Sports Information Director: Steve McCloskey Phone: (570) 662-4845 Email: smcclosk@mansfield.edu
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Sports Information |
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Sports Information Director: Steve McCloskey Phone: (570) 662-4845 Email: smcclosk@mansfield.edu |
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RELEASE DATE: 1/13/04
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: POOHBEAR McNEAL NAMED ECAC DIVISION II ROOKIE OF THE YEAR – WILL RECEIVE AWARD AT EASTERN COLLEGE FOOTBALL AWARDS BANQUET AT MEADOWLANDS SPORT COMPLEX
CAPE COD, MA –Mansfield University freshman running back Earnest “Poohbear” McNeal has been named the ECAC Division II Rookie of the Year. McNeal will receive his award during the Eastern College Football Awards Banquet.
The
Eastern College Football Awards Banquet will be held Tuesday, February 3 at the
Pegasus Restaurant at the Meadowlands Sports Complex in East Rutherford, New
Jersey. The annual event honors the top football playing institutions and
student-athletes in the East.
The banquet will feature
the presentation of the Lambert Awards, the Eastern College Athletic Conference
(ECAC) Players of the Year and Rookies of the Year, the ECAC Teams of the Year,
as well as the Red Hill Awards which recognizes the ECAC Football Officials of
the Year.
Earnest
"Poohbear" McNeal (Orlando, Fla.),
Mansfield University
of Pennsylvania's freshman running back,
takes home the ECAC Rookie of the Year honors after a notable rookie campaign.Just a freshman, McNeal led the nation in all-purpose yards and was tops in the
Pennsylvania State Athletic
Conference (PSAC) in rushing yards (1,684).This mark was good enough to set a new school record for rushing yards in a season, a feat he also accomplished for rushing touchdowns (17) and touchdowns in a season (19).
McNeal was selected as the PSAC East Rookie of the Year and the Northeast Region Rookie of the Year and was placed on the All-PSAC East First Team. He was also named to Second Team AP Little All-American Honors as well as Daktronics NCAA Division II All-American honors.
Highlighting the banquet will be the presentation of the Lambert Meadowlands
Awards. The University of Miami will receive the Lambert Meadowlands Trophy
presented with the ECAC in Division I-A. University of Delaware will receive the
Lambert Meadowlands Cup in Division I-AA while Indiana University of
Pennsylvania and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute will be presented the Lambert
Meadowlands Teams of the Year presented with the ECAC in Divisions II and III,
respectively.
Also honored will be the
ECAC Teams of the Year in Divisions I-A, I-AA, II and III. The
University of
Maryland will be presented with the ECAC Division I-A Team of the Year for the
second time in three years. The ECAC Division I-AA Team of the Year award will
be presented to the University of Delaware. Repeating as the ECAC Division II
Team of the Year is Indiana University of Pennsylvania. The ECAC Division III
Team of the Year award will be presented to the Rensselaer Polytechnic
Institute.
The ECAC will honor the
Players of the Year in each of the four divisions.
Larry Fitzgerald
of the
University of Pittsburgh has been selected as
the Division I-A Player of the Year while Colgate University's running back
Jamaal Branch
was named the Division I-AA Player of the Year. Bentley College's
Marc Eddy
was selected as the Division II Player of the Year.
Ryan Sylvia
from Springfield College earned the Division III Northeast Player of the Year
while Dan Cole
of RPI was named the Division III Northwest Player of the Year. Wilkes
University's Brett Trichilo
was selected as the Division III Southeast Player of the Year and Westminster
College's Scott Froelich
was named the Division III Southwest Player of the Year.
The ECAC will honor the
Rookies of the Year in each division as well.
West Virginia's
Chris Henry
has been named the Division I-A Rookie of the Year while
Ron Whitcomb
of the University of Maine earned the I-AA honor.
Earnest “Poohbear” McNeal
of Mansfield University garnered Division II Rookie of the Year honors. Earning
Division II Rookie of the Year honors are
Kevin Holleran
of Curry College (Northeast), Chuck Eich of State University of Cortland
(Northwest), Chris Jacoubs
of Moravian College
(Southeast) and Omar Muhamad
of Wesley College (Southwest).
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