Westwood, Mass. – The NEWMAC has released its football postseason awards, as announced by the conference on Thursday afternoon. The awards are determined by the conference's eight coaches following the conclusion of regular season play.
Fullback
Arsen Shtefan (West Hartford, Conn.) of Springfield College was voted NEWMAC Offensive Player of the Year, while his teammate
Quinn Sweeney (Hanson, Mass.) and Salve Regina University's
Zachary Ludemann (Howell, N.J.) share Defensive Athlete of the Year honors. U.S. Coast Guard Academy's
Harrison Hensley (Riverview, Fla.) was voted Rookie of the Year. SUNY Maritime's
Luke Caliendo (North Babylon, N.Y.) earned Special Teams Player of the Year. The Springfield coaching staff was selected as Coaching Staff of the Year by their peers.
Salve Regina's
Jake Stack (Campbell Hall, N.Y.) is the first team quarterback selection, while Shtefan is featured at the fullback position. MIT nabs tight end and running back slots in
Ethan Ardolino (Fair Haven, N.J.) and
Brady Klein (Washington, Ill.), respectively. Springfield's
Blane Hart (East Lyme, Conn.) lands the second running back spot.
Trevor Chase (Eliot, Maine) of Norwich University,
Broock Desta (San Diego, Calif.) of Coast Guard and
Talsen Smith (Roseville, Calif.) of U.S. Merchant Marine Academy are the wide receiver selections. Six offensive linemen made their way onto the first team,
Sanjay Long (Newark, Del.) of MIT,
Luke Maruca (North Haven, Conn.) of Salve Regina,
TJ Dipasquale (Wallingford, Conn.) and
Thomas Evans (Hooksett, N.H.) from Springfield,
Jacob Vecchio (Southington, Conn.) of Coast Guard and
Nathan Mars (Scarborough, Maine) from U.S. Merchant Marine Academy. Defensively,
Lucky Deignan (Indianapolis, Ind.) of MIT,
Avery Arno (Belmont, Mass.) of Salve Regina,
Joe Maurer (Wilbraham, Mass.) of Springfield and
Aidan Griffin (Queens, N.Y.) from SUNY Maritime made the team as defensive backs. Ludemann headlines the linebacker selections, and is joined by three Springfield honorees,
DJ Brown (Wading River, N.Y.),
Billy Carr (Plantsville, Conn.) and
Aiden Lewin (Orlando, Fla.). Sweeney headlines the defensive lineman slot, and is joined by Salve's
Pasqualy DeStefano (Smithtown, N.Y.),
Jack Temple (Rockville Center, N.Y.) of USMMA and
Zach Newberg (Barrington, R.I.) from WPI. The first team kicker selection is
Christian Hutra (Holmes, N.Y.) of Springfield, while punting accolades go to MIT's
Nico Bulhof (Bryan, Texas).
Keith Sutton (Blackstone, Mass.) of Salve Regina is garners first team accolades as a return specialist. Caliendo, who saw action as a return specialist, kicker and wide receiver, lands on the first team in an athlete slot, as does
Jacob Silvester (Lancaster, Mass.) of Springfield.
Coast Guard's
Joey Armentrout (Oceanside, Calif.) is the second team quarterback pick, while USMMA's
Ceaser Gonzalez (Norco, Calif.) secures the fullback position. WPI nabs the tight end slot with
Douglas Cain (Jefferson, Mass.). Hensley is featured at the second team running back slot and is joined by SUNY Maritime's
Devin Cline (Miller Place, N.Y.).
Marcelino La Bella (Windsor, Conn.) of Salve Regina,
Nate Casaburi (Sayville, N.Y.) of SUNY Maritime and
Jay Mezzo (Naugatuck, Conn.) of WPI are the wide receiver selections. Five offensive linemen made their way onto the first team,
Winston Churchill (Windsor, Conn.) of Norwich,
Jason Azzolino (Saddle Brook, N.J.) of Salve Regina,
Kevin Walter (Rockaway, N.Y.) from SUNY Maritime,
Jacob Berault (Slidell, La.) of USMMA and
Billy Tyrrell (Oxford, Mass.) from WPI. Defensively,
Jack Zingaro (Newtown, Conn.) of Salve Regina,
Colby Richardson (East Hartford, Conn.) of Springfield,
Dru Stephens (New Orleans, La.) from SUNY Maritime and
Gavin Chieff (Bernardsville, N.J.) of WPI made the team as defensive backs. Second team linebacker selections include
Chase Williams (Missoula, Mont.) of MIT,
Simon Taraska (Willowick, Ohio) of Norwich,
CJ Minchin (Ho-Ho-Kus, N.J.) from Salve,
Will McKay (Tewksbury, Mass.) from Springfield and
Jimmy Espinal (Salem, Mass.) of WPI. In the defensive lineman slot is
Stephen Schulze (Finksburg, Md.) from MIT, Jesse Lagrosa (Hillsdale, N.J.) from Salve,
Joe Burke (Sussex, N.J.) of Springfield,
William Wolf (Front Royal, Va.) of Coast Guard and
Mohamed Barry (South Windsor, Conn.) from WPI. The second team kicker selection is
Brennan Holt (Rochester, Mich.) of Coast Guard, while punting accolades go to Merchant Marine's
George Ethan Ferry (Bethlehem, Pa.).
