White and Williams Garner Major Awards From ECAC; Six Rams Named To Squad

CAPE COD, Mass. – Sr., RB Rondell White and Jr., MLB Ronell Williams were each major award winners when the Eastern College Athletic Conference announced its All-ECAC football team Thursday. White and Williams were the offensive and defensive players of the year.
 
West Chester landed six players on the All-ECAC Football Team. Jr., CB Al-Hajj Shabazz was named to the All-ECAC team along with offensive linemen Adam Citko, Justin Bathurst and Trey Farmer.
 
After a trip to the NCAA Division II National Semifinal, White and Williams headline the list of players selected to the 2013 Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Division II Football All-Star team, announced today by the Conference office. The balloting is completed by the head coaches within the ECAC Division II Football membership.
 
White was chosen as the Offensive Player of the Year after a season in which he accounted for 3,107 all-purpose yards, becoming just the third player in NCAA Division II history to surpass 3,000 all-purpose yards in a season. The versatile feature back finished the season with 1,989 rushing yards, 843 receiving yards and 275 return yards. White's 406 carries this past fall also broke the NCAA Division II record. He is the only running back in DII history to eclipse 400 rushing attempts in a single season.
 
White rushed for over 100 yards in a game nine times this season, including a career high 245 yards in a win over Gannon. He broke a total of 21 school records during his career at West Chester, including nine this season. White is the Golden Rams' all-time leading rusher (4,336 yards). He was named to the American Football Coaches' Association (AFCA) Division II All-America Team, AP Little All-America Football Team and the All-Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division First Team.
 
The Defensive Player of the Year, Williams anchored the West Chester defense in 2013, helping lead the Golden Rams to the Division II Football final four. He posted a team-high 110 tackles, intercepted a pair of passes, racked up 9.5 tackles for loss and sacked the quarterback 3.5 times. Williams also led the team with 60 solo tackles and forced a fumble. He was named a finalist for the inaugural Cliff Harris Award as the top small college defensive football player in the country, representing nearly 500 NCAA Division II, III and NAIA colleges and universities. For his efforts, Williams was named an All-PSAC First Team selection.
 
Farmer, who finished seventh out of 14 candidates in the regional voting for the Gene Upshaw Award, joins fellow linemen Adam Citko and Justin Bathurst on the All-ECAC team. The three linemen named to the all-region team are a big reason that West Chester (13-2) reached the national semifinals. Farmer, Citko and Bathurst opened the holes for White to run into the record book while also protecting quarterback Sean McCartney as he turns in one of the most prolific seasons in West Chester history as well.

Shabazz is the definition of a "shutdown corner" for the Golden Rams. He draws the opposition's top target in the passing game and has four interceptions and eight pass breakups to his credit in 2013. He finished the year with 53 tackles, including two for a loss. His interception return for a touchdown in the fourth quarter of the Super Region 1 Championship Game broke a 14-all tie and helped propel the Golden Rams into the semifinals.
 
2013 ECAC Division II Football Players of the Year 
Offensive Player of the Year
Rondell White, Sr., West Chester University
Defensive Player of the Year
Ronell Williams, Jr., West Chester University
Offensive Rookie of the Year
Mike Richardson, Fr., LIU Post
Defensive Rookie of the Year
Ryan Carroll, Fr., Mercyhurst College
 
2013 ECAC Division II Football All-Star Team
OFFENSE
Quarterback
Joe Clancy, Sr., Merrimack College
Running Back
Anthony Bilal, So., Lake Erie College
Rondell White, Sr., West Chester University
Wide Receiver
Jere Brown, So., Merrimack College
Justin Bernard, Jr., Saint Anselm College
Tight End
R.J. Miller, R-Jr., Mercyhurst College
Offensive Line
Mike Price, Sr., Lake Erie College
Ben Gysin, R-Jr., Mercyhurst College
Justin Bathurst, Sr., West Chester University
Trey Farmer, Sr., West Chester University
Adam Citko, Sr., West Chester University
 
DEFENSE
Defensive Line
Matt Tripicchio, Sr., Merrimack College
Dustin Galich, Sr., Mercyhurst College
Serge Augustin, R-Sr., Mercyhurst College
Ariene Gardner, Sr., Cheyney University
Linebacker*
Rob Bright, Sr., LIU Post
Brian Wilcox, Jr., Southern Connecticut State University
Ronell Williams, Jr., West Chester University
Isaiah Fleming, Jr., Cheyney University
Defensive Back
Pierre Desir, Sr., Lindenwood University
Chris Dilorio, Sr., LIU Post
Colin Kimball, Jr., Mercyhurst College
Al-Hajj Shabazz, Jr., West Chester University
Kicker
Steven Wakefield, Sr., Mercyhurst College
Punter
Kyle Jaski, Jr., Lincoln University
Return Specialist
Quinn McDonough, Sr., Merrimack College
 
*-Additional Players added due to ties in the voting