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Somerset, NJ - Sacred Heart secured the Northeast Conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA Division I FCS Playoffs on Sunday.

Three days later, the SHU Pioneers snagged two major NEC individual honors.

Sacred Heart running back Julius Chestnut (Baltimore, MD) earned the NEC Offensive Player of the Year award following a four-game stretch that yielded nearly 900 yards from scrimmage.

SHU head coach Mark Nofri, who also led the Pioneers to back-to-back FCS Playoffs appearances in 2013 and 2014, garnered the NEC Coach of the Year honor for the fourth time in his career.

In their annual postseason voting process, the NEC coaches tabbed Wagner linebacker Titus Leo (Sheepshead Bay, NY) as the conference’s top defensive player. Leo, a New York City product, takes the NEC Defensive Player of the Year award that former Seahawk Cam Gill held in 2018 and 2019.

Duquesne freshman running back Billy Lucas (Erie, PA), who eclipsed the 100-yard rushing mark in each of his last two appearances, earned the NEC Offensive Rookie of the Year award. It marks the second time a Duke has held this distinction (AJ Hines, 2016).

Bryant defensive lineman Chidi Nna (Framingham, MA) won the vote for the NEC Defensive Rookie of the Year award. After sitting on the sidelines in 2019, the redshirt freshman played all four games this spring.

In addition to the five major awards recipients, the Northeast Conference also unveiled two 25-member All-NEC Teams in n Wednesday, April 14 via Twitter.

Duquesne, which won all four of its regular season games, earned a league-high 16 all-conference selections, including nine representatives on the All-NEC First Team.

Fresh off its NEC title game win, Sacred Heart totaled 13 all-conference honores with eight Pioneers landing on the First Team.

All six NEC programs who competed this spring were represented on the All-NEC Teams.

Chestnut needed only four games to do what most running backs fall short of during a full season. The junior running back, who burst onto the scene as the 2018 NEC Offensive Rookie of the Year, has established himself as an All-American caliber ball carrier. During the abbreviated spring season schedule, the Maryland product paced the NEC in rushing yards (717), all-purpose yards (888), and scoring (68 points). Entering the last week of the FCS regular season schedule, Chestnut is one yard off the national rushing leader despite having played five fewer games than the first-place occupant. His 11 total touchdowns are third most in the FCS, but he is the lone player to have scored double-digit TDs having played fewer than eight games. This spring season performance follows a 2019 FCS regular season that ended with Chestnut rushing for the second-most yards (1,495) nationally.

Chestnut adds another dimension to his arsenal by showing an ability to effectively catch the ball out of the backfield. He logged two receptions in each of the Pioneers’ four games, totaling 171 receiving yards and three touchdown catches. The powerful runner gained more than 200 yards from scrimmage during each of his first three spring outings. Chestnut, who averaged 7.71 yards per carry this spring, set the NEC single-game rushing season high by piling up 203 yards and four scores on 24 carries in a win over LIU. Going up against previously-unbeaten Duquesne in the NEC Championship Game,

Leo keeps the NEC’s top defensive honor on Staten Island for the third consecutive season, following in the footsteps of Super Bowl LV Champion Cam Gill. Having earned playing time since his freshman year, Leo has taken the lead on Wagner’s defense as a junior. The physical specimen made the most of his limited opportunities this spring, making a team-high 15 tackles in two games.

Leo produced 4.0 tackles-for-loss, 2.0 sacks, and two forced fumbles despite COVID-19 protocols cutting the Seahawks’ schedule in half. Both of his sacks came against first-place Duquesne. Leo logged a game-high nine stops, including 2.0 TFL, in a road game against Bryant, helping limit all-NEC tailback Daniel Adeboboye to his lowest rushing output this season.

Lucas logged four or more carries as a reserve in each of the Dukes’ first three games before excelling in an expanded role down the stretch. The first-year Duke rushed for 110 yards and one touchdown on 26 carries in the rain-soaked regular season finale at Bryant. Lucas proved to be a reliable option again in the NEC Championship Game, running 22 times for 110 yards and a score. The Keystone State product averaged 59.4 rush yards per game while gaining 4.5 yards per tote.

Nna earned an expanded role, becoming a key member of Bryant’s defensive line rotation. The 6-foot-4 down lineman recorded tackles in all four appearances and ended the regular season by making back-to-back starts. Nna totaled 11 stops, including 2.0 tackles-for-loss, during his debut campaign. He was an active member of the Front 7 during a March 14 win over Merrimack. With Bryant holding its opponent to only seven points, Nna logged 1.5 TFL, including a drive-ending half-sack, and one quarterback hurry. He made a season-high six stops in the opener at LIU.

Nofri coached Sacred Heart to victory over previously-unbeaten Duquesne on the road in the NEC Championship Game. The long-time Pioneer is presiding over a third consecutive winning season in Fairfield. Under Nofri, Sacred Heart owns the top-ranked offense on the circuit. SHU leads the NEC in total offense (420.2 ypg) and scoring offense (30.5 ppg).


MORE TO KNOW...

> Eligible for all-conference honors for the first time as a Division I member, Merrimack placed seven on the All-NEC Second Team.

> Long Island University placed representatives on the All-NEC First Team Offense (OL Dareus Smith) and Defense (DL Joe Amalfitano) for the first time as a FCS program.

> Both all-conference quarterbacks are sophomore – Duquesne’s Joe Mischler (First Team) and Sacred Heart’s Marquez McCray (Second Team)

> Bryant players landed on all three levels on the All-NEC First Team Defense (DL Jack Daly, LB Joe Andreessen, DB Andre Brackett)

> Nine different home states (CT, FL, MA, MD, NJ, NY, PA, RI, VA) and three countries (USA, Canada, Austria) are represented on the All-NEC First Team