Piscataway, NJ -- Wagner senior running back Rick Sarille (Key Biscayne, FL/Gulliver Prep) was named Northeast Conference Offensive Player of the Year, while Albany senior linebacker Mike Grever (Syosset, NY/Cold Spring Harbor) was selected Defensive Player of the Year in a vote by league head coaches. St. Francis (PA) freshman running back Wes Clemons (Trafford, PA/Penn Trafford) earned NEC Offensive Rookie of the Year honors, while Wagner’s Mike Steed (Poughkeepsie, NY/New York Military Academy), a junior linebacker, took home Defensive Rookie of the Year accolades. Joe Walton, who guided Robert Morris to a fourth consecutive league championship, was voted NEC Coach of the Year.

Robert Morris earned nine first-team all-NEC selections and 12 overall, while Albany garnered five first team spots and 12 in total. Wagner landed six players on the all-NEC first team and nine overall, followed by Monmouth (four first team, six overall), Central Connecticut State (1, 4), Stony Brook (0, 3), Sacred Heart (0,2) and St. Francis (PA) (0, 2).

Sarille ends his spectacular career firmly entrenched within the NEC record book. A three-time all-conference selection, Sarille led the league in rushing for the second time in his career, amassing 1,373 yards on 274 carries. He also led the league in scoring (102 points), touchdowns (15 rushing, one receiving, one returning) and all-purpose yardage (2,075). A four time NEC player of the week, Sarille set a new league mark for all-purpose yardage, breaking his own record of 1,930 set in 1997. Sarille rushed for 100+ yards in eight games this season and exceeded the 200 yard mark twice. For his career, the Florida native has produced 28 100+ yard rushing efforts and eight in excess of 200 yards. He also ends his career as the all-time Wagner leader in rushing yardage (5,290), all-purpose yardage (7,338) and is tied with Terry Underwood for career touchdowns (55). Sarille has also posted three of the top-five single game rushing efforts in NEC history. On the I-AA national stage, Sarille led the nation in all-purpose yardage (207.4 ypg) and ranked ninth in rushing (137.3 ypg) and 11th in scoring (10.2 ppg).

Grever made a spectacular NEC debut this season, leading a strong Albany defensive unit that ranked second in the league in scoring defense. A two-time NEC Defensive Player of the Week, Grever finished third in the conference with an average of 10.6 tackles-per-game. He also tied for the league lead with four forced fumbles and recorded seven tackles-for-losses, 1.5 sacks, three interceptions, two pass break-ups and a blocked kick. Grever, who posted 24 double-figure tackle games during his career, became the Great Danes’ all-time tackles leader in the final game of his career, finishing with 351.

Clemons is an emerging force at running back on a young St. Francis (PA) team. Clemons led all NEC freshman runners with 594 yards and rushed for five touchdowns. He also displayed great versatility as a receiver out of the backfield, finishing seventh overall in the NEC and first among freshman with 37 receptions for 239 yards and one touchdown. Clemons led the Red Flash in rushing yardage, receptions, all-purpose yardage and scoring.

In his first year of collegiate ball, Steed became a dominating defensive force over the second half of the season for Wagner. Steed finished tenth in the league in tackles (8.6/game), second in tackles-for-losses (22) and fourth in sacks (8.0), while leading the Seahawks in all three categories. Hailing from Poughkeepsie, New York, Steed accumulated 49 tackles over his last three games to end his season with a flourish.

Walton and his Robert Morris teams have been synonymous with success since the inception of NEC football in 1996. With four straight titles to his credit, Walton adds a third NEC Coach of the Year award to his trophy case. The Colonials held off a strong challenge from Albany this season and set a new NEC record with seven consecutive wins. Robert Morris also finished first in the I-AA non-scholarship poll to become the first NEC school to ever end the season as the #1 ranked team in the nation. In his six years at the helm of the Colonials, Walton’s team have posted a 42-18-1 overall record and an 18-2 mark in NEC play.

Robert Morris sophomore Tim Levcik (Ford Cliff, PA/Ford City) was named first team all-NEC quarterback. The 1998 NEC Newcomer of the Year, Levcik rebounded from midseason injuries to lead the Colonials to a 30-20 win over Albany with first place on the line on October 30th. Levcik completed 110-195 passes for 1,461 yards and threw for a league-high 14 touchdowns compared to just seven interceptions. He finished second in the league in passing yardage (182.6/game) and completion percentage (56.4 %), and third in passing efficiency (135.9 points). Levcik stepped up his level of play against NEC competition, completing 59.8 percent of his passes and achieving a 146.9 passing rating.

