BRIDGEPORT, W.Va. -- Shepherd quarterback Jeff Ziemba (Offensive Player of the Year) and teammate Shaneil Jenkins (Defensive Player of the Year) earned the top two individual honors in the Mountain East Conference, the league announced today. Additionally, Notre Dame's D.J. Greene was tabbed as the league's Offensive Freshman of the Year, while Glenville State's Fitz Mofor was selected as the Defensive Freshman of the Year. Shepherd head coach Monte Cater was named MEC Coach of the Year for the second time in three years.
Ziemba, a junior from Newark, Del., led the MEC with 275 yards passing per game tossed a school-record 26 touchdowns against just two interceptions. He is third in the country in passing efficiency (170.6) and his 2,842 yards are the second-most in school history.
Jenkins, a senior from District Heights, Md., led a Rams unit that led the league in total defense (288.5) and scoring defense (16.9). Jenkins averaged a league-best 1.05 sacks per game (10.5 total) and added 17.5 tackles for a loss and two forced fumbles.
Greene, a freshman running back from Willoughby, Ohio, was second in the country among all freshmen with 1,132 rushing yards for the Falcons. He ranked fourth in the league in rushing yards and rushing yards per game (102.9) and scored 12 touchdowns.
Mofor, a freshman from Brookville, Md., led all MEC freshmen in tackles in 2015 with 63 as a starting linebacker for the Pioneers. He posted six tackles for a loss and 2.5 sacks despite missing two games this season.
Cater directed Shepherd to its fifth undefeated regular season and its second Mountain East Conference championship in three years. The Rams are one of just four undefeated teams in NCAA Division II and are the top seed in Super Region 1 in the upcoming playoffs.
In addition to the individual awards, the league also announced the All-MEC teams. Shepherd, the regular season champions, led all schools with 10 first team All-MEC selections (four offense, four defense and two special teams). Charleston, the MEC runner-up and NCAA playoff participant, had nine selections (four offense, four defense and one special teams). Glenville State and Concord each had four players earn first team honors, West Liberty and UVa-Wise had two, and Fairmont State, Urbana and West Virginia State each had one.
The all-conference teams and individual award winners are selected by a vote of the league's coaches.
| 2015 MEC Individual Awards |
Offensive Player of the Year: Jeff Ziemba (Shepherd)
Offensive Freshman of the Year: D.J. Greene (Notre Dame)
Defensive Player of the Year: Shaneil Jenkins (Shepherd)
Defensive Freshman of the Year: Fitz Mofor (Glenville State)
Coach of the Year: Monte Cater (Shepherd) |
| 2015 All-MEC First Team |
| Pos. |
Name |
School |
Cl. |
Hometown |
| QB |
Jeff Ziemba |
Shepherd |
Jr. |
Newark, Del. |
| RB |
Michael Anderson |
W.Va. Wesleyan |
Jr. |
Elkridge, Md. |
| RB |
Tevin Drake |
Glenville State |
Sr. |
Brooksville, Fla. |
| RB |
Calvinaugh Jones |
Concord |
Sr. |
Glen Burnie, Md. |
| RB |
Rahmann Lee |
Glenville State |
Sr. |
Capitol Heights, Md. |
| WR |
Joey Augustin |
Charleston |
Jr. |
Christiansburg, Va. |
| WR |
Billy Brown |
Shepherd |
Jr. |
Gaithersburg, Md. |
| WR |
Terrence Younger |
UVa-Wise |
Sr. |
Naruna, Va. |
| TE |
Daree' Goodwin |
West Liberty |
Sr. |
Wheeling, W.Va. |
| FB/H-Back |
Jon Hammer |
Shepherd |
Sr. |
Jarrettsville, Md. |
| OL |
Juwaughn Arnold |
Charleston |
Sr. |
Mocksville, N.C. |
| OL |
Zach Erb |
Charleston |
Jr. |
Mechanicsville, Va. |
| OL |
Lavonte Hights |
Shepherd |
So. |
N. Chesterfield, Va. |
| OL |
Leon Hill |
Glenville State |
Sr. |
Olympia Fields, Ill. |
| OL |
Justin Johnson |
Charleston |
Jr. |
Parkersburg, W.Va. |
| OL |
Coleman Osborne |
Concord |
Jr. |
Gretna, Va. |
| == |
|
|
|
|
| DL |
Myles Humphrey |
Shepherd |
So. |
Upper Marlboro, Md. |
| DL |
Shaneil Jenkins |
Shepherd |
Sr. |
District Heights, Md. |
| DL |
James King |
Charleston |
Jr. |
Polaski, Va. |
| DL |
Brandon Taylor |
Concord |
Sr. |
Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. |
