Photo courtesy of BHSUathletics.com
SPEARFISH, S.D. – Announced on Wednesday afternoon, Black Hills State University sophomore kicker, Madden Aquino, has been named to the Fred Mitchell Award Midseason Watch List. The midseason watch list recognized 41 individuals from the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), Division II, Division III, NAIA, and junior college football programs for their performances through the first half of the season.
Through six games, Aquino has gone 7-of-8 on field goal attempts in his first season as a Yellow Jacket, which includes a 6-of-7 mark from 30-yards or further. His season-long mark is a 47-yard field goal against Sioux Falls in the season opener. In two games he has split the uprights multiple times, which included a 3-of-3 performance against Dakota State and a 2-of-2 performance against Colorado School of Mines. In NCAA Division II his field goal percentage of 0.875 currently ranks eighth, and his 1.40 average of field goals per game ranks 12th. Additionally, he is 16-of-18 on extra point attempts, and has kicked off the ball 30 times, averaging 62.0 yards per kickoff with 13 touchbacks.
“We are just about halfway through the regular season, and numerous kickers already have distinguished themselves on the field,” said Fred Mitchell. “Our Selection Committee will be sorting through the comprehensive list of outstanding kickers who have also stepped up in the community.”
While the Midseason Watch List recognizes excellence on the football field, community service remains an essential component of the Fred Mitchell Award. At the conclusion of the regular season, the Selection Committee will evaluate each kicker’s community and civic service participation alongside their on-field accomplishments.
The award recognizes not only field goal accuracy, distance, and performances in critical moments, but also the positive impact student-athletes make beyond the football field.
The recipient of the 2026 Fred Mitchell Award will be announced in December based on accomplishments on the football field and contributions to the community.
2026 Midseason Watch List Breakdown
The breakdown of the 41 placekickers is as follows: Collegiate Division — 18 FCS, 10 Division II, 7 Division III, 5 NAIA, and 1 NJCAA.
In alphabetical order, the Fred Mitchell Award Midseason Watch List nominees for the 2026 season are listed below.
Matias Adrogue – Washington-St. Louis – D-III
Pedro Altamirano – Hardin-Simmons – D-III
Madden Aquino – Black Hills State – D-II
Miguel Arana III – Texas Southern – FCS
Rayyan Bataineh – Seton Hill – D-II
Iden Bone – Whitworth – D-III
Carter Brown – Tennessee Tech – FCS
Nathan Chapman – Furman – FCS
Ronan Culkin – Western Illinois – FCS
Riley Daniels – North Carolina Central – FCS
Nico Duarte – Utica – D-III
Brysen Gardner – UT Rio Grande Valley – FCS
Jay Giunta – St. Thomas (FL) – NAIA
Luke Hardman – MidAmerica Nazarene – NAIA
Drew Henson – Minnesota Duluth – D-II
Cash Hernandez – Trinity Valley CC – NJCAA
Andrew Ivaniciuc – Jackson State – FCS
Jett Jackson – South Carolina State – FCS
Ewan Johnson – ETSU – FCS
Casey Kautzman – Montana Tech – NAIA
Jude Kelley – Chattanooga – FCS
Mason Lindberg – Idaho State – FCS
Bryan McCollum – Western Carolina – FCS
Ryan McDonnell – Henderson State – D-II
Joel McGrath – Southeastern (FL) – NAIA
Soren McKee – Eastern Washington – FCS
Sean Medcalfe – Luther College – D-III
Nathan Napier – WPI – D-III
Jake Pecina – Augustana (SD) – D-II
Ty Quintois – East Stroudsburg – D-II
Jayden Rogers – Southern Utah – FCS
Sean Ryniec – North Central (IL) – D-III
Myles Sansted – Montana State – FCS
Alessandro Santana Jr. – Erskine – D-II
Austin Schmitt – Pittsburg State – D-II
Lucas Schmitten – Fort Lewis – D-II
Lukasz Smolen – Houston Christian – FCS
Bradley Thao – Central Oklahoma – D-II
Christian Torres – Concord – D-II
Samuel Tremblay – Maine – FCS
Simon Zeidan – Mercer – FCS
