Tuesday, December 17, 2002

PENCE NAMED AFCA DIVISION III COACHES’ ALL-AMERICAN

WACO, TX --- Moravian College senior defensive back Jarrod Pence (Livingston, NJ/Livingston HS) has been named to the 2002 American Football Coaches Association Division III Coaches’ All-America Team announced Tuesday.

Pence is one of 25 student-athletes selected to the team that includes 22 seniors and three juniors. He is also one of two players from the Middle Atlantic Conference with King’s College senior defensive lineman Steven Wilson as the other representative. Pence was also one of two players for the Lehigh Valley selected to the team as Muhlenberg College senior Chris Reed was honored as the place kicker.

Pence helped the Greyhounds to their best season since 1997 this past fall as Moravian posted a 7-4 overall record, recorded a 7-2 mark in the Middle Atlantic Conference, which placed the team third, and made the 2002 Eastern College Athletic Conference Southeast Championship game, Moravian’s first-ever appearance in the ECAC Championships.

Pence made 55 tackles for the Greyhounds this season. He added 18 pass break-ups, three interceptions with 88 return yards, four tackles for loss, one forced fumble and a fumble recovery he returned 53 yards for a touchdown. Pence also returned one of his interceptions 57 yards for a score.

His other honors this season include All-Middle Atlantic Conference First Team for the second consecutive year, Don Hansen’s Football Gazette All-South Region Second Team, and Eastern College Athletic Conference Southeast First Team.

Being selected as an AFCA All-American allowed Pence to participate in the 2002 Aztec Bowl last Saturday, December 14th as one of 42 NCAA Division III players from the United States that played the Mexican All-Star Team in Torreon, Mexico. He had three tackles in the contest as the USA won 15-9. Pence also played in the 2nd Annual East Coast Bowl back on November 30th in an All-Star game that featured mainly NCAA Division II players and made three tackles and an interception.