VCSU Football announces Impact Scholarship Recipients
VALLEY CITY (VCSU) – The Valley City State University football program has announced the recipients of its Impact Scholarships for the 2022 season.
The Impact Scholarship Program provides a tuition scholarship each year to six of the most productive on-field players who are also great teammates and model representatives of Viking Pride. Deserving players are nominated by the VCSU coaches and then ultimately chosen by the donors who have helped create the Impact Scholarships.
Selected recipients for this year's scholarships are Sammy Trejo, Dustin Kasowski, Jahidi West, Riley Gerhardt and Troy Dietz. The sixth and final impact scholarship will go the player who earns the starting quarterback role in fall camp.
"The Impact Scholarship is a huge incentive to our current players for the sacrifices they make to be a part of Viking Football and become a significant contributor to our program," said VCSU head coach Dennis McCulloch "This is a great recruiting piece for prospective student-athletes and parents to hear that they can earn full tuition at VCSU."
Sammy Trejo has been an anchor at left tackle the last two seasons.
Sammy earned his second straight 1st All-Conference award in 2021 and has been a consistent player that has insured the offense’s ability to move the Football. Sammy’s passion for the game is a big reason in the team’s record-breaking performances in the last two years.
Dustin Kasowski received his third straight All-Conference Honor this previous season as he has been a consistent producer on the Viking defense. In 2021, Dustin recorded 59 tackles, which included a sack and 2.5 TFLs. Dustin also added two turnovers with an interception and a fumble recovery.
Jahidi West had what some would call a breakout season as a sophomore. Jahidi led the nation with 8 interceptions, which included a school record 3 interceptions in the first half against Dickinson State. Jahidi also recorded 45 tackles and 4.5 TFLs. Jahidi was honored as a NSAA 1st Team AllConference Player for the first time in his career in 2021.
Riley Gerhardt was another member of the Viking defense that had a breakout season in 2021. Riley led the team in total tackles with 81 tackles, and had a team high 10 sacks and 18 TFLs. Riley also tied a school record with 3 sacks against Mayville State. Riley was named the NSAA Defensive Player of the Week in back-toback weeks (Sep 27th and Oct 4th.). To cap it off, Riley was named 1st Team All-Conference and also achieved an NAIA All-American Honorable Mention Award.
Troy Dietz accomplished his second straight 1st Team All-Conference Award this season as the starting right tackle. Troy has been a leader amongst the offensive linemen and has been an absolute mauler up front. His efforts are a key reason the offense has had two different All-Conference running backs in two years.
The Impact Scholarship Program was made possible by the support of Larry Robinson & Cory Anderson in
the foundation office and a dedicated group of donors. Together, the donors have agreed to help fund six scholarships that cover the full cost of North Dakota tuition at VCSU.