FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

            BOURBONNAIS, IL – Lindenwood University-Belleville and Missouri Baptist University were unanimous choices Tuesday to become members of the Mid-States Football Association during the annual MSFA meeting held on the campus of Olivet Nazarene University.

            The two schools will begin play as members of the MFSA's Midwest League in 2015-16. Lindenwood-Belleville, a small liberal arts school located in Belleville, IL, and Missouri Baptist, a Christ-centered institution in St. Louis, MO, become the 28^th and 29^th institutions to have held membership in the 20-year Association.

NEW YORK – Saint Xavier University senior center Matt Munizzi (Chicago, Ill./St. Rita) was the 2012 recipient of the prestigious NAIA Rimington Award when the honor was announced by the Rimington Trophy committee Thursday afternoon.  The award recognizes the most outstanding centers at the NCAA's Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), Division II and Division III levels as well as the NAIA.  This year's Rimington Trophy, awarded to the best center at the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) level, went to University of Alabama's Barrett Jones.  The Rimington Trophy and Awards are overseen by the Boomer Esiason Foundation, which is committed to finding a cure for cystic fibrosis (CF) and has raised over $100 million for CF research.  Munizzi is the first player from SXU to earn the national award and just the second player from the Mid-States Football Association (MSFA) to claim the honor since the NAIA version began in 2003.