ECAC Announces 2016 Division II Football All-Stars
DANBURY, Conn. - The Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) announced its 2016 Division II Football All-Star teams.
Newberry College senior quarterback Raleigh Yeldell received the Offensive Player of the Year honor, while LIU Post redshirt-junior defensive back Jared Chester was named Defensive Player of the Year. LIU Post Head Coach Bryan Collins garnered the Coach of the Year honor.
Yeldell was named the South Atlantic Conference (SAC) Offensive Player of the Year and became Newberry's first-ever finalist for the Harlon Hill Trophy. The senior set school records in passing yards (3,087), total offense (3,418), completions (260), attempts (370) and a Division II-leading 70.3 percent completion rate. He also led the SAC in 11 statistical categories, including passing yards per game and passing touchdowns. Yeldell was also named Conference Commissioner's Association (CCA) All-Super Region 2 Second Team quarterback.
Chester received Northeast-10 (NE-10) Defensive Player of the Year recognition and was named an All-NE-10 first-team safety. He concluded his campaign leading the conference in interceptions (7) and leading the team in tackles (78, 42 solo). Chester's 78 tackles ranked third among defensive backs in the NE-10. At the end of the season the redshirt-junior was also selected to the CCA All-Super Region I First Team.
Collins earned NE-10 Coach of the Year recognition. He guided LIU Post to its first unbeaten season since 2002 and ninth conference title in his 19 years at the helm of the program. Collins helped place 18 student-athletes on All-NE-10 teams at the conclusion of the 2016 season.
2016 ECAC Division II Football All-Star Team
Offensive Player of the Year
Raleigh Yeldell, Sr., Newberry College
Defensive Player of the Year
Jared Chester, R-Jr., LIU Post
Coach of the Year
Bryan Collins, LIU Post
First Team Offense
Raleigh Yeldell, Sr., Newberry College
David White, Sr., LIU Post
Jarel Elder, Jr., West Chester University
Shane Hubbard, R-Sr., LIU Post
B.J. Bunn, Sr., UNC Pembroke
Markell Castle, So., Newberry College
Baptiste Staggers, Jr., Newberry College
James Louison, R-So., LIU Post
Joseph Lacey, Jr., LIU Post
Tyler Stasky, Sr., Newberry College
Bobby McNeil, Sr., Newberry College
Doug Gilbert, Sr., West Chester University
First Team Defense
Joe Bryant, Sr., Cheyney University
Anthony DeNunzio, R-Jr., LIU Post
Kenny Scotland, R-Sr., LIU Post
Tyler Hinton, So., UNC Pembroke
Jamarcus Henderson, So., Newberry College
Elijah Williams, Sr., UNC Pembroke
Garrett Barnett, So., UNC Pembroke
Joe Blue, So., Newberry College
Jared Chester, R-Jr., LIU Post
Kevin Malone, Sr., West Chester University
Nydair Rouse, So., West Chester University
Christian Carpenter, R-Sr., Gannon University
First Team Special Teams
Matt Davis, Sr., UNC Pembroke
Tra Chandler, Sr., UNC Pembroke
Honorable Mention
Jeff Kidd, Sr., LIU Post; Rontonio Stanley, Sr., UNC Pembroke; Cole Watson, Sr., Newberry College; Tyler Karpinski, Jr., West Chester University; Demarcus Whitehurst, Jr., UNC Pembroke; Lawrence Keys, Sr., UNC Pembroke; Tyler Drob, Jr., West Chester University; Kevin Petit-Frere, Jr., LIU Post; Alpha Lamin, Jr., UNC Pembroke; Jimmy Holmes, Sr., Newberry College
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In the 77 years since its inception, the ECAC has emerged as the nation's largest Conference, ranging in location from Maine to Georgia, and westerly to Missouri. In 2015-16, the ECAC hosted nearly 100 championships in men's and women's sports as the sponsors of over 5,800 varsity teams and 111,000 student-athletes. For more information, visit www.ecacsports.com.
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