FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Conference Champion LIU Post Leads with Four Major Awards.
MANSFIELD, Mass. – New Haven's standout quarterback Ajee Patterson has been selected the Northeast 10 Conference Most Valuable Player, as the league office released the 2018 Football All-Conference Teams and major award winners on Monday afternoon.
For a complete list of all-conference members and award winners, as voted upon by the league's head coaches, please see below.
LIU Post, the 2018 NE10 champion, earned four major awards on Monday with the announcement of Defensive Player of the Year Jake Carlock, Offensive Lineman of the Year Chris Coles, Defensive Lineman of the Year Kevin Petite-Frere and Coach of the Year Bryan Collins. The Pioneers had a conference-best 18 All-Conference selections, as the NE10 expanded to naming three All-League Offensive and Defensive Teams. New Haven and Assumption tied for second with 13 selections.
Patterson is only the second Charger in NE10 history to earn Most Valuable Player, with Andre Anderson in 2015 being the only other player from New Haven to be selected for the honor. The senior quarterback led the conference in passing touchdowns (29) - tied for sixth in all of Division II - and yards per attempt (8.6), while finishing second in passing yards per game (237.0) and completion percentage (64.3%) this season. In conference play, he had a stellar 23-4 touchdown-to-interception ratio, leading the Chargers to second place in the NE10 standings and a place in the NCAA Division II Football Championship. The Chargers upset third-seeded West Chester last Saturday, advancing to the second round of the NCAA East Region. Additionally, he earned a spot on the All-Conference First Team.
Southern Connecticut State's running back Eli Parks earned NE10 Offensive Player of the Year, leading the conference in yards per game (124.0) - which is tied for 11th in all of Division II - and tied for the league lead with 12 rushing scores. In conference games, Parks averaged 123.7 yards per game and accounted for eight touchdowns. He is the first Owls' player to win Offensive Player of the Year since John Wiechman in 2008.
LIU Post's Jake Carlock was named NE10 Defensive Player of the Year, after the hybrid defender held down the linebacker and defensive back positions at different times during the season for the Pioneers. Carlock helped lead LIU Post to the 2018 NE10 regular season championship with 6.1 tackles per game and four sacks during the season. Carlock did a little bit of everything, including two forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries and a pair of interceptions to help the Pioneers allow only 12.9 points and 293.4 yards per game to opponents.
Merrimack quarterback Chris Carter won Rookie of the Year honors after his stellar freshman campaign, including 16 passing touchdowns - fourth-most in the NE10. Carter also rushed for 66.4 yards per game, seventh-most in the NE10, as well as a pair of rushing scores. He was a one-time Player of the Week and three-time Rookie of the Week selection, as the Warriors get their first Rookie of the Year award since Elfren Quiles in 2004.
LIU Post's Chris Coles was voted as Offensive Lineman of the Year after helping the Pioneers to the NE10 regular-season title. LIU Post had one of the league's top offenses, averaging 30.0 points per game and 403.4 yards of offense per conference game - second-most in the league. It is the second-straight year that Coles has earned First Team All-Conference status.
LIU Post's Kevin Petite-Frere was a force in opposing backfields this season, as he racked up a league-best 11.5 sacks and 15.5 tackles for a loss. He is tied for seventh in all of Division II in sacks, helping the Pioneers defense allow only 12.9 points per game to opponents this season. Petite-Frere also earned First Team All-Conference honors.
LIU Post head coach Bryan Collins earned NE10 Coach of the Year after leading the Pioneers to their second regular-season title and second in the last three seasons. Collins led the team to the second-seed in the NCAA East Region, hosting a playoff game last Saturday. LIU Post finished the season 10-1, including a perfect 9-0 mark in the conference.
