Tuesday, November 15, 2005

EIGHT GREYHOUNDS EARN ALL-MIDDLE ATLANTIC CONFERENCE FOOTBALL HONORS

ANNVILLE, PA --- Eight members of the Moravian College football team have been named the 2005 All-Middle Atlantic Conference Teams announced Tuesday by the MAC. The Greyhounds have five First Team selections including junior running back Chris Jacoubs (Fair Haven, NJ/Rumson-Fair Haven HS), senior fullback Kevin Lukich (Ogdensburg, NJ/Wallkill Valley HS), senior offensive lineman Salvatore DeWalt (Allentown, PA/Allentown Central Catholic HS), senior defensive back Tyler Chomik (Allentown, PA/Allentown Central Catholic HS) and senior defensive lineman Steve Cline (Union Beach, NJ/Keyport HS) while senior offensive lineman Brenten Runne (Stanhope, NJ/Hopatcong HS), freshman kicker Brian Reckenbeil (Branchburg, NJ/Somerville HS) and senior linebacker Chad DiFelice (Pen Argyl, PA/Pen Argyl HS) were named to the Second Team.

Moravian has posted a 6-4 record so far this season with a 5-4 record in the MAC, which was good enough to tie for fourth place after the Greyhounds were selected second in the MAC preseason poll. Moravian will be playing in the 2005 ECAC Southwest Championship game at Frostburg State (MD) University on Saturday, November 19th at 12:00 p.m.

In his third season, Jacoubs has rewritten the Moravian record books. Jacoubs leads Moravian with 954 yards and ten touchdowns on 200 carries this season. Jacoubs has 3,794 yards (first all-time at Moravian) in just 30 career games with 17 100-plus yard games in 25 starts, including four games over 200 yards. Jacoubs became the first player in school history to reach 3,000 rushing yards in a career against Susquehanna University and the only player in school history to rush for 1,000 yards in back-to-back seasons in 2003 and 2004. He is also first all-time with 216 points, 36 career touchdowns, and 758 career rushing attempts. Jacoubs, who was the MAC Rookie of the Year and the All-Conference First Team a year ago, needs just 46 yards in Saturday’s game for his third straight 1,000-yard season.

Lukich has had his most productive season for the Greyhounds this fall with 306 yards and two touchdowns on just 50 carries. The two touchdowns this fall are the only two of Lukich’s career and include a career long of 63 yards versus Susquehanna back in September. Lukich, who missed the second half of the 2004 season with a knee injury, has run for 705 yards in his career on just 139 carries.

DeWalt, Moravian’s starting left guard, and Runne, the starting left tackle, have helped anchor the Greyhounds’ offensive line, which returned four starters this year. The duo has helped the Moravian offense average 369.8 yards per game, including 208.3 yards per contest on the ground, which currently ranks 33rd in the nation. DeWalt, Runne and the rest of the offense line have allowed just 13 sacks this season. DeWalt was on the All-Conference First Team in 2004 as well.

Chomik, who was on the All-Conference First Team last fall, has contributed 40 tackles with one for loss, an interception returned 42 yards for a touchdown against Juniata College and ten pass break-ups for a total of 11 passes defended. Chomik also has 14 punt returns for 59 yards with a long of 13 yards and 12 kickoff returns for 320 yards with a long of 74 yards versus Juniata College. He is currently ranked 16th in the nation in kickoff returns with an average of 26.7 yards per return.

Cline is tied for first among the Greyhound defensive lineman with 31 tackles, and he has added eight for loss, three and a half sacks and two passes defended. Cline, who has 91 career tackles, has helped the Moravian defense allow just 147.9 yards per game rushing but its opponents. His three and a half sacks are second on the team, which has 20 sacks this year.

Reckenbeil, who was a soccer player his entire life until coming to Moravian this fall, is nine-for-12 on field goal attempts with a long of 38 yards versus Susquehanna University and 28-for-28 on extra-point attempts. Reckenbeil’s 55 points are a new single season Moravian record, and the nine field goals have tied Chad Kurtz’s record. Heading into this weekend’s game, Reckenbeil, who didn’t become the Greyhounds’ kicker other than kickoffs until the middle of the third game of the season, needs just four extra-points and one field goal to own all of the Moravian single season kicking records.

DiFelice leads the Moravian defense with 81 tackles including 12 tackles for loss, six sacks, four pass break-ups, an interception with a six yard return versus Muhlenberg College, five forced fumbles and a fumble recovery. DiFelice, who has 153 career tackles, leads the MAC and is tied for second in the nation with 0.50 forced fumbles per game. He also leads the Greyhounds in tackles for loss and sacks this fall.