Courtesy Westfield State Sports Information

Westfield State senior cornerback Josh Mathieu (Fitchburg, Mass.) and junior punter Chris Stengel (Forest Hill, Md.) were selected to the D3football.com 2009 All-America football team.

Mathieu capped an outstanding postseason of prestigious honors as he was named a first team All-American, while Stengel was accorded honorable mention status.

"This is a great for Josh and Chris and great for our football program," said Westfield veteran head coach Steve Marino. "They were two big reasons why we had an outstanding defense this year."

Mathieu is the second player in the 28-year history of the Owl football program to earn first-team All-America honors. Sensational linebacker Josue Zamora was a first-team selection on the now defunct college sports information directors of America Hewlett Packard All-America squad in 2001. Zamora was a D3football.com third-team All-American in 2001. In 2002 Zamora was a third-team All-American on both units.

Westfield State has two other first-team All-Americans - Mike Ciampa (baseball, 1979) and Paula Eaton (softball, 1992) - but the Owl athletics program has garnered six All-America honors in the past year. They are: Marlee Berg (high jump national champ, indoor track and field, 2009), Kerry Arouca (cross country and track), Andrea Wasuk (basketball, All-America honorable mention), Mathieu and Stengel.

Mathieu's list of 2009 postseason accolades is impressive: New England Football Conference (NEFC) Bogan defensive player of the year, New England sportswriters Division II/III all-star team, Greater Gridiron Club of Boston Division II/III defensive player of the year, ECAC Northeast All-Star, and D3football.com East Region first team.

Mathieu was a four-year starter for the Owls and a four-time NEFC all-conference selection. This season the ball hawking defensive back led the NCAA Division III in passes defended, as he set a school record for pass breakups (15) and tied a school record for interceptions (7). He holds school career records for pass breakups (38) and interceptions returned for touchdowns (four) and ranks second with 19 interceptions.

"All year long Josh made the plays when he had to," said Westfield State defensive secondary coach Sean O'Brien. "He is an outstanding athlete. We recruited him hard during high school and we were elated when he decided to come to Westfield."

Mathieu was a leader of the Owls' stellar defense that ranked first in NCAA Division III in pass efficiency defense and turnover margin, fourth in net punting, and sixth in scoring defense. The Owls posted a 7-3 record, with the three losses by a total of 12 points. They finished the season with six straight victories.

Stengel also was a defensive MVP as he had a sensational season with his punting prowess. He ranked 11th nationally, punting 75 times for a 40.23 average. More than a third (26) of his punts were inside the 20.

Stengel, who transferred from Division II Concord University in West Virginia prior to the 2008 season, led Westfield to a 32-16 victory over Fitchburg State. Stengel was named the NEFC defensive player of the week as he punted 10 times for a 45.5 average. Six punts were inside the 20, one was a touchback, and two were fair catches.

Stengel's 2009 postseason accolades are also impressive: NEFC first-team all-conference, New England Division II/III sportswriters all-star team, ECAC Northeast All-Star, and D3football.com East Region first team.

"Chris was a major part of our success this year," said Marino. "He was a game changer who gave us excellent field position.."

Mathieu and Stengel were two of five NEFC players selected D3football.com All-Americans. Maine Maritime running back Jim Bower was a second-team selection. MIT running back DeRon Brown and Plymouth State offensive tackle were the other honorees.