Brady Barcello (Weston, Conn.) of Springfield garners second team accolades as a return specialist. Merchant Marine Academy's
Gervy Alota (San Diego, Calif.) wraps up the selections in the second team athlete slot.
Offensive Player of the Year- Arsen Shtefan (Sr., FB), Springfield College
Arsen Shtefan was dominant in leading Springfield to its third-straight NEWMAC title. The senior fullback had seven games with at least 100 yards rushing and finished the regular season with 1,206 yards, the 11th most in Division III this season. Shtefan became the 13th student-athlete in program history to reach the 1,000-yard milestone in a season and the eighth fullback to achieve the feat. The Pride average over 400 yards per game on the ground, which is second best in all of college football, behind Shtefan's league-leading 120.6 yard per game.
Co-Defensive Player of the Year – Zachary Ludemann (Sr., LB), Salve Regina University
Ludemann was the catalyst of a Seahawk defense that led the league in points allowed at 10.3 per game. He leads the conference in solo tackles with 53 and total tackles with 93, averaging a league-leading 9.3 tackles per game. Ludemann is also second in the conference in tackles for loss with 11 for 30 yards. He tacked on three sacks, an interception, and a safety.
Co-Defensive Player of the Year- Quinn Sweeney (GS., DL), Springfield College
Sweeney made his graduate season his most impactful as a force on the defensive line for the Pride. The defensive end has posted 42 tackles, including 29 solo stops, and had 8.5 tackles-for-loss with three sacks. He forced a pair of fumbles and was a key reason why Springfield will return to the national tournament for the third-straight season.
Special Teams Player of the Year – Luke Caliendo (GS, WR), SUNY Maritime
Caliendo compiled 322 yards as a kick-off returner, averaging 20.1 yards per return. His longest return was 42 yards, good for second in the league. Additionally, Caliendo went two for three in field goals attempts, with a long of 37.
Rookie of the Year- Harrison Hensley (Fr., RB), U.S. Coast Guard Academy
Harrison Hensley finished second in the league in rushing, averaging 119.3 yards per game. His 835 total rushing yards is tops amongst rookies and third in the league. He also led the league with 150.3 all-purpose yards per game.
Coaching Staff of the Year – Springfield College
The Pride, led by head coach
Mike Cerasuolo, went 9-1, going undefeated in conference play to claim their third straight NEWMAC title, and an automatic bid to the NCAA Championship. This marks the first time in program history that Springfield has been to the NCAA Division III Championship Tournament three-straight seasons. The Springfield coaching staff includes Cerasuolo, defensive coordinator
Louis DiRienzo, and assistants
Nic Keene,
Vince DiMonte,
Tony Valentino,
Kyle Niehr,
Emil La Marca,
David Wells,
Ian Porter,
Owen Straley,
Storm Jipson and
Bill Moore.
