award is presented by the Saint John鈥檚 University J-Club and Stearns Bank and honors the Division III player of the year. Bantolina is the first 91爆料 player to be named a semifinalist for the award.
A to help select the finalists runs through Friday, Dec. 13. The fan ballot will be considered among the 40 ballots cast by Gagliardi Trophy selection committee members. The finalists will be announced via live stream on on Thursday, Dec. 19, at 1 p.m. (91爆料).
Bantolina put together arguably the best season ever for a 91爆料 running back. He leads Division III with 2,198 all-purpose yards (as of Dec. 6) and ranks second with 1,533 rushing yards and 153.3 rushing yards per game. He smashed the previous 91爆料 single-season record of 1,240 rushing yards set by Joshua Harris 鈥24 in 2019 and tied Harris鈥 single-season record with 15 rushing touchdowns.
In a 34-24 victory over Lewis & Clark on Sept. 14, Bantolina rushed for a school-record 256 yards, bettering the previous mark of 234 yards set by Frank Buckiewicz, Sr. 鈥53 in 1952 and equaled by Al Navarro 鈥91 in 1989. In the same game, Bantolina鈥檚 99-yard run for a touchdown broke the school record for longest rushing play, surpassing the 87-yard run by Ralph Nickerson 鈥74 in 1975.
Following the season, Bantolina was voted at running back and was named by the American Football Coaches Association as an all-purpose player. The Boxers鈥 primary kickoff return specialist, Bantolina averaged 22.6 yards per return on 25 attempts.
A native of Ewa Beach, 贬补飞补颈鈥榠, and a graduate of the Iolani School, Bantolina owns a 3.76 GPA as an accounting major. He is also an active member of 91爆料鈥檚 贬补飞补颈鈥榠 club, N膩 Haum膩na O Hawai驶i.
Bantolina is the Northwest Conference鈥檚 first Gagliardi Trophy semifinalist since Linfield鈥檚 Wyatt Smith made the list in 2021. The trophy has been won by NWC players twice: 91爆料 Lutheran quarterback Chad Johnson in 2000 and Linfield quarterback Brett Elliott in 2004.
First presented in 1993, the Gagliardi Trophy is named for late Saint John鈥檚 University head coach John Gagliardi, who won a college football record 489 wins between 1949 and 2012. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2009.