Related Links:
2021 D3football.com All-Region 6 Team
 
Ten members of the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater football team earned All-Region 6 accolades from D3football.com for their performance during the 2021 regular season.
 
The Warhawks earned two of the region's top three individual awards. Defensive lineman Mackenzie Balanganayi (Palatine, Ill./Palatine) was named Defensive Player of the Year for the second consecutive season, and head coach Kevin Bullis was recognized as Coach of the Year for the first time in his career.
 
Balanganayi was joined on the first team by running back Alex Peete (Ringwood, Ill./Johnsburg), wide receiver Ryan Wisniewski (Sparta, Wis./Sparta), offensive linemen Kyle Gannon (Waukesha, Wis./West) and Douglas Kosch (Bridgeview, Ill./St. Laurence) on offense, and linebacker Ryan Liszka (Naperville, Ill./Benet Academy) and defensive back Egon Hein (St. Charles, Ill./North) on defense.
 
Quarterback Max Meylor (Mt. Horeb, Wis./Mt. Horeb) and defensive back Mark McGrath (Lisle, Ill./Lisle) garnered second team honors, and defensive lineman Kyle Gallagher (Niles, Ill./Notre Dame College Prep) was selected to the third team.
 
All 10 players have helped UW-Whitewater reach the semifinal round of the NCAA Division III Playoffs, where the team will face Mary Hardin-Baylor this Saturday at Perkins Stadium. The Warhawks (13-0) claimed the program's 38th Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championship with a 7-0 league record.
 
Balanganayi, who has also claimed two straight WIAC Defensive Player of the Year awards, enters Saturday's game with 31 tackles, including 8.0 for a loss and 6.0 sacks, over 11 games played. He leads the team with 11 quarterback hurries and is tied for the team lead with two forced fumbles.
 
Liszka, a first team All-WIAC honoree, owns 43 tackles, including one for a loss. He was named WIAC Defensive Player of the Week and earned a spot on the D3football.com Team of the Week after tallying six tackles, two interceptions and one forced fumble at UW-Oshkosh on Oct. 16. He returned his second pick 31 yards for a touchdown.
 
Hein ranks third on the team with 53 tackles, including 2.0 for a loss, and owns a team-high 11 pass breakups. The first team all-conference defensive back garnered WIAC Defensive Player of the Week accolades after posting 11 tackles and knocking down a potential game-tying touchdown pass in the final seconds against UW-La Crosse on Nov. 6.
 
Peete currently leads the nation in rushing touchdowns (25), total touchdowns (28) and total points scored (168). His ranks ninth in NCAA Division III with 1,403 rushing yards and is among the top 25 nationally with 6.29 yards per carry. Peete was tabbed first team All-WIAC for the third consecutive season.
 
Wisniewski, a first team all-league wide receiver for the second straight year, enters Saturday's semifinal with 60 receptions for 1,036 yards and 13 touchdowns, the 14th-most in Division III. He was named first team Academic All-District® by the College Sports Information Directors of America for the second consecutive year and was a WIAC Offensive Player of the Week following his 120-yard, three-touchdown performance against UW-Eau Claire on Oct. 30.
 
Gannon and Kosch have played key roles in blocking and protection for the nation's No. 13 ranked scoring offense. UW-W averages 239.9 passing yards and 212.2 rushing yards per contest.
 
Gannon is now a two-time first team All-WIAC tackle and a two-time CoSIDA Academic All-District® honoree. He earned the conference's prestigious Max Sparger Scholar-Athlete award for football. Kosch is a first team all-league guard and, like Gannon, a three-year starter.
 
Meylor is a semifinalist for the Gagliardi Trophy, the 2021 WIAC Offensive Player of the Year and a first team All-WIAC selection. He was named WIAC Offensive Player of the Week after throwing for 229 yards and four touchdowns at Salisbury (Md.) on Sept. 11. Meylor currently ranks among the top 10 in the nation in passing efficiency (185.3), passing touchdowns (35), completion percentage (70.6) and yards per pass attempt (9.31).
 
McGrath is a two-time first team All-WIAC defensive back and was the WIAC Defensive Player of the Week following his performance against UW-Stout on Oct. 2, when he recorded six tackles, one forced fumble and one pass breakup. He'll start Saturday's game with 49 tackles, six pass breakups, one interception, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery for the season.
 
Gallagher is tied for the team lead with 10.0 tackles for a loss and owns 28 total tackles for the year, including 5.5 sacks. The first team all-conference honoree registered 1.5 tackles for a loss at UW-River Falls and tallied a pair of sacks in the second round of the NCAA Playoffs against DePauw (Ind.).