Iton, Ryan and Wind Named ECAC North Region All-Stars
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Utica College junior Ivan Iton, St. John Fisher College senior Keegan Ryan and Nazareth College sophomore Brendan Wind have been named Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) All-Stars for teh 2016-17 season in the North Region. Iton landed on the First-Team, while Ryan and Wind were Second-Team honorees.
Iton's strong junior campaign has also earned him the status of First-Team All-Conference in the Empire 8 and was named the Empire 8 Defensive Player of the year.
Throughout the season, Iton led the team in points, rebounds, and blocks. His 17.1 points per game average was good enough to be ranked eighth in the Empire 8 in scoring. Iton was also ranked first in the conference in rebounds, averaging 9.9 boards per game, and first in blocked shots with an average of 2.3 blocks per game.
Iton recorded a career-high of nine double-doubles this season and scored a career high of 30 points in the team's game against Nazareth (1/12/17). In the Pioneers' matchup with Alfred, Iton neared a triple-double as he finished with 17 points, 15 rebounds and a career-high of seven blocks (1/10/17). He also netted the last-second game-winning layup at home against Ithaca College on February 14
th. After recording 13 rebounds in the contest against Ithaca, Iton became the tenth player in Utica College history to grab 500 career rebounds.
Ryan, the Offensive Player of the Year by the Empire 8 Conference, led Fisher in several statistical categories including points per game (18.8), rebounds per game (8.9), field goal percentage (.593) and minutes per game (29.7).
The Plattsburgh native led Fisher to its eighth Empire 8 Championship since 2000 and an appearance in the NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Championship where the Cardinals won their opening round game against St. Lawrence.
This season, Ryan scored 25 points or more in a game six times including a career-high 33 points on two occasions. He finished the 2016-17 campaign with 13 double-doubles which was one of the highest totals of any player in the Empire 8. Off the court, Ryan has performed well in the classroom as well leading him to be named Academic All-District earlier this year by the College Sports Information Directors of America.
Wind takes second team honors after compiling a stellar sophomore season in which he was named to the Empire 8 First Team and the National Player of the Week for Division III by U.S. Basketball Writers Association (USBWA). The Rochester native averaged 17.9 points per game to go along with 6.7 assists, ranking him ninth in the country. Wind came into his own during conference play, averaging 20.7 points per game, the highest of any player in the Empire 8. He went on a late-season scoring run in which he averaged 34 points over Nazareth's last five regular-season games, including a 48-point effort in a double overtime loss at St. John Fisher Feb. 11.