2011 BSN All-American Selections

BEVERLY, Mass. – The postseason hardware continued to pile up for the Endicott football team who saw five of their players awarded with NCAA Division III All-American status by Beyond Sports Network.  After placekicker Dylan Rushe’s (Palos Verdes, Calif.) D3Football.com All-America nod three weeks ago, that now makes six Gulls who have earned national athletic recognition. 

Senior defensive lineman Kevin Eagan (West Hartford, Conn.), who was named Second Team Defense, capped off his stellar four-year career with a 104-tackle season.  Twenty-three of his tackles went for a loss, including a career-high 8.5 sacks, while adding three forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries, three picks, and four pass deflections.  He finished 10^th in the nation in tackles for a loss, average 2.09 per game.  Eagan was the NEFC Boyd Division’s Defensive Player of the Year for the second season in-a-row.

BSN named three Endicott student-athletes to their Third Team: seniors Taylor Allen (Westboro, Mass.) and Mike Lane (Medfield, Mass.) on offensive and sophomore Jason Silva (Maynard, Mass.) on the defensive side on the ball. 

Allen, a NEFC Boyd Division First Team Tight End for the second straight year, had another standout year in his final season with the Gulls catching 35 balls for 482 yards and six touchdowns. 

Lane, Endicott’s star running back, had a career-year in 2011 after amassing 1719 total yards of offensive (1517 rushing, 202 receiving) with 14 total touchdowns.  Lane scored at least one touchdown in 10 straight games and ran for at least 100 yards in nine straight contests, including a record-breaking 226-yard outburst against Westfield State in week two.  His 137.91 rushing yards per game output ranked him 10^th in the country among NCAA Division III rushers.  He was named a NEFC Boyd Division First Team Running Back for the third straight year.  Off the field, the senior criminal justice major earned a spot on the coveted Capital One Academic All-America Team along with teammate Mike Zupkosky (Westford, Mass.), a first for any Endicott football player in program history. 

In his second year with Endicott and his first in a major starting role in the defensive backfield, Silva shined by making six interceptions with six pass breakups.  He also made 30 tackles, 14 of which were solo, while recovering two fumbles.  Silva started the season by making interceptions in each of Endicott's first four games including two in the season opener against Framingham State.  

Endicott’s final BSN All-American selection went to senior quarterback Phil Konopka (Shelton, Conn.) who earned an Honorable Mention nod.  The NEFC Boyd Division’s Offensive Player of the Year and First Team Quarterback honoree shattered numerous records in 2011 and finished with 2,683 passing yards and 27 touchdowns with just nine interceptions.  Konopka was tops in the NEFC in passing efficiency (165.99) and total offense (236.09 yards per game).  The senior also earned a Gold Helmet Award from the New England Football Writers Association after his 385-yard, five-touchdown record-breaking performance against Curry on October 1^st.