UTICA, NY - Tyler Szalkowski (Rochester, NY/Aquinas Institute), the Empire 8 Offensive Player of the Year, First Team All-Empire 8 talent, and multi-single season passing record holder, has been named among Division III's most elite players, becoming only the second Utica Pioneer to ever be named as a Gagliardi Trophy Semifinalist - the award for the best player in all of Division III Football.

The superstar signal-caller was named alongside 14 other Division III all-stars, of which a select group will advance to be finalists for the illustrious honor. In addition, any and all Pioneer fans can help get Szalkowski into that group of Gagliardi finalists by voting for the orange and blue QB in the Gagliardi Trophy Fan Vote. That link can be found here: https://d3football.com/notables/2025/12/gagliardi-voting

Pioneer fans from all over can head to the above link and help make Szalkowski the first Gagliardi Finalist in program history. Fan voting runs through December 15th.

The Gagliardi Trophy, presented by Stearns Bank and given annually since 1993 is awarded to the most outstanding NCAA Division III football player and recognizes excellence in athletics, academics, and community service. The award is named after John Gagliardi, Saint John's legendary Hall of Fame head football coach who passed away at the age of 91 in 2018. John retired in 2012 with 489 career victories, the most in college football history.

After screening the schools' nominations, the SJU J-Club Board of Directors narrowed the field to the 15 semifinalists. The J-Club does not vote beyond that stage.

The 42-member Gagliardi Trophy national selection committee reviews the credentials, ranks the candidates 1-3 and casts their votes. Fan balloting, which is available on D3football.com, accounts for the 43rd ballot, and is being conducted on D3football.com for the 13th consecutive season. Fans will be permitted to cast one ballot per device.

Nate Palmer is the only other Pioneer to ever be recognized as a semifinalist for the award, achieving that nomination following the 2022 campaign. 

Szalkowski, the Pioneers' senior leader, amassed an array of accolades this season, including the aforementioned conference honors along with three Empire 8 Player of the Week awards, a selection to the D3football.com Team of the Week, and a D3football.com Game Ball. His slew of broken single-season program records included completions (285), passing yards (3,638), passing touchdowns (33), completion percentage (67.7%), passing efficiency (162.8), and passing yards per game (330.7). Szalkowski was also immediately recognized internally for his leadership and integrity, being named a team captain preceding his debut season with the team, further building his resume as a worthy candidate for the Gagliardi Trophy. 

The Pioneers, thanks to an elite passing game on both sides of the ball, managed to secure an 8-2 regular season record, advancing to host the program's first home postseason matchup in this year's Asa S. Bushnell Bowl. 

Szalkowski is now one stage away from becoming the first Pioneer to ever be named a Gagliardi Trophy Finalist. Make sure to participate in the fan vote by following the link above, and keep an eye on our social media channels for additional information about postseason football awards!

Click here to cast your vote: https://d3football.com/notables/2025/12/gagliardi-voting

Click here for the full D3football.com release: https://d3football.com/notables/2025/12/gagliardi-semifinalists-announced

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