| DL |
Darnell Vickers |
West Liberty |
Jr. |
Akron, Ohio |
| LB |
Zachary Blair |
UVa-Wise |
Jr. |
Front Royal, Va. |
| LB |
Dennis Gardeck |
W.Va. State |
So. |
Crystal Lake, Ill. |
| LB |
James Gupton |
Shepherd |
So. |
Waldorf, Md. |
| LB |
Rhakeem Stallings |
Charleston |
Jr. |
Chesapeake, Va. |
| LB |
Marcus Umu |
Glenville State |
Sr. |
Ewa Beach, Hawaii |
| LB |
D'Gary Wallace |
Urbana |
Sr. |
Dayton, Ohio |
| DB |
Jacob Jean-Charles |
Fairmont State |
Jr. |
Miami, Fla. |
| DB |
Jeremiah Johnson |
Concord |
So. |
Baltimore, Md. |
| DB |
Zaire Lewis |
Charleston |
So. |
Akron, Ohio |
| DB |
Tre Sullivan |
Shepherd |
Jr. |
Accokeek, Md. |
| DB |
Torie Wagner |
Charleston |
Sr. |
Severn, Md. |
| == |
|
|
|
|
| P |
Brett Benes |
Charleston |
Jr. |
Boca Raton, Fla. |
| K |
Ryan Earls |
Shepherd |
Sr. |
Stevensville, Md. |
| KR/PR |
C.J. Davis |
Shepherd |
Jr. |
Hagerstown, Md. |
|
|
|
|
|
| 2015 All-MEC Second Team |
| QB |
Malik Grove |
Notre Dame |
So. |
Cincinnati, Ohio |
| QB |
Jeremy Johnson |
Charleston |
Sr. |
Silsbee, Texas |
| RB |
Allen Cross |
Shepherd |
Sr. |
Elkridge, Md. |
| RB |
D.J. Greene |
Notre Dame |
Fr. |
Willoughby, Ohio |
| RB |
Jabre Lolley |
Shepherd |
Jr. |
Wilmington, Del. |
| WR |
Dante Absher |
Glenville State |
Jr. |
Sterling, Va. |
| WR |
Fabian Guerra |
Fairmont State |
Jr. |
Miami, Fla. |
| WR |
Mitchell Shegos |
Notre Dame |
Jr. |
Fenton, Mich. |
| TE |
Jamie Deason |
Shepherd |
Jr. |
Fredericksburg, Va. |
| FB/H-Back |
Shaun Workinger |
Concord |
Sr. |
Greensboro, N.C. |
| OL |
Zack Buffkin |
Shepherd |
Sr. |
Langley, Va. |
| OL |
Rodney Carroll |
Fairmont State |
So. |
Fredericksburg, Va. |
| OL |
Jonathan Dupree |
Glenville State |
Sr. |
Lake City, Fla. |
| OL |
Jacob Kingston |
Shepherd |
Jr. |
Pasadena, Md. |
| OL |
Dalton Shannon |
W.Va. State |
Jr. |
Ocklawaha, Fla. |
| OL |
Paul Smith |
Concord |
Jr. |
Roanoke, Va. |
| == |
|
|
|
|
| DL |
Ian Andrews |
Glenville State |
Jr. |
Beltsville, Md. |
| DL |
Darius James |
Notre Dame |
Sr. |
Springfield, Ohio |
| DL |
Claudy Mathieu |
Notre Dame |
So. |
Philadelphia, Pa. |
| DL |
Ervin Moore |
Concord |
Sr. |
Lancaster, S.C. |
| DL |
Quincy Redmon |
Fairmont State |
So. |
Keysey, W.Va. |
| DL |
Isaiah Ross |
Shepherd |
Sr. |
Bowie, Md. |
| LB |
Kevin Chapple |
Urbana |
Jr. |
Columbus, Ohio |
| LB |
Austin Dotson |
Concord |
Sr. |
Clintwood, Va. |
| LB |
Darius Lee |
Fairmont State |
Sr. |
Ft. Washington, Md. |
| LB |
Marcus Porter |
Fairmont State |
So. |
Accokeek, Md. |
| LB |
Keon Robinson |
Shepherd |
Sr. |
Fairfax Station, Va. |
| LB |
Octavius Thomas |
Shepherd |
Jr. |
Myrtle Beach, S.C. |
| DB |
Adam Coles |
Shepherd |
Jr. |
Oxon Hill, Md. |
| DB |
Stephin Gomez |
W.Va. State |
Sr. |
Freemont, Calif. |
| DB |
D'Andre Muhammad |
West Liberty |
Sr. |
Stockbridge, Ga. |
| DB |
Earon Settles |
Glenville State |
So. |
Suitland, Md. |
| DB |
Chaudlier Shepherd |
Concord |
So. |
Upper Marlboro, Md. |
| == |
|
|
|
|
| P |
Christan Morris |
West Liberty |
Fr. |
Orlando, Fla. |
| K |
Kyle Kaplan |
Notre Dame |
Jr. |
Hilliard, Ohio |
| KR/PR |
Torie Wagner |
Charleston |
Sr. |
Severn, Md. |
|
|
|
|
|
| 2015 All-MEC Honorable Mention |
QB: Dakota Conwell (West Liberty), Sean Steele (Glenville State)
RB: Jeremiah Ortiz (West Liberty), Austin White (Fairmont State)
WR: Jermeil Douse (Concord), Quinton Gray (West Virginia State), Anton McCallum (West Liberty), Trevon Saunders (Urbana), T.J. Smith (Concord)
TE: Kyle Perkins (Notre Dame)
FB/H-Back: Jake Harper (Glenville State)
OL: Andrew Garland (Urbana), Corey Ernest (West Liberty), Jake Turley (West Liberty), Richard Sloan (Glenville State)
DL: Ben Funny (UVa-Wise), Cody Goode (W.Va. Wesleyan), Jonah Harper (Notre Dame), Alex Robinson (Glenville State)
LB: Zach Chatlain (Notre Dame), Jaylen Johnson (Shepherd), Mitch Rowell (W.Va. State) Onslow Williams (Notre Dame), James Johnson (Glenville State)
DB: Andre Hamilton (UVa-Wise), Emanuel Ivey (Fairmont State), William Merritt (West Virginia State)
P: Tanner Wright (Glenville State)
K: Johnny Dearstine (Fairmont State) |