2023 D3FOOTBALL.COM ALL-REGION 4 TEAM

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. -- The Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology football team recorded six all-Region selections from D3football.com, published on Wednesday morning by the national website.

Offensive guard Justin Pierson, kick returner Jailen Hobbs, and punter Andrew Toler led the Fightin' Engineers with first-team all-Region honors.

Hobbs also earned second-team all-Region honors as a wide receiver.

Running back Grant Ripperda and kicker Kyle Rehberg rounded out the all-Region honorees as the third-team members.

Rose-Hulman's six honorees rank third among all schools on the D3football.com all-Region 4 Team.  Alma and Mount Union led the way with 12 and 11 selections, followed by Rose-Hulman with six.

Pierson is a three-time 1st-team all-Region honoree after earning the honor in both 2021 and 2022 as well. He was a key member of an offensive line that helped Rose-Hulman average over 42 points per game and over 50 points per game in conference play. The Fightin' Engineers also scored 44 points or more in six consecutive games including a 78-point performance in the win over Defiance. The offensive line lead the team to win for 192 yards per game and throw for 250 yards per game, and they allowed just seven sacks all season.

Hobbs is a two-time 1st-team all-Region honoree as a return specialist, and he earned HCAC Special Teams Player of the Year honors for the third consecutive season after recording 290 punt return yards for an average of 22.3 yards per return, and he added 305 kick return yards for 21.8 yards per return. He also returned two punts for a touchdown from 84 and 79 yards which rank as the 6th and 9th longest returns in the NCAA Division III this season.

As a receiver, Hobbs also earned 2nd-team honors as he finished with 982 yards and 12 touchdowns, leading the team in both categories. He finished the season ranked 17th in NCAA DIII in receiving yards and 24th in receiving touchdowns.

Toler recorded his first all-Region selection as he finished the season ranked 3rd in all of Division III with an average of 44.4 yards per punt this season. He also finishes his career ranked 2nd in school history in career yards per punt at 39.71.

Rehberg also earned his first all-Region selection finished the year 9-10 on field goals and made 46 of his 52 extra point attempts on the season. His 17 career field goals made puts him 7th in school history, and his 91 extra points is tied for 3rd in history. This season, he finished 26th in NCAA DIII in field goals made and just outside of the top 10 in points for kickers with 73.

Ripperda became just the 14th player in school history and the second since 2011 to run for over 1,000 yards in a season with 1,136. He finishes the season ranked 6th in school history in single-season rushing yards. He also finished his career ranked 11th in career rushing yards and 7th in career rushing touchdowns with 27. He is 38th among active players with 2,338 rushing yards and 27 touchdowns.

Rose-Hulman recorded its fifth consecutive top-two finish in the HCAC with a 6-1 conference record.  The Fightin' Engineers also had a 13th consecutive season at .500 or above under the leadership of head coach Jeff Sokol, who has a career record of 84-43 (75-22 HCAC).  The 2024 season begins with a road game at DePauw University on Saturday, September 7.