The New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) announced its annual football awards.
Conference coaches selected Wesleyan junior Matt Fitzsimons as the NESCAC Offensive Player of the Year, while seniors Kemit Fisher of Amherst and Dylan Connors of Wesleyan shared the NESCAC Defensive Player of the Year honor. Wesleyan first-year Donte Kelly was named NESCAC Rookie of the Year and the league coaches selected the Colby staff as the NESCAC Coaching Staff of the Year. The All-NESCAC teams were selected via a vote of the 10 conference head coaches.
Fitzsimons, the quarterback for the NESCAC Co-Champion Wesleyan Cardinals, led the conference with 2,462 passing yards, 20 touchdowns through the air, and a 156.61 pass efficiency rating. Fitzsimons finished the season with 2,495 yards in total offense, second in the NESCAC, and added five rushing touchdowns. The junior powered a Wesleyan offense that ranked second in the league in points per game (29.7) and touchdowns (36). Fitzsimons, who also earned All-NESCAC First Team Offense honors, is the second straight Cardinal to earn the NESCAC Offensive Player of the Year honor and third overall.
For the first time in the history of the award, two players share the NESCAC Defensive Player of the Year honor. Fisher is the fifth Mammoth to garner the honor and first since Andrew Yamin was named the NESCAC Defensive Player of the Year in back-to-back seasons in 2017 and 2018. Fisher contributed to an Amherst defense that ranked second in total defense, passing defense, and rushing defense. The Mammoths’ defensive unit was among the top three teams in the conference in fewest points allowed per game (16.4) and forced the second-most fumbles in the league (6) while also recording the second-most sacks (23). The senior, who was also named to the All-NESCAC First Team Defense, recorded 21 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, three sacks, and three quarterback hurries in 2025.
Connors is the fifth Wesleyan player to garner the honor, and it is the fourth time in five years a Cardinal has been selected for the award. Connors posted 51 tackles (35 solo) and two interceptions in 2025. The senior was part of a Wesleyan defense that led the NESCAC in total defense and rush defense. Connors also earned a spot on the All-NESCAC First Team Defense for the second straight season.
Kelly is the fifth Cardinal to be named Rookie of the Year. He ranked second in the NESCAC in all-purpose yards (993), third in receiving yards (746), and averaged 82.9 yards per game and 14.3 yards per catch in his first season at Wesleyan. Kelly, who was the only first-year player on the All-NESCAC First Team Offense squad, recorded the second-most receptions (52) among conference receivers and tied for third in touchdown catches (6).
The Colby football staff of head coach Jack Cosgrove (8th season) and assistant coaches Mark Clements, Liam Hobbins, Tyler Cottle, Nick Spause, Owen Berry, Max Warden, Jack Messinger, and Ben Entner were honored by their peers as the NESCAC Coaching Staff of the Year. It is the second time in the history of the award that a Colby staff has been honored (last: 2000). Colby finished third in the NESCAC standings with a 6-3 record, its best finish since 2005. The Mules led the NESCAC in fewest points allowed (14.7) and ranked fourth in total defense.
