GRINNELL, Iowa — The Midwest Conference revealed its all-conference teams in men's soccer today with a trio of players from Knox College included among the two teams. Forward Kestervens Dera was chosen for the first team, while goalkeeper Nicolas Lantzendorffer and midfielder Arito Nakamichi were slotted on the second team.

Dera, a sophomore out of Palm Bay, Florida, sparked the late-season surge by the Prairie Fire, recovering from an injury to score nine goals in the final five games — including a pair of hat tricks — and 11 goals with one assist in his 11 appearances on the field. With Dera on the field, Knox posted a 6-2-3 record overall and 4--0-2 in the six games after he returned to the field. While he didn't quality for national statistics due to his injury, only 10 qualifying players across Division III averaged one goal per game as Dera did, none of whom played in the Midwest Conference, and he ranked fourth in the league in goals and sixth in points despite missing nearly 40 percent of the Prairie Fire games.

A native of Guatemala City, Guatemala, Lantzendorffer earned all-conference honors for the second time in his career, having made the first team as a sophomore. The fifth year goalkeeper was the MWC Defensive Performer of the Week three times throughout the season played more minutes in goal than anyone else in the league (1409:18) and ranked second in the league in save percentage (.750) while finishing third in both shutouts (3) and total saves (75). A four-year starter, Lantzendorffer ends his career with 16 shutouts, a 1.48 goals against average and a record of 29-23-10.

Nakamichi, hailing from Kanazawa, Japan, was the heart of the Prairie Fire, working his magic in the middle of the field, directing the flow of the offense and expertly thwarting counterattacks. The junior was second on the squad with four goals (three in the last five games), including the game-winner in a crucial 2-1 triumph over Cornell College that began the season-ending surge. In two seasons at Knox, Nakamichi has nine goals (three game-winners) and one assist to his credit.

The league also announced the sport's major awards with the Offensive Player of the Year going to Tyler Schiltz of Illinois College. Lake Forest received the Defensive Player of the Year in Rafael Bonilla-Climaco, the Newcomer of the Year in Gio Diaz and the Coaching Staff of the Year after leading the team to the conference title and an undefeated record in league play. The Team Sportsmanship Award went to Beloit College.

Lake Forest unsurprisingly had the most all-conference selections with four on the first team and three more on the second team, while Illinois College had a total of four (three on the first team). Both Grinnell and Knox, who tied for third n the standings, each had three with one on the first team and two on the second.

The Prairie Fire ended the season with a record of 7-7-4 overall and 4-2-2 in the Midwest Conference. At the conference tournament last weekend, Knox was eliminated on penalty kicks after a 3-3 draw against second-seeded Illinois College.