Carnegie Mellon sophomore running back Sam Benger put together a big 2015 season. Big enough that some postseason honors will be coming his way.
The first of which comes from his own conference as Benger was named the 2015 President’s Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Year on Tuesday.
Benger rushed for a NCAA Division III-best 1,897 yards this season with 18 rushing touchdowns. He also ranks third among Division III players with 2,034 all-purpose yards.
He currently ranks fifth on the PAC all-time rushing chart and if he can put together a 103-yard effort Saturday in the ECAC Division III Legacy Bowl Championship against Bridgewater State University, will become just the fourth PAC back in history to join the 2000-yard club.
Benger is the first Carnegie Mellon player to earn PAC Offensive Player of the Year honors since running back Scott Barnyak in 1989.
The 2015 PAC Defensive Player of the Year honors went to Thomas More College senior defensive lineman Erick Butler.
Butler finished the year with 49 tackles (34 solo, 15 assist), 11.0 tackles for loss, and 5.5 sacks. He is a four-time All-PAC honoree and three-time first-team selection.
Saint Vincent College sophomore quarterback Tyler Donahue was named the 2015 PAC Newcomer of the Year. The Yough High School graduate finished seventh in the PAC in rushing yards (834) and eighth in total offense (1,657). He completed 59-of-127 passes for 823 yards and nine touchdowns and added five rushing touchdowns.
Finally, Thomas More head coach Regis Scafe was named the 2015 PAC Coach of the Year. Scafe led the Saints to an undefeated regular season while securing the PAC’s automatic qualifying bid to this year’s Division III Championship.
The All-PAC teams were also announced, which included nine players from W&J on the first and second teams.
| 2015 All-PAC First Team (Offense) | ||||
| Pos. | Name | School | Yr. | Hometown/High School |
| OL | Andrew Garibaldi | Carnegie Mellon University | Sr. | Flemington N.J./Hunterdon Central |
| OL | Gage Blair | Case Western Reserve University | So. | Elyria, Ohio/St. Edward |
| OL | Jake Henderson | Thomas More College | Sr. | Fort Wright, Ky./Covington Catholic |
| OL | Zack Crossey | Washington & Jefferson College | Sr. | Irwin, Pa./Penn-Trafford |
| OL | Nic Sappie | Waynesburg University | Sr. | Pittsburgh, Pa./Carlynton |
| TE/HB | Ethan Albers | Case Western Reserve University | Sr. | Oviedo, Fla./Hagerty |
| WR | Eric Blinn | Bethany College | Sr. | Beaver, Pa./Western Beaver |
| WR | Goose Cohorn | Thomas More College | Sr. | Independence, Ky./Dixie Heights |
| RB | Sam Benger | Carnegie Mellon University | So. | Hingham, Mass./Hingham |
| RB | Ryan Ruffing | Washington & Jefferson College | Sr. | Pittsburgh, Pa./Thomas Jefferson |
| QB | Rob Cuda | Case Western Reserve University | So. | Bartlett, Ill./South Elgin |
| A-P | Daniel Lis | Washington & Jefferson College | Sr. | Washington, Pa./Chartiers-Houston |
| 2015 All-PAC First Team (Defense) | ||||
| Pos. | Name | School | Yr. | Hometown/High School |
| DL | Nadim Raddar | Bethany College | Sr. | Laurel, Md./Old Mill |
| DL | Brian Khoury | Carnegie Mellon University | Jr. | Davenport, Iowa/Bettendorf |
| DL | Erick Butler | Thomas More College | Sr. | Eminence, Ky./Henry County |
| DL | Richard Ellebie | Westminster College | Sr. | Farrell, Pa./Kennedy Christian |
| LB | Gavin Sandidge | Case Western Reserve University | Sr. | Pittsburgh, Pa./Central Catholic |
| LB | Jimmy Quinlan | Geneva College | Jr. | Brookfield, Ohio/Brookfield |
