Five time defending champion Robert Morris was awarded with eleven first team all-conference selections and 14 overall to lead all NEC schools. Sacred Heart (three first team) and Wagner (two first team) landed ten all-stars, followed by Albany (five first team, eight overall), Monmouth (4, 5), St. John’s (0, 2) and St. Francis (PA) (0, 1).

After firmly establishing himself as the league’s top signal caller last season, Levcik took his game to another level in 2000 to become the first Robert Morris player to win Offensive Player of the Year honors. A two-time Player of the Week award winner, he completed 142-267 passes (53.2 percent) and ranked second in the league with 1,925 yards and 21 touchdowns. He was picked off just nine times and sported a 133.0 pass efficiency rating. His 21 touchdown passes broke Jake Newman’s school record of 20 set in 1997, while his 1,925 passing yards surpassed his own Colonial mark of 1,726 yards set in his freshman season. With 5,112 career passing yards, he is the second most prolific passer in NEC history behind CCSU’s Keith Toolan, who threw for 5,145 yards from 1996-99. Levcik has also developed a well-deserved reputation as a clutch player, stemming from the five career fourth quarter comeback victories he has engineered, including three in this past season alone. In his three years with the club, the Colonials have posted a 22-8 record, captured three straight NEC titles and finished first in the Don Hansen I-AA Mid-Major Poll the last two seasons.

Mayowa is an intense competitor who proved last season’s phenomenal freshman campaign was no fluke. With the quickness of a defensive back and the strength of a lineman, Mayowa ranked second in the NEC with 123 tackles (55 solo), and added 15 tackles-for-losses, 5.5 sacks, three forced fumbles, four pass breakups and an interception. In just two seasons, he ranks second on the NEC career list with 43 tackles-for-losses. Due in part to his contributions, Sacred Heart held five conference opponents to seven points or less in 2000.

After a slow start, Hockenberry developed into one of the league’s elite pass receiving tight ends and was Levcik’s favorite target over the second half of the season. With reliable hands and the ability to run deep routes, Hockenberry led the NEC with 18.4 yards-per-catch and tied for second with eight touchdown receptions. He caught 28 of his 34 passes over the last five games of the season and finished with 624 yards, tops among NEC tight ends and fourth in the conference. A three-time NEC Rookie of the Week honoree, Hockenberry joins Levcik (1998) and Archie Wannamaker (1996) as Colonials to be named Offensive Rookie of the Year.

One of the driving forces behind a Sacred Heart defense that ranked second nationally in scoring defense (13.4 ppg), Pawlowski patrolled the secondary with abandon and displayed a knack for making big plays. A two-time Rookie of the Week winner, Pawlowski tied for the third in the league with four interceptions. He finished the season with 73 tackles, including seven tackles-for-losses, 3.0 sacks, five passes defended, two blocked kicks and two fumble returns for touchdowns.

In his first shot at a head coaching position after 15 years as an assistant, Fleming took over a program with no apparent future and almost overnight built it into one of the nation’s great success stories of 2000. The Pioneers finished second in the conference and set a school and NEC record with ten victories. The program’s eight-game turnaround (from 2-9 to 10-1) is the best in NCAA Division I this season. Fleming, an Eddie Robinson award finalist, built his reputation as a defensive coach in stops at Villanova and East Carolina, and brought the same approach to Sacred Heart this season. The Pioneers lowered their points allowed from 31.7 ppg in 1999 (seventh in the NEC) to the nation’s second lowest average in 2000 at 13.4 ppg. In addition to upgrading the talent base at the skill positions - he added Justin Holtfreter at quarterback, Marvin Royal at running back and DeVeren Johnson at wide receiver - Fleming was also instrumental in steering the offense to a more wide open attack, resulting in a jump from 12.1 ppg last season (seventh in NEC) to 28.5 ppg in 2000 (third in NEC).

Robert Morris sophomore Sam Dorsett (Hollywood, FL/Flanagan) and Sacred Heart junior Marvin Royal (Pleasantville, NJ/Fairfield University) comprise the first team all-NEC backfield. Dorsett is the latest in a succession of talented running backs to emerge from the Moon Township campus. He led the NEC in rushing with 1,219 yards on 217 carries (5.6 ypc), and added eight touchdowns. Honored on three occasions as NEC Player of the Week, Dorsett registered six 100+ yard games and ranks 19th nationally with 121.3 ypg. Royal boosted a Sacred Heart running attack that averaged a modest 118.8 ypg last season to 171.2 ypg in 2000. A transfer from Fairfield, Royal’s 1,068 yards rushing was only exceeded by Dorsett. A workhorse who led the NEC with 224 carries, he averaged 4.8 ypc and added ten touchdowns. His school-record 302-yard rushing performance against Iona on October 28 landed him a spot in Sports Illustrated’s "Faces In The Crowd."

Wagner senior Jason Bain (Windham, NH/Pinkerton Academy) and Robert Morris senior Opio Gary (Bronx, NY/Bayside) are the league’s first team all-NEC wideouts. Bain, who led the NEC in both catches (51) and receiving yards (877) in 2000, concluded his stellar career as the league’s all-time leader in pass receptions (142) and receiving yards (2,294). A consistent threat week-in and week-out, Bain reeled in six touchdown passes and ranks 23rd in I-AA in yardage (87.7 ypg). A big-play force for the Colonials, Gary collected a team-high 35 receptions for 514 yards and seven touchdowns. He set an NEC single-game record with three touchdowns receptions against St. Francis (PA) on September 30.