2025 NESCAC Football Awards
NESCAC Offensive Player of the Year: Matt Fitzsimons, Wesleyan
NESCAC Co-Defensive Players of the Year: Kemit Fisher, Amherst & Dylan Connors, Wesleyan
NESCAC Rookie of the Year: Donte Kelly, Wesleyan
NESCAC Coaching Staff of the Year: Colby College (Jack Cosgrove, Mark Clements, Liam Hobbins, Tyler Cottle, Nick Spause, Owen Berry, Max Warden, Jack Messinger, Ben Entner)
| All-NESCAC First Team Offense |
| Pos |
Name |
School |
Yr. |
Hometown |
Previous Honors |
| QB |
Matt Fitzsimons |
Wesleyan |
Jr. |
Somers, N.Y. |
|
| RB |
Connor McClellan |
Middlebury |
So. |
Columbus, Ohio |
|
| RB |
Jon Oris |
Williams |
Sr. |
Otis, Mass. |
|
| WR |
Zach Falls |
Williams |
So. |
Duxbury, Mass. |
|
| WR |
Donte Kelly |
Wesleyan |
Fy. |
Meriden, Conn. |
|
| WR |
Blake Newcomb |
Wesleyan |
Jr. |
Concord, Mass. |
|
| WR |
Nolan O'Brien |
Trinity |
Sr. |
Sudbury, Mass. |
2024 1st Team , 2024 1st Team Special Teams |
| TE |
Riley O'Connell |
Williams |
Sr. |
Sudbury, Mass. |
|
| OL |
Brandon Baker |
Trinity |
Sr. |
Quincy, Mass. |
|
| OL |
Jack Bohnsack |
Wesleyan |
Jr. |
Sugar Land, Texas |
|
| OL |
Christopher DeLeon-Kollmer |
Trinity |
Sr. |
Queens, N.Y. |
|
| OL |
Joseph Ngnombouowo |
Williams |
Sr. |
Boston, Mass. |
2024 2nd Team |
| OL |
Miles Roberts |
Amherst |
Jr. |
Baltimore, Md. |
|
|
| All-NESCAC First Team Defense |
| Pos |
Name |
School |
Yr. |
Hometown |
Previous Honors |
| DL |
Kemit Fisher |
Amherst |
Sr. |
Laurel, Md. |
|
| DL |
Angus Leary |
Bowdoin |
So. |
West Roxbury, Mass. |
|
| DL |
Jack Mullen |
Colby |
Sr. |
Trumbull, Conn. |
|
| DL |
Dean Sokaris |
Wesleyan |
Sr. |
Guilderland, N.Y. |
|
| DL |
Ben Yedid |
Williams |
So. |
Montreal, Quebec |
|
| LB |
Austin Baker |
Wesleyan |
Jr. |
Bend, Ore. |
|
| LB |
Luke Harmon |
Amherst |
Sr. |
Chevy Chase, Md. |
2024 1st Team, 2023 1st Team |
| LB |
Lincoln Moore |
Trinity |
So. |
Foxborough, Mass. |
|
| LB |
Sebastien Romain |
Colby |
Sr. |
Hudson, Mass. |
2024 2nd Team |
| LB |
Ryan Rozich |
Bates |
Jr. |
Cromwell, Conn. |
2024 2nd Team |
| DB |
Dylan Connors |
Wesleyan |
Sr. |
West Milford, N.J. |
2024 1st Team |
| DB |
Vincent Lytle |
Wesleyan |
So. |
Arden, N.C. |
|
| DB |
Tylik Sims |
Amherst |
Jr. |
Steubenville, Ohio |
|
| DB |
Michael Spencer |
Bates |
Jr. |
Mansfield, Texas |
|
| DB |
Ameer White |
Colby |
So. |
Rye, N.Y. |
|
|
| All-NESCAC First Team Special Teams |
| Pos |
Name |
School |
Yr. |
Hometown |
Previous Honors |
| P |
Eli Soehren |
Colby |
Jr. |
Otisfield, Maine |
|
| K |
Vaughn Seelicke |
Tufts |
Sr. |
Little Rock, Ark. |
|
| RT |
Nolan O'Brien |
Trinity |
Sr. |
Sudbury, Mass. |
2024 1st Team, 2024 1st Team Special Teams |
| LS |
Owen Thornton |
