Staten Island, NY - Fifth-year senior running back Dominique Williams (Bridgton, NJ/ Milford Academy) has become the first player in Wagner history to be voted a team captain for a third time and will be joined by redshirt juniors Jarrett Dieudonne (Fort Lauderdale, FL/ Dillard/ Purdue), David Fredrickson (Staten Island, NY/ Poly Prep/Idaho St.), and Yamir Ortiz (Riverdale, NJ/ Pascack Valley), as captains of the 2013 Seahawks.
The Seahawks, who were picked first in the 2013 Northeast Conference (NEC) Preseason Poll, are the defending league champions and will kick off the 2013 season when they entertain Georgetown on Sat., August 31 in a 1:00 on kickoff.
Williams was first named a captain in 2011and became the 14th Seahawk to ever be a two-time captain last season in 2012, and now stands alone as the sole three-time captain in the 83-year history of Wagner football which began in 1927. For Dieudonne, Fredrickson and Ortiz, this marks their first season as captains.
One of five Seahawks named to the 2013 Preseason All-NEC team, Williams has evolved into one of the household names, both in the NEC as well as on the national stage. He enters the 2013 season with 3,308 career rushing yards, which ranks fourth in the Seahawk all-time annals. The strong, agile 5-9, 205-pounder rushed for 1,228 yards last season, placing him seventh on the school's all-time single-season list, just 10 yards behind the sixth-highest mark of 1,338 that he gained in 2011. A member of te 2012 College Sports Journal All-American Team and a First-Team All-NEC choice in 2012, his 105.6 yards per game rushing last season ranked third in the NEC through the end of the regular season, as did his 133.3 all-purpose yards per game.
Dieudonne is a known commodity in Northeast Conference (NEC) circles as he is a returning First-Team All-NEC performer who was recently named to the 2013 Preseason All-NEC Team. A year ago, he contributed mightily to the Seahawks' 2012 NEC Championship as the multi-skilled 6-, 190-pound cornerback recorded multiple tackles in 12 of the Seahawks 13 games, tying for first on the team with three interceptions. He tallied four or more tackles in seven games last season, highlighted by six-tackle contests against Monmouth (9/15) and Eastern Washington (12/1). A highlight of his season came in the stirring come-from-behind win over Holy Cross (11/10) when he recorded a 66-yard fumble recovery.
Another First-Team All-NEC choice, Fredrickson is a local product who earned the starting center spot in 2011 preseason camp and has gone on to start the next 24 games, including all 13 during Wagner's 2012 NEC Title run. Cerebral and physical, the left-handed Fredrickson has displayed both consistency and durability throughout his Seahawk career and the 6-2, 290-pounder is one of the unquestioned team leaders both on the field and in the locker room.
Ortiz has been a somewhat under the radar-type player who quietly contributed to the success of Wagner's recent veteran-laden teams. In 2012, the 6-1, 240-pound defensive end developed into a playmaking force in helping the Seahawks capture the NEC Championship. Now entering his fourth season in the program, Ortiz is poised for a potential breakout season in 2013 after recording 22 tackles and three sacks while starting all 13 games during Wagner's title run.
