NAIA Release

(Kansas City, MO) The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) and American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) announced the 2021 Spring AFCA NAIA Coaches' All-America Teams on Wednesday afternoon and senior captains Alex Hinojosa and Ryan Fish were named to the All-America First Team and Honorable Mention Team respectively.

Hinojosa has had a highly decorated career as a defensive end with the Cardinals, breaking out in his junior season when he earned MSFA Defensive Player of the Week twice and then All-MSFA First-Team honors. Following his senior campaign, the Allen Park native was named MSFA Co-Defensive Player of the Year along with First Team honors and another Player of the Week.

Also hailing from Allen Park, Fish was no stranger to the accolades himself. After the safety's sophomore season, he was named All-MSFA Honorable Mention as well as NCCAA First Team All-America. Fish repeated as a NCCAA First Team All-American the next year and has been named a MSFA and NCCAA Player of the Week throughout his career. This season Fish played his way on to the All-MSFA First Team.

Hinojosa and Fish led the Cardinal defense which would be 16^th in the NAIA in sacks per game (3.0), 15^th in rushing defense (101.3 yards per game), 17^th in scoring defense (18.4 points allowed per game), and 22^nd in total defense (298.0 yards per game).

Individually, Hinojosa accumulated 34 tackles (10 solo, 24 assisted), 8.0 tackles for loss, 3.0 sacks, and an interception on the season. As far as his career numbers, Hinojosa now ranks 3^rd in program history in sacks (16.5) and 4^th in tackles for loss (33.0).

Fish earned a reputation as a ballhawk, as he led the team in interceptions for the past three seasons and was 14^th in the NAIA in passes defensed his senior year (1.3 per game). That being said, Fish was also a prolific tackler, tallying 46 total tackles and 6.0 tackles for loss this past season. Career wise, Fish is 2^nd all time in Concordia history in interceptions (12) and 5^th in solo tackles (96).

Hinojosa and Fish now join Donovan Corlew (2018 and 2019, Honorable Mention), Joe Conner (2018, 1st Team), and Takari Johnson (2014, 1st Team) as the only other Cardinals to be named to the NAIA All-America teams.