Middlebury |
Sr. |
Merrimac, Mass. |
|
|
| All-NESCAC Second Team Offense |
| Pos |
Name |
School |
Yr. |
Hometown |
Previous Honors |
| QB |
Owen Johansen |
Williams |
Jr. |
Northport, N.Y. |
|
| QB |
Luke Kurzum |
Hamilton |
Jr. |
Caldwell, N.J. |
2023 ROY |
| RB |
Tyler DiNapoli |
Trinity |
Sr. |
West Haven, Conn. |
2024 1st Team, 2023 1st Team, 2022 ROY |
| RB |
Ryan Lynskey |
Bates |
Jr. |
Cranford, N.J. |
2024 1st Team |
| WR |
Michael Ahonen |
Middlebury |
Sr. |
Wellesley, Mass. |
2024 2nd Team |
| WR |
Henry Fleckner |
Tufts |
Gr. |
Weston, Mass. |
|
| WR |
Carter Jung |
Amherst |
Sr. |
Menlo Park, Calif. |
2024 2nd Team Special Teams |
| WR |
Christian Moore |
Amherst |
Jr. |
Renton, Wash. |
|
| WR |
Jack Nye |
Colby |
So. |
Clinton, Conn. |
2024 ROY |
| TE |
Sam Jaffe |
Williams |
Sr. |
Great Barrington, Mass. |
|
| OL |
Brad Abbott |
Tufts |
So. |
Frankfort, Ill. |
|
| OL |
Gerard Garofolo |
Wesleyan |
Jr. |
Katonah, N.Y. |
|
| OL |
Tyler Larson |
Bowdoin |
Sr. |
Ramsey, N.J. |
|
| OL |
Cam Maguire |
Williams |
Sr. |
Lexington, Mass. |
|
| OL |
Alec Treadway |
Amherst |
Sr. |
Wilmington, Del. |
|
| OL |
William Zambito |
Middlebury |
Sr. |
Montreal, Quebec |
|
|
| All-NESCAC Second Team Defense |
| Pos |
Name |
School |
Yr. |
Hometown |
Previous Honors |
| DL |
Will Gale |
Williams |
So. |
Falmouth, Maine |
|
| DL |
Vince Gilchrist |
Tufts |
Sr. |
Norfolk, Mass. |
|
| DL |
Matt Hickey |
Trinity |
Sr. |
Melrose, Mass. |
|
| DL |
Joshua Iyonsi |
Colby |
Sr. |
River Edge, N.J. |
|
| DL |
Will Orso |
Wesleyan |
Sr. |
York, Maine |
|
| DL |
Luke Ventura |
Trinity |
Jr. |
Port Washington, N.Y. |
|
| LB |
Ethan Krauss |
Trinity |
Jr. |
Somers, N.Y. |
|
| LB |
Declan McNamara |
Colby |
Sr. |
Ridgefield, Conn. |
|
| LB |
Zakkai Moore |
Williams |
So. |
Meriden, Conn. |
|
| LB |
AJ Morris |
Wesleyan |
Sr. |
Secaucus, N.J. |
|
| LB |
Carson Skotak |
Amherst |
Jr. |
Houston, Texas |
|
| DB |
Charlie Cooper |
Trinity |
Sr. |
Sarasota, Fla. |
2024 2nd Team |
| DB |
Shane Mosia |
Trinity |
Jr. |
Plainedge, N.Y. |
|
| DB |
Aiden Nelson |
Wesleyan |
Jr. |
Hagerstown, Md. |
|
| DB |
Cameron Pineda |
Tufts |
So. |
Miami, Fla. |
|
| DB |
Drew Ramos |
Colby |
Jr. |
Kentfield, Calif. |
|
|
| All-NESCAC Second Team Special Teams |
| Pos |
Name |
School |
Yr. |
Hometown |
Previous Honors |
| P |
Leonardo Maiuolo |
Williams |
Jr. |
San Jose, Calif. |
2024 Second Team |
| P |
Caden Perry |
Bowdoin |
Jr. |
Houston, Texas |
|
| K |
Tony Wang |
Middlebury |
Sr. |
Ladera Ranch, Calif. |
|
| RT |
Keller Rogers |
Tufts |
So. |
Round Rock, Texas |
|
| LS |
Austin Baker |
Wesleyan |
Jr. |
Bend, Ore. |
|
| LS |
Gamble Reed |
Colby |
Sr. |
Spring, Texas |
|