Wagner junior tight end Daryn Plummer (Somerset, NJ/Franklin) earns first team all-NEC honors at tight end. A converted linebacker, Plummer took to his new position immediately, and paced NEC receivers with ten touchdown catches. A terrific natural athlete, Plummer led all NEC tight ends with 36 catches, good for 418 yards.

Robert Morris’ Mark Leyenaar (Palm Harbor, FL/East Lake) and Albany’s J.T. Herfurth (East Northport, NY/John Glenn), both repeat honorees, head the first team all-NEC offensive line. Leyenaar, a junior center who was a first team pick in 1999, anchored a Colonial line that allowed just 12 sacks all season. A second team selection last season, Herfurth is a versatile senior tackle for the Great Danes. His strong play did not go unnoticed, as he was awarded a spot on the North team at the upcoming Hula Bowl on January 20. Joining Leyenaar and Herfurth are Albany senior guard Rafael Cruz (Tarrytown, NY/Sleepy Hollow), Robert Morris junior tackle Pat Linberg (Renovo, PA/Bucktail Area) and Monmouth junior tackle Matt Herdman (Bergenfield, NJ/Bergenfield), who at 6-2, 240 lbs., is the smallest member of the outfit.

The first three-time all-NEC defensive lineman in league history, Monmouth senior end Cornell Key (Browns Mills, NJ/Pemberton) is joined on the line by Albany senior tackle Jason Martin (North Syracuse, NY/Cicero-North Syracuse) and two players from Robert Morris, senior tackle Brad Kirit (Moon Township, PA/Moon Area) and junior end Matt Grayson (Front Royal, VA/Warren County). Monmouth has stockpiled tremendous talent on its defensive line since the NEC’s inception, typified by Key, who was one of the league’s most dominant pass rushers this season. Key registered 11.5 sacks and 19 tackles-for-losses to rank second and fourth, respectively, in the NEC this season. Kirit earns first team recognition for the second consecutive year despite battling injuries all season. The NEC’s all-time sack leader with 19.5, he paced the Colonials with 5.0 quarterback takedowns in 2000. An undersized lineman at 6-1, 210 lbs., Grayson utilized his quickness to total 42 tackles (31 solo), eight tackles-for-losses and 2.0 sacks. Martin made 45 stops (22 solo), and added seven tackles-for-losses and 3.0 sacks for the Great Danes.

Arguably the deepest position in the NEC, three new faces form the first team all-NEC linebacking core, including Mayowa, the NEC Defensive Player of the Year. Monmouth sophomore Joe Sentipal (Hasbrouck Heights, NJ/Hasbrouck Heights) was a terror to conference quarterbacks this season, and enjoyed one of the most productive defensive seasons in league history. Honored on four occasions as NEC Player of the Week, Sentipal set a league single-season record with 15.5 sacks and finished tied for first with 24 tackles-for-losses totaling 134 yards. Playing for the nation’s top ranked defensive unit in terms of total defense, he added 88 tackles (58 solo), four fumble recoveries and two forced fumbles. With a penchant for making critical plays, Albany sophomore Josh Bazan (Bronx, NY/Cardinal Spellman) concluded the season with team-highs in tackles (106 total; 68 solo), tackles-for-losses (17), sacks (4.5), fumble recoveries (four) and forced fumbles (three). He also intercepted a pass and broke up six more.

Three of the four members of the first team all-NEC secondary are second time honorees. Robert Morris senior strong safety Ray Thomas (Jamaica, NY/August Martin) led the Colonials in tackles for the second straight year with 80 (35 solo). Thomas, who plays the run like a linebacker and is effective in pass coverage schemes, was credited with nine tackles-for-losses and five pass breakups. His teammate, senior cornerback Nick Downs (Hughesville, MD/LaPlata) ends his career as the most prolific pickoff artist in league history. He tied a school and NEC single-season record with seven interceptions in 2000, raising his career total to 14. He also returned two interceptions for touchdowns and broke up seven passes. Albany sophomore free safety Samson Brown (Bronx, NY/Cardinal Spellman) was third on the Great Danes with 80 tackles (56 solo). He recovered two fumbles and broke up seven passes. Although he is the lone newcomer to the all-NEC secondary, Sacred Heart junior Kiheme Cowan (Woodbridge, NJ/Woodbridge) is no stranger to all-star teams. Cowan was recognized as a second team all-conference running back in 1999, before making the switch to defensive back under new head coach Jim Fleming. A quick study and top-flight athlete, Cowan recorded three interceptions, six pass breakups, two fumble recoveries, one forced fumble and one blocked kick.

Robert Morris junior Jeff Carlo (Wilkes-Barre, PA/Elmer Meyers) is a three-time all-NEC selection at placekicker, including first team nods in 1998 and 2000. He drilled 11-15 field goal attempts and 40-44 PAT’s to finish third overall and second among kickers with 73 points. His prowess as a long distance kicker was further enhanced by a school-record 55-yard field goal against Buffalo State on September 2. Carlo is the NEC’s career leader with 29 field goals and ranks third in scoring (and first among placekickers) with 198 points.

Monmouth senior Darrell Nick (Forked River, NJ/Lacey) returns for a second go-around as the league’s top punter. Nick set a single-season league record and ranks sixth nationally with an average of 42.1 yards-per-kick. He led the NEC in punting average for the third time in four seasons and placed 15 kicks inside the 20 yard line.

Robert Morris senior Opio Gary (Bronx, NY/Bayside) is a double award winner, earning first team plaudits as a return specialist and wide receiver. Gary averaged 26.4 yards on his 14 kickoff returns to rank second in the league and 13th in I-AA. He also broke off two long returns of 75 and 67 yards.