DEKALB, Ill. – Northern Illinois University record-setting punter Matt Ference has been named a candidate for the 2021 Senior CLASS Award for football. Ference is one of 30 candidates for the award, which honors seniors who have excelled in the areas of community, classroom, character and competition.
 
One of two players from the Mid-American Conference, including offensive lineman Bryce Harris of Toledo, Ference has demonstrated all the characteristics the Senior CLASS Award embodies.
 
A member of the team's Leadership Council the last three years, Ference is a two-time Academic All-MAC selection. After earning his undergraduate degree in marketing in May of 2020, he earned his MBA in May of 2021 and is currently pursuing a second Masters in finance.
 
Ference is a four-year starter and holds nearly every Huskie punting mark, including career average (41.8), most punts in a season (86) and a career (288) and most punting yards in a season (3,473) and career (12,024). He also owns the top three single season punting averages at NIU. All-time, nearly a third of his punts (89-of-288, 31%) have pinned opponents inside their 20.
 
This season, he ranks second in punting with a 44.8-yard per punt average. He has 23 punts in 2021, including a long of 65 yards against Maine. Ference earned MAC West Special Teams Player of the Week honors following his performance in NIU's 22-21 season opening win at Georgia Tech. Four of his seven punts landed inside the 20-yard line. Tallied a game-high 52-yard punt, one of four punts over 50 yards against the Yellowjackets.
 
In addition to his accomplishments and leadership with the football program and his success in the classroom, Ference is active in the DeKalb-Sycamore communities. He has accumulated 56.5 hours of community service since June of 2017.
 
A native of St. Louis, Mo., Ference is the Huskies' first Senior CLASS candidate since Jordan Lynch in 2013 and the sixth since 2008. Defensive ends Larry English (2008) and Jake Coffman (2010), quarterback Chandler Harnish (2011) and tight end Jason Schepler (2012) were previousl selected as candidates for the award. 
 
An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School®, the Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities.
 
The 30 candidates will be narrowed to 10 finalists later in the season, and those 10 names will be placed on the official ballot. Ballots will be distributed through a nationwide voting system to media, coaches and fans, who will select one candidate who best exemplifies excellence in the four Cs of community, classroom, character and competition.
 
The Senior CLASS Award winner will be announced during football bowl season in December. For more information and a listing of all the candidates, click here or go to seniorCLASSaward.com.
 
NIU (3-2, 1-0) returns to the field Saturday when NIU travels to Toledo to face the Rockets. Kickoff is set for 11 a.m. and will be shown on CBSSports Network.
 
There is still time to get your tickets for the next home game, Oct. 16 versus Bowling Green where NIU's 2011 MAC Championship team will be honored. Single game tickets start at $28. Three-game mini-plans are also available with Mission's 3-Game Mini-Plan priced at $79 (including processing).
 
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