ECAC Announces Football Players of the Month for October

11/7/2018 2:20:50 PM

DANBURY, Conn. – The Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) has announced the Football Players of the Month for October 2018.

Division II
Offensive Player of the Month
Mark Dukes - Sr., RB, West Chester University

In the month of October, Dukes tied for the team lead in rushing touchdowns with two and finished second on the team in total offense with 289 yards. He led the team in average yards per game with 107.7 and helped West Chester go 3-0 on the month outscoring opponents 108-59.

Defensive Player of the Month
Tyler Morrissey - Sr., LB, West Chester University

During October, Morrissey led the Golden Rams in solo tackles with 13 and total tackles with 19. Against Bloomsburg, he blocked a kick to help West Chester hold on for a win. Morrissey was third on the team in sacks with three and was responsible for two forced fumbles.

Special Teams Player of the Month
Carlos Croslin - Sr., WR/KR, Lincoln University

Croslin enjoyed a fantastic October returning kicks for both 60 and 51yards. He amassed 118 yards on kickoff returns in the Lions four October games. On the month Croslin averaged 19.7 yards per return.

Rookie of the Month
Kendall Brooks - Fr., CB, Lincoln University

Brooks excelled both on special teams and offense during October. Against Elizabeth City State he had an 87-yard return of a blocked field goal for a touchdown. He also added an interception with a 20-yard return against Virginia Union. Defensively, Brooks had five tackles and one pass breakup.

Division III - North
Offensive Player of the Month
Jeff Steeber - Sr., WR, Wilkes University

Steeber helped lead Wilkes to a 3-1 record during October. In four games he totaled 15.3 yards-per-catch on 29 receptions for 445 yards (111.2 average-per-game) and 7 touchdowns. He was selected the Middle Atlantic Conference Offensive Player of the Week on Oct. 14. Steeber collected his 100th career reception in a game against Wilkes University. In that game he caught touchdowns of 20, 24 and 39 yards, all in the first half. Steeber also caught three touchdowns in a 47-43 victory over Albright College including the game-winning touchdown reception with 11 seconds left in the game.

Defensive Player of the Month
Pat Ricci - So., DE, Wilkes University

Ricci during the month of October totaled 15 tackles including six for loss and four sacks. He forced a fumble on a strip sack in the Colonels 14-7 victory against Lycoming College on Oct. 27. Eight of his 15 tackles during the month were solo stops.

Special Teams Player of the Month
David Kutteroff - Fr., K, Wilkes University

Kutteroff connected on 14 of his 15 extra point attempts during October. The freshman nailed a 31-yard field goal in a 31-16 victory against FDU-Florham on Oct. 12. Kutteroff averaged 52.5 yards-per-kickoff on 22 kicks during the month and with good placement only allowed the opposition to average 18.9 net-return-yards per attempt.

Rookie of the Month
Nahjir Woods - Fr., CB, Wilkes University

During October, Woods had two interceptions and had six pass breakups. He totaled 22 tackles including a single tackle for a loss. Woods came up with an interception in the Colonels 31-16 win over FDU-Florham and another interception in a 14-7 win over Lycoming College. Against Lycoming the freshman set career highs with nine tackles and three pass breakups.

Division III - South
Offensive Player of the Month
Cody Gustafson - So., WR, Grove City College

Gustafson was named Presidents' Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Week Oct. 29. He caught the game-winning touchdown with :07 left on Oct. 6 to give Grove City a 36-33 win over Westminster. Gustafson also caught a game-winning touchdown pass with :26 left on Oct. 27 in a 30-27 win over Saint Vincent. He tied the single-game Grove City record with 3 touchdown catches against SVC and a career-high 174 yards receiving and two touchdowns against Waynesburg. In total for the month he notched 11 receptions for 333 yards and six touchdowns.

Defensive Player of the Month
Isaiah Turner - Sr., LB, FDU-Florham

Turner total 60 tackles in the month of October. 28 28 solo tackles and 32 assisted tackles. He also had two and a half sacks, one interception and two forced fumbles. Against Lebanon Valley, Turner had a game high 17 tackles and one forced fumble. In another strong effort against Misericordia, Turner had 15 tackles and half a sack.

Special Teams Player of the Month
Gavin Gartner - Jr., K, U.S. Merchant Marine Academy

Gartner was named the NEWMAC Special Teams Player of the Week in back-to-back weeks during the month. He helped lead USMMA to three straight come-from-behind wins accounting for a team-best 25 points in the month. He was a perfect 4-for-4 on extra points and nailed 7-of-8 field goals, including a long of 42 yards. He also amassed 913 kickoff yards on 17 kickoffs (53.7 yards per kick), with two touchbacks.

Rookie of the Month
Josh Ehst - Fr., QB, Grove City College

Ehst led a game-winning drives in the fourth quarter against Westminster College and Saint Vincent College. Against Westminster he threw the game-winning touchdown pass with :07 left on the clock. Against Saint Vincent he threw his game winning touchdown with :26 left. Ehst also threw for a career-high 248 yards and 3 touchdowns on just 6-of-11 pass attempts against Waynesburg. He was named Presidents' Athletic Conference Rookie of the Week Oct. 8.

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