Alfred wins Lambert Cup as top Division III team in the East

1/19/2017 11:05:00 AM

ALFRED, NY – The Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) announced the winners of its 2016 Lambert Meadowlands Awards today and the Alfred University football team was named recipient of the Lambert Division III Cup.

The ECAC football team awards recognize the top teams in the East in all NCAA divisions. The organization cited Teams of the Year as well as Lambert Cup recipients. All recognized teams will be honored at the 81^st annual ECAC Awards Banquet Feb. 23 in East Rutherford, NJ.

ECAC 2016 Football Awards Release

Penn State University earned the Lambert Trophy as the top team in the East. In addition to Alfred University, other Lambert Cup winners are: James Madison University (Football Championship Subdivision) and Shepherd University (Division II).

AU becomes the 50^th recipient of the Lambert Cup for Division III. It marks the second time the Saxons have earned the award and first since the Alex Yunevich-coached 1971 squad.
The ECAC also named its Teams of the Year: Temple University (Football Bowl Subdivision); Lehigh (Football Championship Subdivision); Long Island University- Post (Division II); and Johns Hopkins University (Division III).

Alfred had a historic season in 2016, going 10-0 in the regular season, including a perfect 8-0 in Empire 8 Conference play. It marked the first time ever that an Empire 8 team finished the regular season with a perfect mark.

Seeded first in their NCAA tournament bracket, the Saxons hosted and won their first two tournament games – over Bridgewater State and Western New England – before falling in the national quarterfinals to visiting Mount Union. Alfred ended the year with a 12-1 record, with the 12 winds representing the most in a single season in school history.

In addition to the team being honored by the ECAC, junior linebacker A.J. LiCata (Lake View, NY/Frontier) and head coach Bob Rankl will also be recognized at the Feb. 23 awards banquet. LiCata has been named ECAC North Defensive Player of the Year, while Rankl has been named ECAC North Coach of the Year.