Football | 12/11/2019 1:57:30 PM
Twelve different Empire 8 student-athletes were named to the 2019 D3football.com All-East Region Team on Tuesday, Dec. 10. Seven players were named to the first team, while three were second team selections and two garnered third team accolades. SUNY Cortland had four student-athletes honored, while Alfred University and The College at Brockport each had three. St. John Fisher College and Utica College both had one player garner All-Region honors.
2019 Empire 8 Student-Athletes honored:
First Team
Raeqwon Greer, Alfred, Jr., S
Nick Milgate, Alfred, Sr., LB
Russell Howard, SUNY Cortland, Sr., G
Raylens Boutin, The College at Brockport, Fr., CB
Luke Lodini, The College at Brockport, Jr., G
Alex West, The College at Brockport, Sr., LB
Maki Medici, Utica, Jr., K
Second Team
Aaron Griffin, Alfred, Sr., RB
Angelo Foster, SUNY Cortland, Sr., ST
Zach Tripodi, SUNY Cortland, Sr., RB
Third Team
Jason Rodriguez, St. John Fisher, So., S
Travis Alvarez, SUNY Cortland, Jr., ST
The teams, selected in balloting by East Region sports information directors and
D3football.com staff, were chosen from 331 nominations by full Division III member schools. A total of 78 players were chosen. Players nominated for All-Region are eligible to be considered for
D3football.com All-America honors, which will be announced the evening of Dec. 20, in
D3football.com’s pregame coverage for Stagg Bowl XLVII.
Greer earned AFCA All-America honors last week and was previously named the 2019 Empire 8 Defensive Player of the Year. He led the league with 60 solo tackles and was 12th nationally with 6.4 solo tackles per game. Greer, a 2019 D3football.com First Team Preseason All-America selection, has 208 total tackles, six interceptions, and two forced fumbles in his first three seasons.
Milgate earned his first all-region recognition in 2019. The senior captain moved from outside to inside linebacker and led the E8 with 111 tackles and 18 tackles for loss, adding four sacks, three forced fumbles, and an interception. Nationally, Milgate finished the season 14th with 11 tackles per game. The Hilton, N.Y. native earned 2019 All-Empire 8 first team honors and concludes his career with 211 career tackles, 34 for loss, along with 8.5 sacks, four forced fumbles, and nine interceptions.
A two-time team captain, Howard, a 2019 AFCA All-America selection, started all 11 games this season as well as all 10 games in 2018 and all 11 games in 2017. This fall he graded out at 97 percent by the coaches and was not personally responsible for allowing any sacks. Cortland averaged 425.0 yards of total offense and 36.4 points per game. The Red Dragons averaged 6.4 yards per play from the line of scrimmage. He was also a 2019 All-Empire 8 selection.
Boutin, the 2019 Empire 8 Rookie of the Year, was the only freshman in the region to earn a spot on an all-region defensive team. A native of Nyack, N.Y., Boutin finished the year with a league-best 16 pass break ups and he also added four interceptions. He finished ranked fifth on the team with 44 tackles and he had two or more pass break ups in seven games this season.
Lodini made his first All-Region appearance after earning All-E8 first team honors last month. The junior guard allowed just two sacks and has a 97 percent coaching grade on the offensive line. A native of Stony Point, N.Y., Lodini helped pave the way for the top rushing offense in the league as the Brockport averaged 214.2 yards rushing per game.
West is making his second straight appearance on an All-Region Team. As one of Brockport's defensive captains, West finished the regular season with a league best 9.0 sacks to earn All-E8 first team accolades for the third straight season. He led the team with 60 total tackles and his 18.5 tackles for a loss were a career-best. West, a native of Dansville, N.Y., capped his career ranked second on the College's all-time list with 25.5 career sacks and recorded 192 career tackles to go along with 35.0 tackles for a loss
Medici, the 2019 Empire 8 Special Teams Player of the Year, served as a tremendous weapon in both aspects of the kicking game, leading the league with 15 made field goals. He was successful on 78.9 percent of those kicks, including a career-long of 48 yards. In addition, Medici made 31 extra points and averaged 7.6 points per game, which tied for the league lead among all kickers. The Watervliet, N.Y. native also averaged a net of 37.8 yards per punt with 23 of his 42 attempts resulting in a fair catch. Medici earned All-E8 first team honors as both a kicker and punter in 2019.
Griffin enjoyed a breakout 2019 season, leading the E8 and placing 13th with 1,233 rushing yards, averaging a league-leading 6.1 yards per carry to go along with 12 touchdowns. Griffin, a 2019 All-Empire 8 first team selection, recorded five games with 100 or more yards and two with 200 or more yards, including a career-high 229-yard outburst against Rochester. Griffin, originally from Queens, N.Y., wrapped up his collegiate career with 1,810 yards and 22 touchdowns.
Foster, a native of Newburgh, N.Y. excelled on both sides of the ball on special teams, blocking three kicks versus Utica, Hartwick and Ithaca, while adding 353 yards on 16 kick returns and 45 yards on six punt returns. Foster also recorded 37 catches for 550 yards and five touchdowns as a wide receiver in 2019. He had 76 catches for 1,190 yards and nine scores in his collegiate career.
Tripodi finished second in the Empire 8 with 1,251 yards rushing, while adding 158 yards receiving to go along with 11 touchdowns in 2019. A native of New Fairfield, Conn., Tripodi was an All-Empire 8 first team selection, who recorded six 100-yard games on the ground this season. He finished his collegiate career with 2,063 rushing yards and added 570 receiving yards on 62 catches with 25 total touchdowns.
Rodriguez netted his first-career All-Region nod as the Corning, N.Y. native enjoyed a breakout sophomore season after he led the Empire 8 and ranked second in the country with seven interceptions. A 2019 All-E8 second team selection, Rodriguez finished the year with three pass breakups and ranked fifth on the team in tackles with 49 to his credit over 10 starts.
Alvarez, who also excels as an offensive linemen, helped lead a stout Cortland special teams unit in 2019. He blocked three kicks against St. John Fisher, The College at Brockport and Ithaca. A 2019 All-Empire 8 second team selection on the offensive line, Alvarez, a native of Keyport, N.J., helped Cortland average 425.0 yards of total offense and 36.4 points per game.
ABOUT THE EMPIRE 8 CONFERENCE
The members of the Empire 8 Conference are committed first and foremost to the pursuit of academic excellence and the league is regarded as an outstanding NCAA Division III conference. The membership has distinguished itself among its peer group for its quality institutions, spirited and sportsmanlike competition, outstanding services and highly ethical policies and practices. Its commitment to serve the educational needs of its student-athletes is the hallmark of the E8. For more on the Empire 8 visit
www.empire8.com.
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