National Football Foundation

Arguably one of the finest student-athletes in school history, Augustana's Blaine Westemeyer is one of Division III's most competitive players on the gridiron while successful maintaining a near-perfect 3.93 GPA in the classroom.

A 2008 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America selection, Westemeyer is a three-time Academic All-CCIW pick and a two-time winner of the conference's Jack Swartz Award for academic and athletic achievement. He was awarded the Augustana Summer Research Fellowship in 2008 and received a grant from the University of Utah earlier this year to perform cellular protein research. A member of both national biology and chemistry honor societies, Westemeyer hails from Overland Park, Kan. 

A three-year starter on the Vikings' offensive line, Westemeyer has been instrumental in helping Augustana lead the CCIW in rushing each of the last three seasons. In 2008, he helped the Vikings average 29.1 points and 370.3 yards of total offense per game en route to being selected as an AFCA NCAA Division III All-American. This season, Augustana has nearly doubled its opponents rushing yards (1,246-628) and has outscored opponents 160-95. 

Serving as vice president of the Student Athlete Advisory Committee, the team captain is a member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and is an active participant in the Athletes-Giving-Back community outreach program. He serves as a hospice volunteer and as a proctor in chemistry and organic chemistry. 

Westemeyer is the fourth Augustana player to be named an NFF National Scholar-Athlete. He won the 2009 Gagliardi Trophy, which is given annually to the most outstanding player at the NCAA Division III level. Westemeyer was the first offensive lineman to win the award. 

Westemeyer graduated from the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine in 2015 and completed his medical residency at Broadlawns Medical Center in Des Moines, Iowa, in 2018. He is currently an emergency room doctor for Unity Point Health Systems in Marshalltown, Iowa.