Patriot League Release

HAMILTON – Colgate landed two of the four major awards and led the way with 13 selections to the 2017 All-Patriot League Football Team.
 
Dan Hunt earned Coach of the Year and Grant Breneman was voted Rookie of the Year after the Raiders tied Lehigh for the conference championship. Colgate won its last five games and finished 7-4 as the only Patriot League team sporting an overall winning record.
 
This is Hunt's second Coach of the Year honor in the last three seasons, and the seventh presented to a Colgate Football head coach since 1996. The Raiders for the second year in a row also grabbed rookie honors, marking the eighth time Colgate claimed that distinction.
 
The Raiders landed a conference-best 13 on the two All-Patriot League teams in voting conducted by the conference head coaches. Nine from Colgate earned first-team selections to also lead all Patriot League schools, with an additional four voted onto the second team.
 
Colgate's first-team recipients are defensive linemen Pat Afriyie and Nick Wheeler, defensive backs Abu Daramy-Swaray, Tyler Castillo and Alec Wisniewski, offensive linemen Ryan Paulish and Jovaun Woolford, tailback James Holland Jr., and placekicker Chris Puzzi.
 
Colgate's second-team picks are tailback Alex Mathews, wide receiver Thomas Ives, offensive lineman Scott Hirshman and linebacker Trent Williams.
 
Hunt, Breneman Doubling Up
Hunt earned his second Patriot League Coach of the Year honor in four seasons as head coach and now owns an 18-6 record against conference competition. He was named Monday one 18 finalists for the STATS FCS Eddie Robinson Award presented to the national coach of the year.
 
Breneman just wrapped up one of the best campaigns by a first-year quarterback in Colgate Football history after completing 56.7 percent of his passes for 1,594 yards and 18 touchdowns against just five interceptions. His 18 TD passes tie him for fifth-best by a Raiders quarterback in one season and are the most since current Colgate assistant coach Greg Sullivan threw for 18 in 2009.
 
Breneman was named Monday one of 20 finalists for the STATS FCS Jerry Rice Award presented to the national rookie of the year.
 
Afriyie earned his third consecutive first-team selection after fighting back from a Game 1 injury to record 30 tackles in eight games. He posted 6½ tackles for loss and 2½ quarterback sacks to finish second on the Colgate all-time sacks chart with 26½.
 
The attention paid to Afriyie all season opened the rush lanes for Wheeler, who led the Patriot League and is third nationally with 11½ sacks. That figure is the second-best total in Colgate Football history and accounted for 92 yards in losses. His Patriot League-leading 15½ tackles for loss accounted for 101 lost yards.

Wheeler added eight quarterback hurries to easily lead the team in that category.
 
First Patriot League Punt Return Leader in 20 Years
Daramy-Swaray was last year's Patriot League Rookie of the Year and a Hero Sports Freshman All-American. This season, he finished fifth on the team with 51 tackles, intercepted two passes and led the Raiders with nine pass breakups.

Daramy-Swaray also led the Patriot League with a 7.9-yard punt return average that sparked the Raiders as a team to a 10.5-yard average -- best in the conference as well. He's just the second Raider to lead the league in punt return average and the first since Jesse Boyd in 1997.
 
Castillo was a second-team selection last year and boosted his credentials in 2017 with eight pass breakups and two late-season interceptions. Wisniewski finished second on the team with 58 tackles and tied for defensive honors with three interceptions. He added four pass breakups and two tackles for loss.

Colgate as a team led the Patriot League and stands seventh nationally with 16 interceptions – most since the 2005 Raiders picked off 19.
 
Paulish earned first-team honors for the second straight year. He, Woolford and Hirshman helped return Colgate to its familiar perch as the conference rushing leader at 185.3 yards per game. This season marked the 10th time in the last 11 years the Raiders led the Patriot League in rushing. Colgate also allowed the fewest sacks of any conference team with 25.
 
Holland was a 2015 second-team choice and this year returned to form after missing the majority of 2016 with an injury. He led the Raiders with 722 rushing yards in nine games and tied for the team lead in rushing touchdowns with six. For his career, Holland has 1,961 rushing yards.
 
Puzzi converted 9-of-12 field goals and 38-of-40 PATs to lead the team in scoring with 65 points. His nine made field goals tied for ninth on the Colgate season chart, and the sophomore's 65 points scored led all conference kickers. In addition, Puzzi boomed his way to 28 kickoff touchbacks compared to just 11 for Colgate opponents.
 
Depth All Over the Field
Mathews helped power Colgate's rushing attack with 578 yards and team-tying six rushing TDs. The sophomore was second on the team with 130 carries and got loose for a career-long and crucial 57-yard touchdown in Colgate's opening win at Cal Poly.
 
Ives fought back from an early-season practice injury and really found his stride down the stretch. The junior over his last four games caught 13 passes for 223 yards and six touchdowns. Ives led the team with 353 receiving yards and seven touchdown catches, and his 23 receptions tied for second.
 
