HADLEY, Mass. – Middlebury junior
Will Jernigan (Decatur, Ga.) is the NESCAC Offensive Player of the Year as voted by the league's coaches. Jernigan is the fifth Panther to garner the Offensive Player of the Year honor, joining Bryan Sanchez (2000), Donald McKillop (2009), McCallum Foote (2012 & 2013), and Matt Milano (2014).
A quarterback, Jernigan also earned a spot on the All-NESCAC First Team Offense, the first all-conference honor of his career. Jernigan directed a Middlebury offense that finished the year ranked second in the NESCAC in scoring offense (30.6 ppg) and total offense (410.6 ypg). Jernigan ranked second in the NESCAC in passing yards per game (222.1) and totaled 1,990 yards through the air with 16 touchdowns. He also ranked ninth in the league in rushing yards per game (56.8) and recorded eight touchdowns on the ground. Jernigan finished the year leading the conference in total offense with 2,501 yards (277.9 ypg).
Middlebury junior
Jack Pistorius (Park Ridge, Ill.) was voted as the NESCAC Defensive Player of the Year and named to the All-NESCAC First Team Defense, his first all-conference honor. Pistorius contributed to a Panther defense that ranked third in total defense this season, limiting opponents to 4.7 yards per play. The linebacker finished the year tied for fourth in the NESCAC in tackles (72) and sacks (5.5). Pistorius is the third Panther to collect Defensive Player of the Year honors, joining Andy Steele (2000) and Erik Woodring (2007).
First-years
Alex Maldjian (Rumson, N.J.) of Middlebury and
Nick Helbig (Groton, Conn.) of Wesleyan were selected as Co-Rookies of the Year. Maldjian led the Panthers' rushing attack, which ranked second in the NESCAC this season at 183.1 yards per game. Maldjian, who was also selected to the First Team Offense, is the first rookie to lead the league in rushing since 2000. He ran for 905 yards, averaging a touch over 100 yards per game (100.6) to go with 10 touchdowns. Maldjian is the third player from Middlebury to earn Rookie of the Year honors, joining Donald McKillop (2007) and Tim Patricia (2012).
Helbig earned a spot on the First Team Defense from his defensive line position. He helped Wesleyan finish second in the NESCAC standings with an 8-1 record and rank second in turnover margin (+12) for the year. Helbig totaled 7.5 sacks this season, tying for the top mark in the conference, and finished the year with 39 tackles. Helbig is the fourth Cardinal to garner Rookie of the Year honors, joining Brennan Carney (2000), Pat Curran (2002), and LaDarius Drew (2011).
Middlebury head coach
Bob Ritter was selected as the NESCAC Coach of the Year by his peers. He earns the honor for the third time in his 19 years at the helm of the Panthers. This season, Ritter guided Middlebury to the first 9-0 season in NESCAC history and the Panthers' first undefeated season since 1972. Middlebury captured its fourth NESCAC title and its first outright title since 2007 with the perfect mark.
2019 All-NESCAC Football Teams
Offensive Player of the Year: Will Jernigan, Middlebury
Defensive Player of the Year: Jack Pistorius, Middlebury
Co-Rookies of the Year: Alex Maldjian, Middlebury & Nick Helbig, Wesleyan
Coach of the Year: Bob Ritter, Middlebury
All-NESCAC First Team Offense
| Pos. |
Name |
Institution |
Yr. |
Hometown |
| QB |
Will Jernigan |
Middlebury |
Jr. |
Decatur, Ga. |
| RB |
Alex Maldjian |
Middlebury |
Fy. |
Rumson, N.J. |
| RB |
Nate Richam-Odoi |
Bowdoin |
Sr. |
West Hartford, Conn. |
| WR/QB |
David Estevez |
Wesleyan |
So. |
River Edge, N.J. |
| WR |
James O'Regan DK |
Amherst |
Sr. |
Wilmington, Mass. |
| WR |
Frank Roche |
Tufts |
Gr. |
Arlington, Mass. |
| WR |
Koby Schofer AK |
Trinity |
Sr. |
Northbridge, Mass. |
| WR |
Frank Stola A |
Williams |
Jr. |
Northport, N.Y. |
| TE |
Kyle Horihan |
Williams |
Sr. |
Pennington, N.J. |
| TE |
Frank Cosolito AH |
Middlebury |
Sr. |
Medfield, Mass. |
| OL |
Bryce Jenkins |
Wesleyan |
Jr. |
Tampa, Fla. |
| OL |
Kevin Woodring DH |
Middlebury |
Sr. |
Norwalk, Conn. |
| OL |
Austin Baiardi AHP |
Trinity |
Sr. |
Smithtown, N.Y. |
| OL |
