Senior place-kicker Braden Wieking has been named one of 10 finalists for the 2012 Fred Mitchell Award. The award goes to a kicker in the Football Championship Subdivision, Division II, Division III, NAIA or NJCAA that excels on the football field and in the community.

The place-kicker chosen for the 2012 Fred Mitchell Award will be announced on December 11, and he will be honored February 18, 2013 at the National Football Foundation Chicago Chapter Awards Ceremony. Details about the Award and the Blue-Ribbon Selection Committee are provided at www.fredmitchellaward.com.

Wieking is one of five NCAA D-II kickers named as a finalist, one of six seniors and one of two NSIC kickers on the list. He was included on the preseason watch list prior to an outstanding senior year for the 9-2 Cougar football team.

There were 38 place-kickers nominated for this Award. The breakdown of the 10 finalists is as follows:

                  Collegiate Division – 2 FCS, 5 Division II, 3 Division III, 0 NAIA, 0 NJCAA

                  State – the place-kickers play at schools located in 9 different states

                  Year – 6 Seniors, 4 Juniors, 0 Sophomore, 0 Freshmen

                  Included on the Preseason Watch List for the 2012 Fred Mitchell Award - 5

Wieking was named second-team All-NSIC and was also tabbed for honorable mention team as a punter. A four-year kicker and punter twice earned NSIC Special Teams Player of the Week honors this season and posted the league's best overall field goal percentage, at .842 (16-for-19). His .947 PAT conversion rate (36-for-38) was the sixth-best mark in the NSIC.

Wieking drilled a 54-yard field goal to break the school record previously held by TC Fraser in a victory against Southwest Minnesota State. He leaves USF as the school's career field goals leader (52) and finished with 393 career points to rank second on the all-time scoring list behind David Ruter (518). Wieking was ranked eighth in the NSIC in punting, with 57 punts for 2,129 yards (37.4 per punt). He tallied a career-long 54-yard punt against the Concordia-St. Paul Golden Bears.

Off the field, Wieking has been very active serving the USF campus and the Sioux Falls community. He was the team's nomination for Allstate Good Hands Team and is active with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, serving as a Group Huddle leader on campus. He also volunteers with Habitat for Humanity and Vacation Bible Study.