NEW ENGLAND FOOTBALL WRITERS RELEASE
Assumption and Bentley Earn Multiple Selections.
MANSFIELD, Mass. – Six players from Northeast-10 Conference institutions were selected to the DII/DIII All-New England Team on Monday afternoon – tying for a region-best with the DIII Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC). Assumption and Bentley each had multiple honorees.
All six players were voted to the NE10 All-Conference First Team last week by the league's head coaches – including the selection of Assumption's Khaleed Exum-Strong as Most Valuable Player, Bentley's Cole McCubrey as Defensive Player of the Year, Cedie Dashiell II as Defensive Lineman of the Year and New Haven's Mike Zecchin as Offensive Lineman of the Year.
Assumption's Isaiah Huff and Stonehill's Sam Athy were also named to the All-New England Team, which consists of 29 standout players from 19 institutions that sponsor football at the Division II or III level in the Northeast region. Additionally, New Haven head coach Chris Pincince was selected as the DII/DIII Coach of the Year by the New England Football Writers, as the Chargers won their first NE10 title since 2012.
The team will be honored at the New England Football Writers Captains and Awards Banquet on Thursday, December 9, at the Sheraton Framingham Hotel and Conference Center. Reservations must be made no later than Friday, December 3, and may be made by clicking HERE. Tickets are $60/person and reservations are by credit card only.
Exum-Strong averaged 122.8 rushing yards per game and scored nine touchdowns for Assumption during the 2021 season, leading to his MVP selection. His teammate, Huff, led all of Division II in kick return average – netting 38.7 yards per return with one touchdown.
McCubrey recorded a league-best 114 tackles with 1.5 sacks, two forced fumbles, two interceptions and three pass break-ups. Dashiell II was tied for an NE10-high 10 sacks this season, while adding 55 tackles, four forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and five pass break-ups.
Zecchin was the driving force on the offensive line to charge New Haven's offense, which scored a league-best 34.4 points and rushed for over 200 yards per game in conference play. Athy was the leader of Stonehill's league-best passing defense, which surrendered just 161.5 yards per game through the air to opponents. He tallied 53 tackles, two interceptions and six pass break-ups during the season.
ABOUT THE NE10
The NE10 is an association of 14 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.