Most Valuable Player – Ajee Patterson, New Haven
Offensive Player of the Year – Eli Parks, SCSU
Defensive Player of the Year – Jake Carlock, LIU Post
Rookie of the Year – Chris Carter, Merrimack
Offensive Lineman of the Year – Chris Coles, LIU Post
Defensive Lineman of the Year – Kevin Petite-Frere, LIU Post
Coach of the Year – Bryan Collins, LIU Post
FIRST TEAM OFFENSE
QB: Ajee Patterson, New Haven
RB: Malik Pierre, LIU Post
RB: Eli Parks, SCSU
WR: Mike Richardson, LIU Post
WR: Cody Demers, Merrimack
WR: Ju’an Williams, New Haven
TE: Jonathan Badyna, New Haven
OL: Quentin Hall, Assumption
OL: Chris Coles, LIU Post
OL: James Louison, LIU Post
OL: Dan Iannone, New Haven
OL: Joe Buissereth, SCSU
Place Kicker : Joe Tolygesi, LIU Post
Return Specialist : Deonte Harris, Assumption
FIRST TEAM DEFENSE
DL : Ray Sarkodieh, Assumption
DL : Abel Joseph, LIU Post
DL : Kevin Petite-Frere, LIU Post
DL : Jah’Sheem Martin, Pace
DL : Matt Weiss, SCSU
LB: Jhaaron Wallace, SCSU
LB: Jordan Francklin, New Haven
LB: Kaleb Silva, Assumption
LB: Nick Athy, Bentley
DB: Pete Thorbahn, Bentley
DB: Jake Carlock, LIU Post
DB: Nazir Streater, LIU Post
DB: Mark Clements, New Haven
P: Seamus Wallace, Assumption
SECOND TEAM OFFENSE
QB: Chris Laviano, LIU Post
RB : Ryan McCarthy, New Haven
RB : Jhalen Bien-Aime, Pace
WR: Deonte Harris, Assumption
WR : Deon Mash, LIU Post
WR : Andrew Jamiel, Stonehill
TE: Justin Lamb, Stonehill
OL: Jason Rice, Assumption
OL: Hunter Sallila, Merrimack
OL: Erick Browne, Merrimack
OL: Osaro Eromosele, New Haven
OL: Larry Omolayo, Pace
Place Kicker: Jacob Tondel, Assumption
Return Specialist: Nazir Streater, LIU Post
SECOND TEAM DEFENSE
DL: David Tobe, AIC
DL: Joe Bruno, Assumption
DL: Chika Ewulu, LIU Post
DL: Jesse Jones, Merrimack
DL: Scott Lavelle, New Haven
LB: CJ Ibezim, AIC
LB: Connor Farrell, LIU Post
LB: Kadeem Langhorne, Pace
LB: Zach Mercer, Saint Anselm
DB: Kasim Thomas, LIU Post
DB: Jovan Grant, Merrimack
DB: Andrew Roach, Pace
DB: Ryan Sullivan, Saint Anselm
P: Joseph Cody, Saint Anselm
THIRD TEAM OFFENSE
QB: Cody Williams, Assumption
RB: Samad Davila, AIC
RB: Brian Kearns, Jr., Stonehill
WR: Lennox Green, AIC
WR: Marquis Spence, Merrimack
WR: Kyle Hill, Saint Anselm
TE: Tom Lasaracina, SCSU
OL: Mike McDonald, Assumption
OL: Matt Boyle, Bentley
OL: Michael Zecchin, New Haven
OL: Anthony Tardogno, Pace
OL: Owen Murray, Stonehill
Place Kicker: Daniel Parisi, Saint Anselm/Matt Haite, Stonehill
Return Specialist: Darius Jones, Pace
THIRD TEAM DEFENSE*
DL: Goran Krasic, Assumption
DL: Markel Johnson, New Haven
DL: Prince Unaegbu, Pace
DL: Joe Mendez, Pace
DL: Jarred Bennett-Moorer, SCSU
DL: David Spears, SCSU
DL: John Ejiofor, Stonehill
LB: Jaysen Thompson, AIC
LB: Mike Mercuri, Merrimack
LB: McPrecia Remy, New Haven
LB: CJ Miller, Saint Anselm
DB: Zach Cofrancesco, LIU Post
DB: Caleb Holden, Merrimack
DB: Dustin Husenovic, Pace
DB: Kyle Armour, SCSU
P: Rady Rojas-Portilla, AIC
ALL-ROOKIE TEAM*
Joseph Kellum, Assumption
Isaiah Collins, Bentley
Cedric Dashiell, Bentley
Stephen Paulino, Bentley
Jonathan Debique, LIU Post
Greg Amato, LIU Post
Ronin Guerra, LIU Post
Chris Carter, Merrimack
Johnny Rosario, Merrimack
Tyler Roberts, Merrimack
Michael Stalenyj, New Haven
Adrian Rybaltowski, Pace
Dustin Husenovic, Pace
Christian Matthews-Byrd, Saint Anselm
Julian Chung, SCSU
Travis Shashok, SCSU
Christian Minaya, SCSU
Rudy Holland, Stonehill
*Ties existed in voting.
ABOUT THE NE10
The NE10 is an association of 15 diverse institutions serving student-athletes across 24 NCAA Division II sports. Together we build brilliant futures by embracing the journey of every student-athlete.
Each year, 4,500 of those student-athletes compete in conference championships in 24 sports, making the NE10 the largest DII conference in the country in terms of sport sponsorship. Leading the way in the classroom, on the field and within the community, the NE10 is proud of its comprehensive program and the experience it provides student-athletes.