UNIVERSITY CENTER, Mich. – Saginaw Valley State senior linebacker Micah Cretsinger and defensive end Leonard Henry IV were named to the first team defense of the D2football.com Elite 100 on Tuesday afternoon. The D2football.com Elite 100 is selected by the staff of D2football.com with input from numerous sitting head coaches as well as professional football scouting veteran Josh Buchanan. 

Cretsinger adds his fourth All-America honor with this recognition after being named Don Hansen first-team All-America and second-team All-America by the AFCA and D2CCA. He was named the 2024 GLIAC Defensive Back of the Year, and First-Team All-GLIAC leading the SVSU defense in tackles for the second consecutive season with 82 stops, 11 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, seven hurries, five pass breakups, two forced fumbles, one recovery, and one interception. Cretsinger finished the season with back-to-back 12 tackle games in the last two weeks and he reached double-digit tackles three times during the 2024 season all in the final four weeks of play. 

Henry IV  adds his third All-America honor to go along with his second-team D2CCA All-Acmerica and Don Hansen honorable mention selections. His list of accolades this season includes D2CCA All-Super Region 3 first-team, GLIAC Defensive Lineman of the Year, and a First-Team All-GLIAC honor. This season, the senior defensive end was a force for the Cardinal pass rush, totaling a GLIAC-leading 10.5 sacks. He led the nation in sacks for much of the season and finished in the top five with .95 sacks per game. Henry's 50 tackles ranked sixth-best on the SVSU defense and he held a team-high 16 tackles for loss and 13 quarterback hurries.

Cretsinger and Henry are one of nine GLIAC players on the Elite 100 list. Two other first-team selections with Cretsinger and Henry, one second-team, and four others making the squad list. This is the first time for both Cardinal defenders to make the D2Football.com Elite 100 list and the first award for SVSU since 2022.