His 15.3-yard average per catch also led the Patriot League and on three occasions this fall he made national headlines with spectacular one-handed grabs.
 
Williams finished third on the team with 54 tackles in nine games. He contributed 3½ tackles for loss and tied for second on the defense with three quarterback hurries.
 
Colgate Patriot League Coaches of the Year
1996 – Dick Biddle
2003 – Dick Biddle
2005 – Dick Biddle
2008 – Dick Biddle
2012 – Dick Biddle
2015 – Dan Hunt
2017 – Dan Hunt
 
Colgate Patriot League Rookies of the Year
1989 – Jim Tierney, RB
1996 – Ryan Vena, QB
1997 – Ed Weiss, RB
2005 – Jordan Scott, RB
2008 – Nate Eachus, RB
2009 – Demitri Diamond, CB
2016 – Abu Daramy-Swaray, KR/PR/DB
2017 – Grant Breneman, QB
 
2017 Football All-Patriot League Teams

2017 Football Major Awards
Coach of the Year: Dan Hunt, COLGATE
Rookie of the Year: Grant Breneman, COLGATE, Fr., QB
Offensive Player of the Year: Dom Bragalone, Lehigh, Jr., RB
Defensive Player of the Year: Abdullah Anderson, Bucknell, Sr., DL
 
First-Team Offense
QB: Brad Mayes, Lehigh, Jr.,
RB: James Holland Jr., COLGATE, Sr.
RB: Dom Bragalone, Lehigh, Jr.
FB/HB: Will Eisler, Lafayette, Jr.
WR: Austin Longi, Fordham, Jr.
WR: Gatlin Casey, Lehigh, Sr.
WR: Troy Pelletier, Lehigh, Sr.
TE: Dylan Wadsworth, Lafayette, Sr.
OL: Ryan Paulish, COLGATE, Sr.
OL: Jovaun Woolford, COLGATE, Jr.
OL: Anthony Coyle, Fordham, Sr.
OL: Zach Duffy, Lehigh, Sr. 
OL: Tim O'Hara, Lehigh, Sr.
OL: Brandon Short, Lehigh, Sr.
PK: Chris Puzzi, COLGATE, So.
RS: C.J. Amill, Lafayette, Jr
 
First-Team Defense
DL: Abdullah Anderson, Bucknell, Sr.
DL: Pat Afriyie, COLGATE, Sr.
DL: Nick Wheeler, COLGATE, So.
DL: Khristian Tate, Georgetown, So.
LB: Ben Richard, Bucknell, Sr.
LB: Mark Pyles, Bucknell, Sr.
LB: Nick McBeath, Holy Cross, Sr.
LB: Brandon Bryant, Lafayette, Sr.
DB: Abu Daramy-Swaray, COLGATE, So.
DB: Tyler Castillo, COLGATE, Jr.
DB: Alec Wisniewski, COLGATE, Sr.
DB: Dylan Mabin, Fordham, Jr.
DB: Phillip Parham, Lafayette, Sr.
P: Alex Pechin, Bucknell, Jr.
Special Teams Non-Specialist: Ahmad Wilson, Georgetown, Fr. LB
 
Second-Team Offense
QB: Peter Pujals, Holy Cross, Sr.
RB: Alex Mathews, COLGATE, So.
RB: Chase Edmonds, Fordham, Sr.
WR: Thomas Ives, COLGATE, Jr.
WR: Michael Dereus, Georgetown, So.
WR: Blaise Bell, Holy Cross, Sr.
TE: Isaiah Searight, Fordham, Jr.
OL: Chase Watkins, Bucknell, Sr.
OL: Scott Hirshman, COLGATE, Sr.
OL: Ben Hartman, Fordham, Sr.
OL: James Murray, Holy Cross, Sr.
PK: John Burdick, Bucknell, Sr.
PK: Ed Mish, Lehigh, Jr.
RS: Isaac Ellsworth, Georgetown, Sr.
 
Second-Team Defense
DL: Teddy Capsis, Holy Cross, Jr.
DL: Jack Kutschke, Holy Cross, Sr.
DL: Tyler Cavenas, Lehigh, Sr.
DL: Matt Rothrock, Lafayette, Sr.
LB: Simeon Page, Bucknell, Fr.
LB: Trent Williams, COLGATE, Sr.
LB: Glenn Cunningham, Fordham, Fr.
LB: Jerry Powe, Lafayette, Jr.
DB: Colin Jonov, Bucknell, Sr.
DB: Antonio Jackson, Fordham, Jr.
DB: David Akere, Georgetown, Sr.
DB: Eric Mitchell, Lafayette, So.
P: Michael Turk, Lafayette, Fr.
Special Teams Non-Specialist: Jack McCabe, Holy Cross, Jr., LB
 
^ Six first-team offensive lineman due to a tie in voting; four offensive lineman chosen for second-team.
& Five first-team defensive backs due to a tie in voting.
# Two second-team placekickers due to a tie in voting.
% Four second-team defensive backs due to a tie in voting.