RONNIE CRUZ NAMED NSIC OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK

ABERDEEN, SD - Northern State senior running back Ronnie Cruz (Kelseyville, Calif.) was honored as the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Offensive Player of the Week for his performance in NSU’s 41-17 win over Southwest Minnesota State on Saturday.

Cruz, a 6-1, 235-pound, senior, rushed 16 times for 162 yards and two touchdowns in Saturday’s affair. He also caught two passes for 14 yards on the day, as well. Cruz finished his season with 1,476 yards making his two-year total at NSU 2,368 yards.

Following the season, Cruz finished as the tenth-ranked rusher (134.2 ypg) in NCAA II while ranking eighth in scoring (10.4 ppg) and 12th in all-purpose yards (165.4 ypg). Cruz was a large part of an NSU offense that ranked first in the nation in total offense averaging more than 535 yards per game.

Cruz shares this week’s award with Minnesota State Moorhead quarterback Jon Frykman.

Northern State finished its season with a 7-4 overall record and in a tie for fourth in the NSIC with a 5-3 league mark.