TOWSON, Md. ? Nine Scholar-Athletes from the Towson University football team, led by senior place kicker Mark Bencivengo, have been named to the Colonial Athletic Association Football Academic All-Conference team, it has been announced by CAA officials. With nine Academic All-Conference selections, Towson ranks sixth among CAA football schools. Hofstra had 15 players selected to the Academic All-Conference team while Delaware, James Madison and New Hampshire had 12 honorees each. With ten players on the team, Northeastern ranks fifth, just ahead of the Tigers.
Towson was followed by Maine (7), Massachusetts (7), Villanova (7), Richmond (6), Rhode Island (6) and William & Mary (5). The CAA selected 107 players to the CAA Football Academic All-Conference team.
A native of Hamilton, N.J., Bencivengo is an Exercise Science major who was honored for the second year in a row. The Tigers' place kicker for the last two seasons, he led the team in scoring as a junior and senior. In his senior season, he scored 43 points and averaged 64.1 yards per kickoff.
From the offense, senior tight end Anthony Fair, junior wide receiver Casey Cegles and offensive guard Dan Hurley were also named to the CAA Academic All-Conference team. On defense, sophomore linebacker Donte Blakey, sophomore cornerback Jeremy Gardner, and sophomore defensive tackle Yaky Ibia joined “red shirt” freshmen Ben Hunolt and Armen Melikian as members of the CAA Academic All-Conference team.
A Mass Communication major, Fair is a Baltimore native who was a reserve tight end for the Tigers. A native of Ocean City, N.J., Cegles is a Business Administration major who was the Tigers' fifth-leading receiver with 36 receptions for 450 yards and five touchdowns. A Political Science major from Colonia, N.J., Hurley was a starter on the offensive line for most of the 2008 season.
A Computer Science major from Lebanon, Pa., Blakey started all 12 games for the Tigers and made 56 tackles, fifth on the team. Gardner, a Business Administration major from Spotsylvania, Va., had 30 tackles and broke up three passes this past season. A first-year starter on the defensive line, Ibia made 27 tackles. He is a Sports Studies major from Reston, Va. A Business Administration major from Durham, N.C., Melikian saw duty in all 12 games and made 11 tackles. A native of Tucson, Arizona, Hunolt suffered a pre-season knee injury and did not appear in any games.
To be eligible for the CAA Football Academic All-Conference team, a player must be a starter or important reserve and have a cumulative G.P.A. of 3.00 or better (on a 4.00 scale) for his entire academic career. A transfer is not eligible unless he has completed one (1) full year at his institution. First-year freshmen are not eligible.
