FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
New Haven with League-High 13 All-Conference Selections.
MANSFIELD, Mass. – Bentley linebacker Salvatore Lupoli Jr. has been selected as the Most Valuable Player of Northeast-10 Conference football – becoming the first defensive player to win the honor since the 2000 season – as the league office announced All-Conference teams on Thursday afternoon.
Joining Lupoli as major award winners was a trio of standouts from NE10 champion New Haven, including Dev Holmes as Offensive Player of the Year, Giye Jenkins as Defensive Player of the Year and Jack Quander as Defensive Lineman of the Year. It is the second-straight season that one team won at least three major All-Conference awards (Pace in 2022).
Additionally, Assumption's Tom MacDonald took home Offensive Lineman of the Year, Franklin Pierce's Joziah Gonzalez claimed Rookie of the Year and Saint Anselm's Joe Adam won his first-career Coach of the Year honor.
New Haven led all NE10 programs with 13 All-Conference selections, while Bentley was second with 12 and Assumption ranked third with 10. Bentley had a league-high 10 players named to the First Team.
For a full list of All-Conference selections – as voted on by NE10 football head coaches - please see below. The All-Conference teams consist of a First and Second Team for both offense and defense.
Lupoli Jr. was the most dominant defensive player in the NE10 this season, tallying 123 tackles in just 10 games (12.3 tackles per game) for a talented Bentley defense. He led all of Division II in tackles and tackles per game, highlighting a Falcons' defensive unit that ranked in the top 10 in the country in scoring defense (13.8 points per game). He is the first defensive player since C.W. Post's William Yarocki in 2000 to win MVP. Yarocki's honor came when NE10 teams still played in the Eastern Football Conference (EFC).
Lupoli Jr. is Bentley's first NE10 MVP since Bryant Johnson in the 2010 season. He is the fourth Falcons to ever receive the honor (also Marc Eddy and Mark DeBrito).
New Haven's duo of Holmes and Jenkins helped lead the Chargers to their fifth NE10 title in program history and their third-straight NCAA postseason berth. Holmes won Offensive Player of the Year as a dual threat, showing off his dynamic play as a wide receiver and punt returner. He caught 30 passes for 440 yards and nine touchdowns, while recording a league-high 280 punt return yards (17.5 yards per return) with another touchdown. Jenkins was a leader on New Haven's defense, which ranked in the top 10 in all of Division II in scoring defense (13.3 points per game). He tied for the league lead with five interceptions, while contributing 48 tackles and six pass break-ups.
Holmes is the second-consecutive New Haven player to win Offensive Player of the Year, following Connor Degenhardt in 2022. Jenkins is New Haven's first Defensive Player of the Year since Tyler Condit in 2015.
MacDonald led the Assumption offensive line this season, following up on his First Team selection a year ago. Prior to starting quarterback Jake Cady's injury, Assumption was averaging nearly 30 points per game with a 5-1 record, as MacDonald provided a solid presence up front. Quander, the Defensive Lineman of the Year, helped to propel a strong New Haven defense with 36 tackles, including nine for a loss, and 2.5 sacks. The Chargers allowed only 245.8 yards per game to opponents, the second-fewest among NE10 programs.
MacDonald is Assumption's second player to win Offensive Lineman of the Year since 2019 (Quentin Hall). Quander is New Haven's first Defensive Lineman of the Year since 2015 (Drake Harris).
Gonzalez was a steady presence on the Franklin Pierce offense this season, racking up 34 receptions for 504 yards (50.4 yards per game) and a pair of touchdowns on his way to earning Rookie of the Year. He also added 92 yards on punt returns and 84 yards on kick returns. Gonzalez becomes the first Raven to ever receive the honor and only the second to win a major award (EJ Burgess as Offensive Player of the Year in 2021) since Franklin Pierce joined Division II football in 2019.
Adam led Saint Anselm to its best NE10 Conference record in program history, going 5-2 this season which included wins over nationally-ranked Assumption, Bentley and league champion New Haven in consecutive weeks – on his way to winning Coach of the Year. Saint Anselm was picked to finish fifth in the NE10 Football Coaches' Poll in August, but instead finished tied for second. He becomes the first Hawks' coach since Patrick Murphy in 2014 to earn the honor.
