LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. – In an announcement
made by the conference office, Mason Lytal of Trinity University
was selected as the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC)
Offensive Player-of-the-Year and his teammate Tom Puskarich was
named Defensive Player-of-the-Year. Complete Release
Additionally, Austin College’s Madison Ross was selected as
Newcomer-of-the-Year, while Trinity’s Matt Kennemer was named
Special Teams Player-of-the-Year. Steve Mohr of Trinity was
selected SCAC Coach-of-the-Year.
Mason Lytal, a 6-3, 221-pound senior tight end from Houston, Texas,
finished with a league-leading 587 yards receiving on 30 catches
for 11 touchdowns – the eighth-most receiving TDs in a single
season in SCAC history. He scored a TD in seven of his team’s
10 games, including a SCAC single-game record four (tied with two
others) in Trinity’s season-opening victory over Howard
Payne. A two-time conference Offensive Player-of-the-Week selection
during the 2012 season, Lytal is the first SCAC Offensive POTY
honoree for Trinity since the 2005 season and the eighth overall.
He is also the first tight end to ever win the league’s
highest offensive honor.
Tom Puskarich, a 6-1, 218-pound senior linebacker from Garland,
Tex., finished second in the SCAC in both total tackles (79) and
tackles for loss (12) and tied for the league lead in fumble
recovers (2). The two-time SCAC Defensive Player of the Week had
double-digit tackles in the Tigers’ last three games and five
times total – including a season-best 12 tackles with three
for loss in Saturday’s victory over Austin College.
Puskarich’s selection marks the second consecutive SCAC
Defensive POTY for Trinity (Ben Robinson in 2011) and the ninth
overall since the Tigers joined the SCAC in 1989.
Madison Ross, a 5-9, 175-pound freshman running back from Fort
Worth, Texas, led all first-year runners with 290 yards and two
touchdowns on 55 carries – averaging 5.3 yards per rush. He
also chipped in with 12 receptions for 138 yards and two more
touchdowns and returned six kickoffs for 80 yards. Ross saved his
best game for last as the freshman carried the rock 22 times for 85
yards and a TD in the ‘Roos season-ending game against
Trinity. He is the first player from Austin College to earn one of
the league’s Player-of-the-Year awards in the sport of
football.
Matt Kennemer, a 5-11, 185-pound sophomore kick/punt returner and
punter from Friendswood, Texas, did a little bit of everything for
Trinity during the 2012 season. Kennemer led the league in both
kick return yards (548 yards on 21 returns) and punt return yards
(142 yards on 12 returns) and coupled with his receiving yards (573
yards on 36 catches), led the SCAC in all-purpose yards with 1,295.
He finished second in the league in receiving yards and was third
in TDs scored with seven (five receiving, one rushing and one punt
return). Kennemer also led the SCAC in punting, averaging 36.6
yards per punt on 23 attempts with seven of his attempts landing
inside the 20-yard line. He is the fourth player from Trinity to be
honored as the SCAC Special Teams Player-of-the-Year and the first
since 2005.
Trinity head coach Steve Mohr led his Tigers to a 7-3 overall mark
(5-1 in games involving SAA and SCAC schools) and the
program’s 16th conference championship. Trinity, ranked as
high as #11 by D3football.com, played two top 25 teams during the
2012 season, losing to No. 2 University of Mary Hardin-Baylor in
Week 4 before defeating No. 16 Birmingham-Southern College in Week
7. Among the winningest Division III coaches of all-time, Mohr
completed his 23rd year at the helm of the Tigers with an overall
record of 181-69 and a winning percentage of .724. The SCAC COTY
honor marks the 12th time in his career that Mohr has been so
honored, tying him with Jim Owens of Oglethorpe University
(men’s golf) for the most COTY awards received by one coach
in one sport in conference history.
To read the complete 2012 All-SCAC Football Team release, click
here.