Piscataway, NJ - Monmouth senior running back Chris Reed (Glassboro, NJ/Glassboro) was named Northeast Conference Offensive Player of the Year, while Central Connecticut State senior defensive tackle Steven Konopka (West Hartford, CT/Conard) was picked Defensive Player of the Year in a vote by league head coaches. Robert Morris captured both Newcomer of the Year awards, as freshman quarterback Tim Levcik (Ford Cliff, PA/Ford City) earned NEC Offensive Newcomer of the Year honors, while teammate Brad Miller (Lancaster, OH/Amanda Clearcreek), a freshman linebacker, took home Defensive Newcomer of the Year plaudits. Kevin Callahan, who led Monmouth to a share of the conference title, was voted NEC Coach of the Year.

Monmouth’s Reed led the NEC in rushing, accumulating 1,163 yards on 207 carries. His 22 touchdowns and 1,588 all-purpose yards ranked him first in the conference in both categories. A six-time NEC Player of the Week, Reed became the first Monmouth player to rush for 1,000 yards in a season and set ten school records, including career yardage (2,278), touchdowns (32) and touchdowns in a game (five against LaSalle on October 3, 1998). On a national stage, Reed is ranked third in NCAA I-AA in scoring (13.20 points/game), 10th in all-purpose yards (158.8 yards/game) and 18th in rushing yards (116.60 yards/game).

Despite battling injuries all season, Konopka remained a dominating force on the Central Connecticut defensive line. He posted an NEC leading 10.5 sacks, tied for the league lead with 19 tackles-for-losses and amassed 63 tackles on the season. Konopka’s extraordinary defensive skills were on full display in Central Connecticut’s early season win over St. John’s. In one of the finest defensive performances in NEC history, he registered 16 tackles, four sacks, two pass break-ups, an interception and a blocked field-goal. Konopka, a legitimate NFL prospect, was an all-NEC selection in 1997.

Levcik took the NEC by storm in his freshman campaign, leading all conference signal callers in pass-efficiency with a 133.1 rating. The seven-time Newcomer of the Week selection completed 133-241 passes for 1,726 yards and tossed a league-high 19 touchdown passes to lead a potent Robert Morris offense. Levcik set an NEC record for  touchdown passes in a game, throwing for five against St. Francis (PA) on November 7. He ranks 28th in the nation in passing efficiency.

Miller was a key figure on a Robert Morris defensive unit that led the league in scoring defense. Miller tied for the NEC lead in tackles-for-losses with 19 and contributed 76 tackles (52 solo), six pass break-ups, 2.0 sacks and an interception. He led all freshman in tackles and tackles-for-losses.

Callahan earned his first NEC Coach of the Year honor after guiding the Hawks to a share of the NEC conference title. Monmouth posted a 4-1 league mark and led the conference in scoring offense, averaging 30.3 points per game. In his six-year tenure at the West Long Branch school, Callahan has led the Hawks to a 33-22 overall record.

Monmouth junior John DiPasquale (Kearny, NJ/Kearny) was selected as the NEC’s top quarterback in 1998. DiPasquale, who had attempted only 21 passes entering the 1998 season, led an explosive Monmouth passing attack. He completed 167-294 passes for an NEC record 2,299 yards. He also threw for 15 touchdowns and led the NEC in completions and completion percentage (56.8%). His 131.8 passing efficiency rating ranks him 34th in I-AA. DiPasquale also tied the league mark for pass completions in a single game with 26 against C.W. Post on October 10th.

Joining Reed in the all-NEC backfield is Robert Morris junior running back Donald Dorsey (Tulare, CA/College of the Sequoias). Dorsey came on strong late in the season and finished with 79 rushes for 604 yards and five touchdowns. His 7.6 yards per carry led all NEC rushers. Dorsey was also a valuable receiver, catching 14 passes for 99 yards and two touchdowns.

Robert Morris senior Fred Parker (Roosevelt, NY/August Martin) and Monmouth senior Anthony Galella (Paramus, NJ/Paramus Catholic) were named all-NEC wide receivers. Parker makes his second appearance on the all-league team after leading the Colonials with 31 catches for 540 yards and six touchdowns. He led all NEC receivers with a 17.4 yards per catch average. Galella ranked first in the conference in receptions (61), receiving yards (1,044) and touchdown receptions (nine). He ranks 10th in I-AA in reception yardage (104.40 yards/game) and 20th in total receptions (6.10/game). Galella set Monmouth single-season records for receptions, receiving yardage and touchdowns, and became the first Hawk receiver to eclipse the 1,000 yard mark in a season.

