NEWPORT NEWS, Va. - The Atlantic Central Football Conference (ACFC) announced its 2009 All-Conference teams on Thursday and 12 Salisbury University football student-athletes were honored. The Sea Gulls landed five on the first team, five on the second team and two players received honorable mention honors.
The SU first-team honorees are senior defensive end Paul Cynewski (Moorestown, N.J.), senior defensive back Brandon Hudson (Delmar, Md.), junior slot Bryan Woolson (Whitehall, Md.), sophomore offensive lineman Chris Hutton (Largo, Md.) and sophomore kicker Tommy Kowalick (Sterling, Va.). The five first-team honors give the SU Football program 60 overall since 1998.
Cynewski garners All-ACFC first team honors for the second time in his four-year career. The Moorestown, N.J., native has put together another strong season as he has played and started in all 10 games, recorded 58 tackles (37 solo), and has 21.5 tackles for a loss of 101 yards. Cynewski has racked up a team-high nine sacks, in which he dropped opposing quarterbacks for a loss of 70 yards; the nine sacks are currently tied for 27th in the nation. In addition Cynewski has two forced fumbles, two quarterback hurries and two pass breakups.
Hudson has had a breakout season for the Sea Gulls in his first season after transferring into the program from Division I-AA Delaware State University. The Delmar, Md., native has started all 10 games and collected 44 tackles (34 solo), including 4.5 for a loss of 15 yards. Hudson has snagged eight interceptions, matching the program-high set by Byron Westbrook in 2004. Hudson has returned his eight interceptions for 58 yards, has nine pass breakups, one fumble recovery and one forced fumble.
Woolson collects all-conference honors for the first time in his three-year career at SU. The Whitehall, Md., native put together a strong season for the Gulls as he played in all 10 games. Woolson had 52 rushing attempts and a net rushing average of 519 yards, plus five touchdowns. Woolson set a career-long rush of 81 yards in the win over the Apprentice School on Oct. 3. The junior slot averaged 10.0 yards per rush and 52.3 all-purpose yards per game.
This marks the first time that Hutton has received All-Conference honors in his two-year career. The Largo, Md., native played in nine games for SU and opened running lanes for the nation's 15th best rushing offense. In addition, Hutton kept opposing defenses off the SU quarterbacks, as the offensive line only gave up 25 sacks this season.
This marks the second-straight season that Kowalick has earns first-team Special Teams honors for the conference. Kowalick put together another impressive season as he made 5-of-7 field goals, including a pair of season-long 37-yard field goals in the first two contests of the season. The Sterling, Va., native also nailed a 22-yard game-winning field goal in the 19-16 win over Union (N.Y.) College in the Homecoming game on Oct. 24 at Sea Gull Stadium. Kowalick has made 30-of-32 extra point attempts, and holds a 60.0 yard average on kickoffs this season.
The five SU student-athletes that garnered All-ACFC second team honors are senior defensive tackle Alex Bresner (Marblehead, Mass.), senior punter Andrew Geisert (White Plains, Md.), senior defensive back Tom Fontaine (Philadelphia, Pa.), junior linebacker Justin Chura (Lothian, Md.) and sophomore offensive lineman Alex Smith (Madison, N.J.). That brings the SU football program second-team honors to 72 overall.
Bresner put together a fine senior season for the Sea Gulls in 2009. The Marblehead, Mass., native has been hindered by injuries throughout his career; regardless, he has played in nine games this season. The senior nose-tackle has racked up 19 tackles (10 solo) this season, including 4.5 for a loss of 18 yards. In addition Bresner has 1.5 sacks for a loss of 13 yards and has three quarterback hurries.
Geisert collects his first-ever All-Conference honors as he wraps up his senior season. The White Plains, Md., native had a season to remember as he played in all 10 games and was named ACFC Special Teams Player of the Week twice this season. Geisert booted the ball 41 times for 1,492 yards, an average of 36.4 yards. He had a season long punt of 53 yards, and 12 punts inside the 20-yard line. In addition, Geisert took five kickoffs this season, in which he had a 54.6 yard average on 273 yards.
Fontaine put together a career-year for the Gulls as he receives his first ever All-ACFC honor. The Philadelphia, Pa., native started all 10 games this season and racked up 48 tackles (33 solo), including three for a loss of 14 yards. In addition Fontaine had one sack for a loss of nine yards, two interceptions returned for 47 total yards, three pass breakups and one blocked kick.
Chura garners All-Conference honors for the second time in his three-year career, as he was an honorable mention award winner last season. The Lothian, Md., native finished the regular season with a team-high 63 tackles (39 solo) and nine tackles for a loss of 38 yards. Chura is second on the team in sacks with 5.5 for a loss of 29 yards. In addition he has four pass breakups, two quarterback hurries, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery.
Smith receives all-conference honors for the first time in his two year career. The Madison, N.J., native played in nine games for SU and opened running lanes for the nation's 15th best rushing offense. In addition, Smith kept opposing defenses off the SU quarterbacks, as the offensive line only gave up 25 sacks this season.
Salisbury University senior D.J. Nelson (Mullica Hill, N.J.) and sophomore superback Randal Smedley (Frederick, Md.) each were named Honorable Mention for their performances in the regular season in 2009.
Nelson put together a career-year for the Sea Gulls as he played in all 10 contests. The Mullica Hill, N.J., native recorded nine receptions for 229 yards, including two touchdown receptions. Nelson had a 48-yard touchdown pass in the Gulls win over St. John Fisher on Sept. 26. In addition Nelson had a pair of rushing attempts good for 19 yards.
Smedley had a breakout season for the maroon and gold in 2009. The Frederick, Md., native played in all 10 games and had 93 rushing attempts for 472 total yards. He had a career day in the 11th annual Regents Cup, as he had 121 yards and two touchdowns on 17 rushing attempts. Smedley had a season-long rush of 62 yards for a touchdown in the contest against Christopher Newport on Sept. 19.
With the 12 individual honors the Sea Gulls collected this season, the SU football program now has 140 All-ACFC honors since they joined the conference in 1998. The maroon and gold have had at least 10 All-Conference representatives each year since 2001.
