Westfield State Places Three Players On 2009 D3Football.com All-East Region Team
Three members of the Westfield State football team have earned spots on the 2009 D3Football.com All-East Region team that was announced on Wednesday, marking the third straight season that the Owls have been represented on the squad
Courtesy Westfield State Sports Information
Three Westfield State players -
senior cornerback Josh Mathieu (Fitchburg, Mass.),
junior punter Chris Stengel (Forest Hill, Md.) and
senior defensive end Nick Gniadek (Northbridge,
Mass.) - were named to the D3football.com 2009 All-East Region
Team.
Mathieu and Stengel were both first-team selections and Gniadek was
a second-team choice. There are four All-Region teams in the
country and the East region includes New England, New York, New
Jersey and eastern Pennsylvania.
The teams, selected in balloting by East Region sports information
directors and D3football.com staff, were chosen from 181
nominations by Division III member schools. A total of 76 players
were chosen, with Westfield garnering three of the six All-East
Region picks from the 16-team New England Football Conference.
This is the third straight year Westfield State players have been
selected to the prestigious squad respresenting the best Division
III players in the East. Linebacker Jay Fielding
and receiver David Benoit earned All-East Region
second-team honors in 2008 while Fielding was a second-team pick in
2007.
"This is great recognition for our program and the players
certainly deserve the honor," said Westfield head coach
Steve Marino. "All three had outstanding seasons
for us."
Mathieu, Stengel and Gniadek were leaders of the Owls'
nationally-ranked defensive unit. Westfield ranks first nationally
in NCAA Division III in pass efficiency defense and turnover
margin, fourth in net punting and sixth in scoring defense. The
Owls compiled a 7-3 record, losing their three games by a total of
12 points.
This is the third major award Mathieu has received this season. The
a four-time all-conference pick was selected the New England
Divisions II and III defensive player of the year by the Greater
Gridiron Club of Boston and and the 2009 New England Football
Conference (NEFC) Bogan Division defensive player of the year. He
was named to the New England sportswriters Division II/III all-star
team.
Mathieu leads the NCAA Division III nationally in passes defended
per game (2.2). He tied the single-season school record with seven
interceptions and set a new school standard with 15 pass
breakups.
Mathieu ranks second on the Owls' career charts with 19
interceptions and holds career school records for pass breakups
(38) and interceptions returned for a touchdown (4). He returned
interceptions for scores in each of his four years as a
starter.
Stengel's outstanding punting provided Westfield with good field
position the entire season. He ranks 11th nationally in punting
average (40.23) and had 26 punts inside the 20-yard line. Stengel
averaged 7.5 punts per game while most of the national leaders
averaged four punts per game. The Owls rank fourth nationally in
net punting (36.22). Stengel also was selected to the sportswriters
Division II/III all-star squad as the top punter in New
England.
Gniadek led the Owls' defensive charge in the trenches. He ranked
first in the NEFC in sacks (8), second in forced fumbles (3) and
third in tackles for losses (16). He was Westfield's third leading
tackler with 51 stops.