Monmouth senior Dave Monro (Cliffwood Beach, NJ/Matawan) takes all-NEC honors at tight end. With 25 catches for 307 yards and three touchdowns, Monro became a primary target in his senior campaign after catching just six passes as a junior. Monro led all NEC tight ends in scoring and finished second in receptions and yardage.

Four repeat honorees help comprise the all-NEC offensive line. Wagner senior Brian Avery (Hempstead, NY/Uniondale) earned his third all-NEC selection, while Wagner senior Chad Moran (Arnold, MD/Severna Park), Robert Morris junior Hank Fraley (Gaithersburg, MD/Gaithersburg) and Monmouth senior Anthony Verdi (Jersey City, NJ/St. Peter’s Prep) became two-time honorees. Making his first appearance is Central Connecticut State senior center Jason Cushman (Marshfield, MA/Marshfield).

Central Connecticut State’s Konopka, a two-time award winner, leads the all-NEC defensive line selections. Monmouth has two players represented in senior Robert Ward (Asbury Park, NJ/Asbury Park) and junior Cornell Key (Browns Mills, NJ/Pemberton). Ward tied for fourth in the league with 7.0 sacks and ranked eighth with 13 tackles-for-losses, while Key totaled 12 tackles-for-losses, placing him ninth in the NEC. Wagner junior Cheston Bulgin (Beacon, NY/Beacon) was the third ranked sack artist with 7.5 and placed sixth in tackles-for-losses with 15.

Three school are represented among the all-NEC linebacker core. St. Francis (PA) senior Matt Farabaugh (Carrolltown, PA/Bishop Carroll) was third in the league in tackles, accumulating a team-high 105 on the season. He also forced two fumbles and had nine tackles-for-losses. Monmouth sophomore linebacker John Schultzel (Marlboro, NJ/Marlboro) led the Hawks with 92 tackles, a figure that placed him fourth in the NEC. He picked off two passes and had three pass break-ups. Central Connecticut State sophomore David Parker (Baltimore, MD/Dundark) topped the Blue Devils with 112 tackles. He ranked second in the conference in tackles, fifth in tackles-for-losses (16) and tied for seventh in sacks (5.0).

The all-NEC secondary includes players from four schools. Monmouth sophomore Aaron Edwards (Jackson, NJ/Jackson) led all NEC defensive backs with 81 tackles. Wagner junior Kevin Goode (Rochester, NY/Bishop Kearney) was fifth on the Seahawks with 43 tackles and tied for ninth in the conference with five pass break-ups. Robert Morris junior Chris Beene (Portland, OR/College of the Sequoias) tied for fifth in the NEC with seven pass break-ups and added 35 tackles and two interceptions. Central Connecticut sophomore safety Garfield White (Hartford, CT/Bloomfield) led the league with nine pass break-ups and ranked second on the Blue Devils with 66 tackles.

Robert Morris freshman Jeff Carlo (Wilkes-Barre, PA/Elmer Meyers) was voted as the all-NEC placekicker. Carlo converted 6-9 field-goals, including a school record 50 yarder against Duquesne on November 21. He was 33-35 on extra-point attempts and ranked second in scoring among NEC plackickers with 51 points.

Robert Morris senior punter Chris Longo (Naples, FL/Lely) was an obvious choice for all-NEC punter. Longo averaged 42.3 yards per kick to lead all NEC punters by a wide margin. He placed four kicks inside the 20 yard line.

Robert Morris junior Donald Dorsey (Tulare, CA/College of the Sequoias) completes the Colonials’ special teams sweep with his selection as all-NEC return specialist. Dorsey, who also earned all-NEC running back plaudits, averaged 25.2 yards on 13 kickoff returns, including a long return of 58 yards. He ranked second in the conference in kickoff return average.

Offensive Player of the Year	Chris Reed, Monmouth
Defensive Player of the Year	Steven Konopka, CCSU
Offensive Newcomer of the Year	Tim Levcik, Robert Morris
Defensive Newcomer of the Year	Brad Miller, Robert Morris
Coach of the Year	Kevin Callahan, Monmouth
All-Conference Offense All-Conference Defense Pos. Player Team Pos. Player Team QB John DiPasquale MON DL Steven Konopka CCSU RB Chris Reed MON DL Robert Ward MON RB Donald Dorsey RMC DL Cornell Key MON WR Anthony Galella MON DL Cheston Bulgin WAG WR Fred Parker RMC LB Matt Farabaugh SFPA TE Dave Monro MON LB John Schultzel MON OL Brian Avery WAG LB David Parker CCSU OL Chad Moran WAG DB Aaron Edwards MON OL Jason Cushman CCSU DB Kevin Goode WAG OL Hank Fraley RMC DB Chris Beene RMC OL Anthony Verdi MON DB Garfield White CCSU K Jeff Carlo RMC P Chris Longo RMC RET Donald Dorsey RMC