BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Eight Patriot League football student-athletes and one coach were recognized by the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) when they announced their 2024 Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) awards.
Lehigh football head coach Kevin Cahill was selected the DI FCS Coach of the Year after guiding the Mountain Hawks to the program’s first League title since 2017 and first FCS Playoff victory since 2011. Lehigh fifth-year offensive lineman George Padezanin and graduate student linebacker Mike DeNucci earned spots on the All-ECAC Team.
Colgate placed three student-athletes on the DI FCS All-ECAC Team, with junior wide receiver Treyvhon Saunders, junior linebacker Cole Kozlowski and sophomore placekicker Luke Vogeler making the squad.
Fordham senior defensive lineman Matt Jaworski, the 2024 Patriot League Defensive Player of the Year, and graduate student defensive back Nahil Perkins earned All-ECAC hononrs. Holy Cross fifth-year offensive lineman Christo Kelly also earned a spot on the All-ECAC Team.
The ECAC is an 85-year-old organization with over 200 member schools across all three NCAA Divisions. To be eligible for ECAC honors a student-athlete or coach must have been first team all-league or a major award winner within their respective leagues.
Cahill Tabbed as ECAC Coach of the Year; DeNucci, Padezanin Earn All-ECAC
Courtesy of Lehigh Athletics Communications
Three members of the Lehigh football program were recognized as the ECAC announced its FCS Football All-ECAC team and major awards. Head coach
Kevin Cahill was named the ECAC FCS Coach of the Year and fifth-year offensive lineman
George Padezanin and graduate student linebacker
Mike DeNucci were selected to the All-ECAC team.
Cahill adds ECAC Coach of the Year honors to his Patriot League Coach of the Year laurels. He was also a finalist for the Eddie Robinson Award, given to the FCS Coach of the Year, finishing 10th in the final balloting. Cahill led the Mountain Hawks to a 9-4 record and Lehigh's League-leading 13th Patriot League Championship. Padezanin adds ECAC honors to a resume that includes First Team All-Patriot League and honorable mention Associated Press (AP) All-American. DeNucci was a first team All-Patriot League linebacker who earned his third career All-League plaudit. DeNucci was also a finalist for the Buck Buchanan Award, given to the top defensive player in the FCS.
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Raider Trio Garner All-ECAC Honors
Courtesy of Colgate Athletics Communications
Junior wide receiver
Treyvhon Saunders, junior linebacker
Cole Kozlowski and sophomore kicker
Luke Vogeler were selected to represent Colgate on the 2024 Division I FCS All-ECAC Team. This marks the first year since 2019 that a Raider is represented on the All-ECAC squad, and also serves as the most All-ECAC selections by Colgate since five Raiders landed the honor in 2018.
Saunders ended his record-breaking 2024 campaign second in the FCS and fifth in all of college football with 88 receptions. His 88 catches were the most in a season in program history, and Saunders also broke the record for most receptions per game with 7.3 grabs per contest. Kozlowski finished his breakout season with 133 total tackles, the highest mark in the Patriot League, second-best output in the FCS, and fourth in the entire country (FBS or FCS). Vogeler drilled 13 out of 15 field goal attempts on the year, tied for most in the Patriot League with the best field goal percentage in the conference. He also broke two program records, making the most 40+ yard field goals in a season by a Raider (four) and converting on more 50+ yard kicks than any kicker in program history with two.
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Kelly Earns All-ECAC Honors
Courtesy of Holy Cross Athletics Communications
Holy Cross fifth-year center
Christo Kelly was named to the Football Championship Subdivision All-ECAC Team. It is the latest accolade for Kelly, who was an All-Patriot League First Team selection in addition to earning Academic All-League honors in 2024.
Kelly started all 12 games at center and captained an offensive line that helped the Crusaders average 27.6 points per game in 2024. Holy Cross conceded just 13 sacks this season — the team's 1.08 sacks allowed per game ranked as the best mark in the Patriot League and 11th-best nationally, and the Crusaders only conceded nine sacks total against FCS competition.
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The Patriot League is in its fourth decade of academic and athletic achievement, continually demonstrating that student-athletes can excel at both academics and athletics without sacrificing high standards. The Patriot League’s athletic success is achieved while its member institutions remain committed to its founding principle of admitting and graduating student-athletes who are academically representative of their class. Participation in athletics at Patriot League institutions is viewed as an important component of a well-rounded education.