Football | 12/17/2022 2:00:21 PM
Patrick Luby, Connor Hill and Joshua Cordero of SUNY Cortland, Ernesto Mitchell of SUNY Morrisville and Nate Palmer of Utica University were selected as 2022 D3football.com All-America selections on Friday, Dec. 16. Luby was a first team selection, Hill and Mitchell were third team picks, while Cordero and Palmer garnered fourth team accolades. All five players were D3football First Team All-Region selections earlier in the month.
Luby, the 2022 E8 Special Teams Player of the Year, posted 36 touchbacks on 77 kickoffs this fall. His 46.7 touchback percentage is the highest by a Red Dragon since season totals for the statistic were first tracked in 2006. Luby also served as Cortland's punter and averaged 36.7 yards per punt on 23 attempts.
Hill, a native of Newfane, NY, started all 11 games and helped Cortland set school single game records with 45.1 points per game, 5,496 total offensive yards, and 499.6 yards per game. The Red Dragons set a school single-game record with 681 yards of total offense in a win over Wittenberg and gained more than 600 yards on two other occasions (home wins vs. Hartwick and St. John Fisher).
Cordero started all 11 games and finished the season with 39 tackles, six interceptions and seven pass breakups. The Monroe, NY native returned three interceptions for touchdowns, tying a school single-season record for defensive touchdowns. Cordero also matched a school single-game record with three interceptions in a win over The College of New Jersey.
Mitchell, the 2022 Empire 8 Co-Defensive Player of the Year, started 10-games for the Mustangs at linebacker and across the season collected 105 total tackles to lead Morrisville, including 12.5 that registered a loss of 41 yards for opponents and 2.5 sacks for a loss of 22 yards. Additionally, he collected two interceptions, broke up one pass, registered two quarterback hurries and had a forced fumble. Mitchell, a native of Wheatley Heights, NY, was a three-time Empire 8 Defensive Player of the Week selection, and the lone student-athlete across the league to be named to the D3football.com Team of the Week.
Palmer, the 2022 Empire 8 Offensive Player of the Year, recorded 75 catches, 1291 receiving yards, and 18 receiving touchdowns while his receiving yards and touchdown receptions were the most in a single season in Pioneer history. Palmer's 120 points recorded this season also rank first all-time in a single season in program history. His 75 receptions rank third all-time in a single-season and he finished fifth all-time for total touchdowns in a season with 20. A native of Verona, NY, Palmer was also selected to participate in the NFL Scouted FCS Bowl in Daytona Beach, Florida on Dec. 11, which gives the top FCS/DII/DIII players a direct path to play in a top FBS game. Palmer is also one of 15 semifinalists for the Gagliardi Trophy which is awarded to the best player in NCAA Division III.
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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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