| LB | Kyle Fuller | Thomas More College | Sr. | Taylor Mill, Ky./Holy Cross |
| LB | Mac Quinn | Westminster College | Jr. | Pittsburgh, Pa./Northgate |
| DB | Drew Fitzmorris | Carnegie Mellon University | So. | Omaha, Neb./Westside |
| DB | Ian Gunn | Thomas More College | Sr. | Cincinnati, Ohio/Elder |
| DB | Trey Wells | Thomas More College | Sr. | Louisville, Ky./duPont Manual |
| DB | Todd Jeter | Westminster College | So. | Monroeville, Pa./Gateway |
| 2015 All-PAC First Team (Special Teams) | ||||
| Pos. | Name | School | Yr. | Hometown/High School |
| P | Aaron Frye | Bethany College | Jr. | Vandergrift, Pa./Kiski Area |
| K | Tommy Budke | Thomas More College | Sr. | Cincinnati, Ohio/Colerain |
| RET | Eric Blinn | Bethany College | Sr. | Beaver, Pa./Western Beaver |
| 2015 All-PAC SecondTeam (Offense) | ||||
| Pos. | Name | School | Yr. | Hometown/High School |
| OL | Beau Bertus | Bethany College | Sr. | Parkersburg, W.Va./Parkersburg South |
| OL | Will French | Carnegie Mellon University | Sr. | Pittsburgh, Pa./Seton-La Salle |
| OL | Quentin Campbell | Thomas More College | Sr. | Versailles, Ky./Woodford County |
| OL | Brandon Martuccio | Washington & Jefferson College | Jr. | Girard, Ohio/Girard |
| OL | Nick Fiorentino | Westminster College | Sr. | Franklin , Pa./Franklin |
| TE/HB | Ryan Crawford | Saint Vincent College | Sr. | New Wilmington, Pa./New Wilmington |
| WR | Bryan Erb | Case Western Reserve University | Sr. | Charlotte, N.C./Charlotte Country Day |
| WR | Jesse Zubik | Washington & Jefferson College | So. | Sewickley, Pa./Avonworth |
| RB | Jalen Holmes | Bethany College | Jr. | New Castle, Pa./New Castle |
| RB | Jerry Lawman | Waynesburg University | Sr. | Poland, Ohio/Poland Seminary |
| QB | Pete Coughlin | Washington & Jefferson College | Jr. | Pittsburgh, Pa. / Upper St. Clair |
| A-P | Demetrius Bentley | Westminster College | So. | Lake Worth, Fla./Park Vista Community |
| 2015 All-PAC SecondTeam (Defense) | ||||
| Pos. | Name | School | Yr. | Hometown/High School |
| DL | Dayton Snyder | Case Western Reserve University | Sr. | West Lafayette, Ind./West Lafayette |
| DL | Reily Shane | Thiel College | Sr. | Tarentum, Pa./Highlands |
| DL | Tyler Ellis | Thomas More College | Sr. | Harrison, Ohio/Harrison |
| DL | Ryan Snedeker | Washington & Jefferson College | Jr. | Chagrin Falls, Ohio/Kenston |
| LB | Donavan Hayden | Bethany College | Jr. | Hyattsville, Md./Northwestern |
| LB | Renny LaRue-Hollman | Saint Vincent College | Sr. | Pittsburgh, Pa./Fox Chapel |
| LB | Nick Pennekamp | Thomas More College | Sr. | Cincinnati, Ohio/Elder |
| LB | Jalen Morris | Washington & Jefferson College | Sr. | Washington, Pa./Washington |
| DB | Nick Kwon | Case Western Reserve University | Jr. | Kaneohe, Hawaii/Mid-Pacific Institute |
| DB | Thomas Benyo | Geneva College | Sr. | Berlin Center, Ohio/Western Reserve |
| DB | Devin Anderson | Saint Vincent College | Sr. | Miami, Fla./John A. Ferguson |
| DB | Dan Graziano | Washington & Jefferson College | Sr. | Pittsburgh, Pa./Mt. Lebanon |
| 2015 All-PAC SecondTeam (Special Teams) | ||||
| Pos. | Name | School | Yr. | Hometown/High School |
| P | Tyler Kohman | Carnegie Mellon University | So. | Pataskala, Ohio/Columbus Academy |
| K | Ben Carniol | Case Western Reserve University | So. | Vienna, Va./Thomas Jefferson Science & Technology |
| RET | Cody Calhoun | Case Western Reserve University | So. | Columbus, Ohio/Bishop Watterson |
Photo Credit: Carnegie Mellon University