2023 NEWMAC Football All-Conference
| Team |
Name |
Position |
Institution |
| First Team All-Conference |
Jake Stack |
QB |
Salve Regina University |
| First Team All-Conference |
Arsen Shtefan |
FB |
Springfield College |
| First Team All-Conference |
Ethan Ardolino |
TE |
MIT |
| First Team All-Conference |
Brady Klein |
RB |
MIT |
| First Team All-Conference |
Blane Hart |
RB |
Springfield College |
| First Team All-Conference |
Trevor Chase |
WR |
Norwich University |
| First Team All-Conference |
Broock Desta |
WR |
U.S. Coast Guard Academy |
| First Team All-Conference |
Talsen Smith |
WR |
U.S. Merchant Marine Academy |
| First Team All-Conference |
Sanjay Long |
OL |
MIT |
| First Team All-Conference |
Luke Maruca |
OL |
Salve Regina University |
| First Team All-Conference |
TJ Dipasquale |
OL |
Springfield College |
| First Team All-Conference |
Thomas Evans |
OL |
Springfield College |
| First Team All-Conference |
Jacob Vecchio |
OL |
U.S. Coast Guard Academy |
| First Team All-Conference |
Nathan Mars |
OL |
U.S. Merchant Marine Academy |
| First Team All-Conference |
Lucky Deignan |
DB |
MIT |
| First Team All-Conference |
Avery Arno |
DB |
Salve Regina University |
| First Team All-Conference |
Joe Maurer |
DB |
Springfield College |
| First Team All-Conference |
Aidan Griffin |
DB |
SUNY Maritime |
| First Team All-Conference |
Zachary Ludemann |
LB |
Salve Regina University |
| First Team All-Conference |
DJ Brown |
LB |
Springfield College |
| First Team All-Conference |
Billy Carr |
LB |
Springfield College |
| First Team All-Conference |
Aiden Lewin |
LB |
Springfield College |
| First Team All-Conference |
Pasqualy DeStefano |
DL |
Salve Regina University |
| First Team All-Conference |
Quinn Sweeney |
DL |
Springfield College |
| First Team All-Conference |
Jack Temple |
DL |
U.S. Merchant Marine Academy |
| First Team All-Conference |
Zach Newberg |
DL |
WPI |
| First Team All-Conference |
Christian Hutra |
K |
Springfield College |
| First Team All-Conference |
Nico Bulhof |
P |
MIT |
| First Team All-Conference |
Keith Sutton |
R |
Salve Regina University |
| First Team All-Conference |
Luke Caliendo |
Athlete |
SUNY Maritime |
| First Team All-Conference |
Jacob Silvester |
Athlete |
Springfield College |
|
|
|
|
| Second Team All-Conference |
Joey Armentrout |
QB |
U.S. Coast Guard Academy |
| Second Team All-Conference |
Ceaser Gonzalez |
FB |
U.S. Merchant Marine Academy |
| Second Team All-Conference |
Douglas Cain |
TE |
WPI |
| Second Team All-Conference |
Devin Cline |
RB |
SUNY Maritime |
| Second Team All-Conference |
Harrison Hensley |
RB |
U.S. Coast Guard Academy |
| Second Team All-Conference |
Marcelino La Bella |
WR |
Salve Regina University |
| Second Team All-Conference |
Nate Casaburi |
WR |
SUNY Maritime |
| Second Team All-Conference |
Jay Mezzo |
WR |
WPI |
| Second Team All-Conference |
Winston Churchill |
OL |
Norwich University |
| Second Team All-Conference |
Jason Azzolino |
OL |
Salve Regina University |
| Second Team All-Conference |
Kevin Walter |
OL |
SUNY Maritime |
| Second Team All-Conference |
Jacob Berault |
OL |
U.S. Merchant Marine Academy |
| Second Team All-Conference |
Billy Tyrrell |
OL |
WPI |
| Second Team All-Conference |
Jack Zingaro |
DB |
Salve Regina University |
| Second Team All-Conference |
Colby Richardson |
DB |
Springfield College |
| Second Team All-Conference |
Dru Stephens |
DB |
SUNY Maritime |
| Second Team All-Conference |
Gavin Chieff |
DB |
WPI |
| Second Team All-Conference |
Chase Williams |
LB |
MIT |
| Second Team All-Conference |
Simon Taraska |
LB |
Norwich University |
| Second Team All-Conference |
CJ Minchin |
LB |
Salve Regina University |
| Second Team All-Conference |
Will McKay |
LB |
Springfield |
| Second Team All-Conference |
Jimmy Espinal |
LB |
WPI |
| Second Team All-Conference |
Stephen Schulze |
DL |
MIT |
| Second Team All-Conference |
Jesse Lagrosa |
DL |
Salve Regina University |
| Second Team All-Conference |
Joe Burke |
DL |
Springfield College |
| Second Team All-Conference |
William Wolf |
DL |
U.S. Coast Guard Academy |
| Second Team All-Conference |
Mohamed Barry |
DL |
WPI |
| Second Team All-Conference |
Brennan Holt |
K |
U.S. Coast Guard Academy |
| Second Team All-Conference |
George Ethan Ferry |
P |
U.S. Merchant Marine Academy |
| Second Team All-Conference |
Bradley Barcello |
R |
Springfield College |
| Second Team All-Conference |
Gervy Alota |
Athlete |
U.S. Merchant Marine Academy |
About the NEWMAC
The NEWMAC is an association of 12 selective academic institutions: Babson College, Clark University, U.S Coast Guard Academy, Emerson College, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Mount Holyoke College, Salve Regina University, Smith College, Springfield College, Wellesley College, Wheaton College, and Worcester Polytechnic Institute, that are committed to providing high quality competitive athletic opportunities for student-athletes within an educational and respectful environment that embodies the NCAA Division III Philosophy. The conference also partners with four Associate Members: Norwich University (Football), Simmons College (Rowing), SUNY Maritime College (Football), and U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (Football), while sponsoring 20 sports.