SUWANEE, Ga. - DePauw
University and Millsaps College each went 5-1 in league play to
share the 2009 Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC)
football crown. For that success on the gridiron, both were awarded
with two major awards each with today's announcement of the 2009
All-SCAC Football team.
In exclusive voting by the head coaches of the conference, Alex
Koors of DePauw was selected as the league's Offensive
Player-of-the-Year while Will Hawkins of Millsaps was voted the
league's Defensive Player-of-the-Year.
Hawkins' teammate, Michael Galatas, was selected as Special Teams
Player-of-the-Year for the second consecutive year while DePauw's
Robby Long was voted the league's Coach-of-the-Year.
In the same balloting, Kyle Trella of Trinity University was named
the SCAC Newcomer-of-the-Year.
Alex Koors, a 6-2, 168-pound junior receiver from Indianapolis,
Ind., set the DePauw single season receiving yards mark this season
with 1,266 yards - the third highest total in SCAC history. His 73
receptions this year places him in a tie for the ninth-most in a
SCAC single season and his 13 receiving touchdowns are tied for the
fourth-most. Currently ranked third in the nation in receiving
yards, Koors had two 200+ yard receiving games this season (212
yards vs. Millsaps and 209 yards vs. Anderson). He is the first
conference receiver to post two 200+ yard receiving games in a
single-season since David Crowley of Centre in 2004. For his career
and with a year still remaining in Greencastle, Koors is already
ranked in the league's all-time top 10 for career receptions (169 -
10th), receiving yards (2,595 - fifth) and receiving touchdowns (26
- fifth).
Koors received six votes in the Offensive POTY voting with Chris
Baer of Trinity University and Shane Bowser of Millsaps College
receiving one vote each.
Will Hawkins, a 6-2, 230-pound junior linebacker from Nettleton,
Miss., tied for the SCAC lead with 102 tackles, becoming the first
Millsaps player in six years with 100 tackles in a season. He had
double digit tackles in five of the team's last six games,
including a career-high 17 against Birmingham-Southern. Hawkins
also finished tied for eighth in the conference with 7.5
tackles-for-loss and added three interceptions and two recovered
fumbles. The league's reigning Offensive Player-of-the-Year in
baseball, Hawkins is just the second SCAC student-athlete to earn
Player-of-the-Year honors in two separate sports - excluding cross
country and track and field - following Liz Bondi of DePauw who was
SCAC POTY in both women's basketball (twice) and tennis (three
times).
Hawkins received four votes in the Defensive POTY balloting to nose
out Brian Sneed of Centre College, who received three votes. Thomas
Wrona of DePauw received the remaining first-place vote.
Michael Galatas, a 5-10, 175-pound receiver/kick returner from
Lacombe, La., is the first SCAC student-athlete to earn
back-to-back Special Teams Player-of-the-Year honors since DePauw's
Jamarcus Shephard in 2003 and 2004. Galatas finished second in the
SCAC in all-purpose yards (142.1 yards per game), which included a
Millsaps single-season record 687 kick return yards and two
touchdowns. He also broke the school's career record with three
kick return for touchdowns. Galatas averaged 25.4 yards per kick
return, which was good for second in the SCAC (35th nationally). As
a receiver, Galatas was selected First Team All-SCAC after catching
32 passes for 632 yards and nine touchdowns.
Galatas garnered six votes in the Special Teams Player-of-the-Year
voting. Garrett Biel of Trinity received the remaining two votes.
This is the fourth consecutive year that a Millsaps player has been
selected the league's Special Teams POTY. Former Majors Chris
Jackson (2006) and John Milazzo (2007) earned the award prior to
Galatas' two selections.
Kyle Trella, a 6-0, 165-pound first-year punter from Chandler,
Ariz., had three punts over 60 yards this season, as well as
several more punts over 50 yards. He broke a 46-year-old school
record with his 48.8 yards per punt average against Sewanee, and
now holds four of the top 10 averages in Trinity single-game
history (min. five punts). Trella was a huge weapon for the Tigers
as he dropped over 33% of his punts inside the 20-yard line (16).
As of the end of the regular season, Trella led all of Division III
in punting average at 44.0 yards per punt.
Trella received three votes in the NOTY balloting, followed closely
by Shawn Morris of Birmingham-Southern College and Greg Harrell of
Austin College, who received two votes each. Tevin Goggins of
Millsaps received the remaining first-place vote.
After guiding DePauw to a share of its third SCAC football title
and the program's first-ever NCAA playoff appearance, Robby Long
was selected by his peers as SCAC Coach-of-the-Year. Long, who
turned 30 on Sunday, took over as interim head football coach on
August 7. He had spent the previous five seasons as an assistant
coach at DePauw, including the last three as the Tigers' assistant
head coach and defensive coordinator. Long led the Tigers to their
first-ever appearance in the NCAA Division III playoffs. DePauw
battled #10 Thomas More in Kentucky Saturday, but came up on the
short end of a 49-39 score and ended the 2009 season with a 7-3
record. Long had the "interim" tag removed from his title on
Tuesday and was officially named head coach.
Long captured five votes in the COTY balloting. Mike DuBose of
Millsaps, Andy Frye of Centre and Steve Mohr of Trinity received
one vote each.
To view the complete 2009 All-SCAC Football Team release, click
here.