New Haven is the only NE10 football program to qualify for the NCAA Division II Championship this season, as it prepares to play No. 2-seeded Charleston (WV) on Saturday at 1 p.m.
Most Valuable Player: Salvatore Lupoli, Jr., Bentley
Offensive Player of the Year: Dev Holmes, New Haven
Defensive Player of the Year: Giye Jenkins, New Haven
Offensive Lineman of the Year: Tom MacDonald, Assumption
Defensive Lineman of the Year: Jack Quander, New Haven
Rookie of the Year: Joziah Gonzalez, Franklin Pierce
Coach of the Year: Joe Adam, Saint Anselm
FIRST TEAM OFFENSE
QB: Mark Waid, Bentley
RB: Vinnie Holmes, Bentley
RB: E'Lijah Gray, SCSU
WR: Abel Lopes, Jr., Bentley
WR: Joziah Gonzalez, Franklin Pierce
WR: Dev Holmes, New Haven
WR: Tylon Papallo, SCSU
TE: Kevin Foelsch, New Haven
OL: Tom Macdonald, Assumption
OL: Joe LoChiatto, Bentley
OL: Xavier Bryson, New Haven
OL: John Thomas, New Haven
OL: Thomas Lidondici, Pace
PK: Mason Campbell, Bentley
RS: Dev Holmes, New Haven
FIRST TEAM DEFENSE
DL: Joseph MacDougall, Assumption
DL: Zachary Goodwin, Bentley
DL: Herve Tshibamba, Bentley
DL: Jack Quander, New Haven
DL: Max Tempchin, Saint Anselm
DL: Chris Yeboah, Franklin Pierce
LB: Lorenzo Valencia, Assumption
LB: Salvatore Lupoli, Jr., Bentley
LB: Taylor Pawelkoski, Saint Anselm
LB: Joe Digello, SCSU
DB: Mathieu Severance, Bentley
DB: Tajon Vassar, Bentley
DB: Giye Jenkins, New Haven
DB: Tyvarius Daniels, Franklin Pierce
P: Gabriel Bertolazzo, Assumption
SECOND TEAM OFFENSE
QB: Jake Cady, Assumption
RB: Sidiki Kone, AIC
RB: Nasir Robinson, Pace
WR: Baley Collier, Assumption
WR: Rashon Bradford, Bentley
WR: Elijah Jeffreys, New Haven
WR: Anthony Brown, Saint Anselm
TE: Carson Goda, Saint Anselm
OL: Matthew Connolly, Assumption
OL: Zach Najem, Franklin Pierce
OL: Justin Cesaire, New Haven
OL: Kevin Coulther, Saint Anselm
OL: Liam Flite, SCSU
PK: Dylan Squillacioti, Pace
RS: Tajon Vassar, Bentley
SECOND TEAM DEFENSE
DL: Michael Grant, AIC
DL: Brandon Santell, Assumption
DL: Armani Mette, Franklin Pierce
DL: Jack Romer, Pace
DL: Austin Spille, Saint Anselm
DL: Youseff Gamel, SCSU
LB: Jael Feliz, Assumption
LB: Trey Sejour, Franklin Pierce
LB: Devin O'Malley, New Haven
LB: Joe Vitale, New Haven
LB: Hasan Dominick, SCSU
DB: Jaron Wilson, Assumption
DB: Christian Ais, New Haven
DB: Musa Hemby, New Haven
DB: Ryan Raybuck, Saint Anselm
P: Devin Wood, Saint Anselm
ALL-ROOKIE TEAM
Chris Chasia, AIC
Marcus Thurston, AIC
Owen Fitzgerald, Assumption
Connor Smith, Assumption
Joziah Gonzalez, Franklin Pierce
Adrian Parker, Franklin Pierce
Eliseo Polanco, Franklin Pierce
Jabron Solomon, New Haven
Jayson Chavous, Pace
Justin Federico, Pace
Eliot Porter, Pace
Drew Forkner, Saint Anselm
Jon Hosney, Saint Anselm
Joenel Figueroa, SCSU
Ever Michalski, SCSU
ABOUT THE NE10
The NE10 is an association of 12 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.