Ryan Schutta |
Wesleyan |
Sr. |
Lansdale, Pa. |
| OL |
A.J. Rattee D |
Hamilton |
Jr. |
Northfield, N.H. |
| OL |
Patrick Watson |
Williams |
Jr. |
Braintree, Mass. |
|
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All-NESCAC First Team Special Teams
| Pos. |
Name |
Institution |
Yr. |
Hometown |
| P |
Kenny Gray |
Hamilton |
Sr. |
Montgomery, N.Y. |
| K |
Samuel Thoreen |
Hamilton |
So. |
Worcester, Mass. |
| RET |
Sam Robinson CJ |
Hamilton |
Sr. |
Bethesda, Md. |
|
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All-NESCAC First Team Defense
| Pos. |
Name |
Institution |
Yr. |
Hometown |
| DL |
James Christiano B |
Trinity |
Jr. |
Middlebury, Conn. |
| DL |
James Ball |
Hamilton |
Jr. |
Saugerties, N.Y. |
| DL |
Nick Helbig |
Wesleyan |
Fy. |
Groton, Conn. |
| DL |
Jovan Nenadovic |
Tufts |
So. |
Washington, D.C. |
| DL |
Martin Williams EL |
Middlebury |
Sr. |
Chestnut Hill, Mass. |
| LB |
Jack Pistorius |
Middlebury |
Jr. |
Park Ridge, Ill. |
| LB |
Greg Holt BINO |
Tufts |
Sr. |
Temecula, Calif. |
| LB |
Brian Casagrande |
Trinity |
So. |
Madison, Conn. |
| LB |
Luke Apuzzi |
Williams |
Sr. |
Princeton, N.J. |
| LB |
TJ Rothmann BL |
Williams |
Jr. |
Norwell, Mass. |
| DB |
Ben Thaw E |
Wesleyan |
Sr. |
Westport, Conn. |
| DB |
Avery Saffold BI |
Amherst |
Sr. |
Chicago, Ill. |
| DB |
Ben Anthony |
Williams |
Sr. |
Albany, N.Y. |
| DB |
Matt Patry |
Trinity |
Sr. |
Medfield, Mass. |
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All-NESCAC Second Team Offense
| Pos. |
Name |
Institution |
Yr. |
Hometown |
| QB |
Ashton Scott |
Wesleyan |
So. |
Brockport, N.Y. |
| QB |
Bobby Maimaron DKG |
Williams |
Jr. |
Duxbury, Mass. |
| RB |
Dan Vaughn |
Williams |
So. |
Fort Pierce, Fla. |
| RB |
David Kagan |
Hamilton |
Sr. |
McLean, Va. |
| WR |
Matthew Simco |
Wesleyan |
So. |
Hollis, N.H. |
| WR |
Jonathan Girard A |
Trinity |
Jr. |
Poughkeepsie, N.Y. |
| WR |
Maxwell Rye F |
Middlebury |
Sr. |
Longmeadow, Mass. |
| TE |
Justin Berry |
Amherst |
Sr. |
Somerville, Mass. |
| TE |
Joe Samuelman A |
Trinity |
Sr. |
North Andover, Mass. |
| OL |
Jack Purcell |
Middlebury |
Sr. |
Darien, Conn. |
| OL |
Dan Papa |
Amherst |
Sr. |
Skillman, N.J. |
| OL |
Terry Zapf |
Williams |
Fy. |
Winnetka, Ill. |
| OL |
Brendan Coleman |
Amherst |
Sr. |
Phoenix, Ariz. |
| OL |
Jeffrey MacArthur |
Williams |
Sr. |
Natick, Mass. |
|
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All-NESCAC Second Team Special Teams
| Pos. |
Name |
Institution |
Yr. |
Hometown |
| P |
Sam Han M |
Wesleyan |
Sr. |
Tacoma, Wash. |
| K |
Mason Von Jess |
Wesleyan |
Fy. |
Lakeville, Conn. |
| RET |
David Estevez |
Wesleyan |
So. |
River Edge, N.J. |
|
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All-NESCAC Second Team Defense
| Pos. |
Name |
Institution |
Yr. |
Hometown |
| DL |
Joe Kelly E |
Amherst |
Jr. |
Greenlawn, N.Y. |
| DL |
Alex Norton |
Middlebury |
Sr. |
Cohasset, Mass. |
| DL |
Devyn Perkins B |
Trinity |
Sr. |
Brookline, Mass. |
| DL |
Nick Richards |
Wesleyan |
Sr. |
Brooklyn, N.Y. |
| DL |
Oscar Unobskey |
Williams |
Sr. |
Lexington, Mass. |
| LB |
Pete Huggins |
Middlebury |
Jr. |
Houston, Texas |
| LB |
Carmine Bruno |
Hamilton |
Sr. |
Staten Island, N.Y. |
| LB |
Will Kearney |
Wesleyan |
Sr. |
Wayne, N.J. |
| LB |
Marcus Bullard |
Colby |
Jr. |
Brockton, Mass. |
| LB |
Jarret Wesner E |
Williams |
Jr. |
Villa Park, Calif. |
| DB |
Michael Carr |
Middlebury |
Sr. |
Somerset, N.J. |
| DB |
Matt McCarthy |
Trinity |
Jr. |
North Reading, Mass. |
| DB |
Danny Banks |
Wesleyan |
So. |
Montclair, N.J. |
| DB |
Michael Mughetto |
Tufts |
Jr. |
Verona, N.J. |
| DB |
Matt Durborow |
Amherst |
Jr. |
Parsippany, N.J. |
A - 2018 1st Team Offense
B - 2018 1st Team Defense
C - 2018 1st Team Special Teams
D - 2018 2nd Team Offense
E - 2018 2nd Team Defense
F - 2018 2nd Team Special Teams
G - 2017 Rookie of the Year
H - 2017 1st Team Offense
I - 2017 1st Team Defense
J - 2017 1st Team Special Teams
K - 2017 2nd Team Offense
L - 2017 2nd Team Defense
M - 2017 2nd Team Special Teams
N - 2016 Rookie of the Year
O - 2016 1st Team Defense
P - 2016 2nd Team Offense
