Three from E8 Named D3football.com Preseason All-Americans
Three Empire 8 student-athletes represented the conference on the 2016 D3football.com Preseason All-American list released on Monday. Seniors Dan Andrews (Brockport), Alec Mortillaro (St. John Fisher) and Carson Lassiter (Cortland) each earned preseason All-American honors. Andrews and Mortillaro earned first team recognition, while Lassiter earned second team honors.
Dan Andrews, a running back and the reigning Empire 8 Offensive Player of the Year, finished the 2015 season as the national scoring leader with an average of 15.6 points per game. The then junior rushed for 1,390 yards, and picked up an impressive 24 rushing TDs (second best in Division III) and two receiving. Andrews had seven games with 100 or more rushing yards including his season-best 256 yards against Utica.
St. John Fisher cornerback Alec Mortillaro ranked second in the nation last year with 23 passes defended. He also led the Empire 8 Conference with 18 pass break-ups and was second on the team and in the Conference with five interceptions for 102 yards. He also racked up 51 tackles (fourth on the team) and was credited with one forced fumble and one fumble recovery.
Carson Lassiter, a safety, led Cortland this fall with 100 tackles, 68 solo, from his strong safety position. He's the first Red Dragon to register 100 tackles in a season in five years. Lassiter led Cortland with 13 passes defended (three interceptions, team-high 10 pass breakups), and he also totaled two forced fumbles, a fumble recovery and 3.5 tackles for loss.