LiCata, Germinerio and Rankl earn top honors from ECAC
The Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) has announced its 2016 Division III North Football All-Star teams and award recipients.
Alfred University junior linebacker A.J. LiCata earned Defensive Player of the Year while, freshman quarterback Joe Germinerio from The College at Brockport was awarded Rookie of the Year, and Alfred University Head Coach Bob Rankl received Coach of the Year.
In addition, 22 Empire 8 student-athletes were named
ECAC North All-Stars.
LiCata, the Empire 8 Conference Defensive Player of the Year and a First Team E8 All-Star, finished the 2016 season with 153 tackles, just one off the school single-season record. He had 11 ½ tackles for loss, 4 ½ sacks, an interception and a forced fumble. He also earned First Team All-East recognition from D3football.com and was one of 10 semifinalists for the 2016 Gagliardi Trophy, awarded annually to the top player in Division III.
LiCata becomes the first Alfred player to earn top honors from the ECAC since wide receiver Jared Manzer was named Northwest Player of the Year in 2009.
After taking over the starting quarterback role, Germinerio stepped up for the Golden Eagles in a big way. He ended the season with 11 passing touchdowns compared to just five interceptions, and added nine rushing touchdowns as well. The dual-threat QB averaged 4.4 yard-per-rush, and 55.6 per-game while throwing for 149.9 yards-per-game.
Rankl, in his third season as head coach at AU, guided the Saxons to a 12-1 record and the quarterfinals of the NCAA Division III national championship tournament. The 12 wins represent a new school single-season record, eclipsing the 10 victories posted by the 1981 and 2010 teams.
The Saxons finished the regular season ranked 14
th and 15
th, respectively, in the D3football.com and AFCA national polls and held the top spot in the NCAA Division III East Region rankings. Rankl was also D3football.com East Region Coach of the Year and led a group of AU coaches who earned Coaching Staff of the Year honors from the Empire 8.