(Wednesday, February 1; Sioux Center, Iowa) Nathaniel Tonnessen has announced his intention to attend Dordt University and join the Defender football program.  

Tonnessen played defensive end, tight end and offensive tackle for Colorado Springs Christian High School (Colorado) and is listed 6-4, 205 pounds. He claimed second team all-state honors in 2022 and was an academic all-state selection.  Tonnessen totaled 65 solo tackles with 16 tackles for loss, eight sacks and 123 total tackles in 2022 while helping his team to a state semifinal playoff finish and he was the 1A defensive player of the year from Playmakers corner. He attended Colorado Springs Early Colleges. 

Nathaniel is the son of Lucinda and Geir Tonnessen of Colorado Springs, Colorado. He's undecided on a field of study.  

Dordt University in Sioux Center, Iowa, is a comprehensive Christian college rooted in the Reformed tradition. The Defender athletic program is a part of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC), American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) and the Mid-American Collegiate Hockey Association (MACHA).?    

U.S. News & World Report, Money Magazine, Forbes.com, Washington Monthly, and Princeton Review all list Dordt on their best colleges lists. Dordt is home to approximately 1,500 students.