Robert Morris senior Donald Dorsey (Tulare, CA/College of the Sequoias) joins Sarille in the first team all-NEC backfield. A two-time NEC all-star, Dorsey was phenomenal over the second half of the season and finished second in the league in rushing with 1,070 yards and nine touchdowns. Dorsey averaged a league-high 5.9 yards-per-carry and ranked second in scoring with 72 points. The Tulare, California native rushed for 100+ yards in each of his last five games, including a career-high 207 in his final collegiate game against Stony Brook. As versatile as they come, Dorsey caught 16 passes for 205 yards and three touchdowns. He ranks 19th nationally in all-purpose yardage (160.6 ypg) and 22nd in rushing (118.9 ypg).

Robert Morris senior J.T. Kirk (Ceres, CA/Modesto JC) and Albany sophomore Chris Phillis (Saratoga Springs, NY/Saratoga Springs) are the first team all-NEC wide receiver duo. Kirk led the Colonials with 38 catches for 634 yards and a league-high seven touchdown receptions. He also set single-season school records for receptions and receiving yardage. Phillis tied for the Albany team lead with 33 receptions for an NEC-best 635 yards and six touchdowns. His 70.6 receiving yards-per-game ranked him first among all NEC receivers, while his 19.2 yards-per-catch placed him third among NEC wideouts.

Albany junior tight end Steve Checksfield (Hurley, NY/Kingston) earns all-NEC first team honors at tight end. Checksfield, who doubles as Albany’s punter, caught 14 passes for 299 yards and four touchdowns. Checksfield topped all NEC tight ends in scoring and in yards-per-reception (21.4).

Robert Morris placed three players on the first-team all-NEC offensive line, including a three-time honoree in senior tackle Hank Fraley (Gaithersburg, MD/Gaithersburg). Teammates Shawn George (McKeesport, PA/Serra Catholic), a senior guard, and Mark Leyenaar (Palm Harbor, FL/East Lake), a junior center, anchored a strong Colonials’ line. Albany senior tackle Jason Barra (North Tonawanda, NY/North Tonawanda) and Central Connecticut State senior guard Sean Newman (Sharon, MA/Boston Latin) round out the first team unit.

Monmouth senior Cornell Key (Browns Mills, NJ/Pemberton) and Wagner senior Cheston Bulgin (Beacon, NY/Beacon), both repeat honorees, head the first team all-NEC defensive line. Key tallied nine tackles-for-losses, second on the Hawks, and finished with 3.0 sacks. Bulgin placed seventh in the conference with 13 tackles-for-losses and eighth in sacks with 5.5. Wagner senior Brian Russo (Sewaren, NJ/Woodbridge) and Robert Morris junior Brad Kirit (Moon Township, PA/Moon Area) also earned spots on the first team. Russo finished fifth in the NEC in sacks (7.5) and tackles-for-losses (15), while Kirit ended the season as the league’s second ranked sack artist with 9.5.

Joining Grever and Steed to form a strong first team all-NEC linebacker core is Monmouth junior John Schultzel (Marlboro, NJ/Marlboro). Schultzel picks up all-NEC honors for a second straight season after leading the Hawks with 90 tackles, good for eighth in the NEC. Equally adept at defending the run and the pass, he recorded seven tackles-for-losses, 2.0 sacks, three pass break-ups and an interception.

The first team all-NEC secondary is led by Wagner senior safety Kevin Goode (Rochester, NY/Bishop Kearney), who makes his second appearance on the all-NEC team. Goode was second on the Seahawks with 54 tackles and registered four pass break-ups and one interception. Robert Morris led the nation in passing defense, due in part to the play of senior strong safety Ray Thomas (Jamaica, NY/August Martin) and junior cornerback Nick Downs (Hughesville, MD/Laplata). Thomas paced the Colonials with 71 tackles, while also adding eight tackles-for-losses, 2.0 sacks, three interceptions and three forced fumbles. Downs picked off five passes to tie for second in the NEC and 18th nationally. He also broke up five passes and forced a fumble. Albany free safety Samson Brown (Bronx, NY/Cardinal Spellman) becomes the only freshman to be selected to the all-NEC first team in 1999 after ranking third on the Great Danes with 61 tackles. He also broke up six passes and forced a fumble.

Monmouth junior Chris Mandell (Mercerville, NJ/Nottingham) picks up first team all-NEC honors at placekicker. Mandell converted 12-16 field-goals and 15-16 extra-points. Mandell placed third among NEC placekickers with 51 points and is tied for 12th nationally with 1.2 field-goals per contest. He holds every field goal kicking record at Monmouth (attempts in game, season and career; field goals made in game, season and career).

Monmouth junior punter Darrell Nick (Forked River, NJ/Lacey) led the league with an average of 39.7 yards-per-kick. He placed 16 kicks inside the 20 yard-line to lead all NEC punters by a wide margin.

Wagner senior Rick Sarille (Key Biscayne, FL/Gulliver Prep) adds to his list of plaudits with his selection as first team all-NEC return specialist. Sarille averaged 26.4 yards on his 18 kickoff returns to rank second in the conference and 14th nationally. He broke off an NEC-best 81 yard return for a touchdown against Sacred Heart on September 18th.