WACO, TEX. — WPI punter Josh Castro (Pittsburgh, Pa.), Springfield College defensive lineman Tyler Sordillo (Hull, Mass.), and MIT defensive back Dominic Hess (Damascus, Md.) were each honored as the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Division III Coaches’ All-America Teams were announced on Wednesday by the organization. Castro was a first-team special-teams selection, while Sordillo and Hess were each named to the second-team defensive team.
 
Castro totaled 2,675 yards on the year and averaged an impressive 44.6 yards per punt, highlighted by a school-record and career-long 94-yard punt. The graduate student delivered 20 punts of 50+ yards, dropped 22 attempts inside the 20-yard line, and forced seven touchbacks and seven fair catches across nine games.
 
Sordillo registered 11.5 sacks, 14.0 tackles for a loss, and 56 total tackles, while as a team Springfield ranked among the best in Division III, allowing just 13.3 points, 216.3 total yards, and 71.3 rushing yards per game. Earlier this season, Sordillo was recognized as the NEWMAC Defensive Player of the Year, earning first-team All-Conference honors, and was also named to the New England Football Writers (NEFW) All-New England Division II/III team.

Hess helped the Engineers finish with a 6-3 overall record and a 4-3 mark in NEWMAC play in 2025, earning his first NEFW All-New England College Division Team and NEWMAC All-Conference First Team selections. The junior tied for the NEWMAC lead with five interceptions, while also recording 45 total tackles, 25 solo tackles, a forced fumble, and two fumble recoveries.  

The AFCA has selected an All-America team since 1945 and currently selects teams in all five of its divisions. What makes these teams so special is that they are the only ones chosen exclusively by the men who know the players the best — the coaches themselves.
 
The AFCA’s Division III All-America Selection Committee is composed of head coaches representing each conference from each of the AFCA’s seven districts, one of whom serves as a district chairman, along with another head coach who serves as the selection committee chairman. The coaches in each district are responsible for ranking the top players in their respective districts before a conference call between the district chairmen and the committee chairman, on which the team is chosen.
 
About the NEWMAC

The NEWMAC is an association of 12 selective academic institutions: Babson College, Clark University, U.S Coast Guard Academy, Emerson College, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Mount Holyoke College, Salve Regina University, Smith College, Springfield College, Wellesley College, Wheaton College, and Worcester Polytechnic Institute, that are committed to providing high quality competitive athletic opportunities for student-athletes within an educational and respectful environment that embodies the NCAA Division III Philosophy. The conference also partners with eight Associate Members: Brandeis University (Women's Lacrosse, 2026-2027), New York University (Men's Volleyball, 2026-2027), Norwich University (Football), Simmons College (Rowing), SUNY Maritime College (Football), SUNY New Paltz (Men's Volleyball, 2026-2027), U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (Football), and Vassar College (Men's Volleyball, 2026-2027), while sponsoring 20 sports.