The 2014 Sports Network FCS Preseason All-American Team
 
Philadelphia, PA – Wagner senior long-snapper Phil Faccone (Brick, NJ/Brick Memorial) has been named to The Sports Network Preseason All-American Second-Team, it was announced today as Faccone becomes one of five players from Northeast Conference (NEC) to be tabbed a Preseason All-American.
 
In addition to Faccone, the other four NEC student-athletes who earned Preseason All-American accolades from The Sports Network include Central Connecticut running back Rob Hollomon (First Team), a pair of players who helped lead Sacred Heart to the 2013 NEC championship - defensive tackle Troy Moore (First Team) and running back Keshaudas Spence – along with Robert Morris punt returner Antwan Eddie.
 
Faccone's latest honor comes on the heels of his earning 2013 Third-Team All-American honors by The Sports Network, following a season where the two-year starter graded out at 100 percent on his snaps while handling the bulk of the duties for the Seahawk field goal, extra point and punt teams. The accuracy and consistency displayed by Faccone last season helped a pair of Seahawk kickers, fifth-year senior David Lopez (Plantation, FL/American Heritage) and junior Bryan Maley (Eagle River, Alaska/Chugiak), convert a perfect 20-of-20 extra-points attempts.

In 2013, Lopez was successful on 9-of-12 field goal attempts in eight games, despite missing three games with a sprained ankle, en route to earning First-Team All-Northeast Conference (NEC) honors.  In the three games Lopez missed, Maley nailed 3-of-4 field goals, including a pressure-packed game-winning 45-yard boot with four seconds to play in the 23-20 victory at eventual NEC Champion Sacred Heart on October 5.

There are three components that go into any successful field goal or extra-point try - the snap, the hold, and the kick itself. For Wagner the past two years, the holding duties have been manned flawlessly by senior A.J. Firestone (Mechanicsburg, PA/Mechanicsburg), who, in the latter part of the 2013 season, doubled as the Seahawks' punter and went on to earn First-Team All-NEC honors.

Firestone averaged 41.9 yards per punt, with a long of 52 yards, had five punts downed inside the 20-yard line, another five that were fair caught, and launched three 50-yard plus boots with a high of 52. None of the success attained in 2013 by Wagner kickers and punters could have occurred without reliable snaps from the 5-9, 195-pound Faccone.

"Number one, Phil has a great work ethic and it's that work ethic that has led to his consistency," said Wagner head coach Walt Hameline. "He has a great mindset for the position. He's calm, level-headed and he works at it."

While most fans may believe that snapping for field goals and extra points is harder than for punts, just the opposite is true according to Seahawk special teams coach Ryan Fullen.

"Long-snapping on punts is harder. With a punt, the long-snapper has to deliver a 14-yard snap and then get down the field and play a role in coverage," said Fullen. "Phil has done a great job for us for two years handling both roles, with punts and on kicks.

"When he arrived three years ago, you would not have thought he was a Division I athlete but he really worked himself into being a top long-snapper and contributor to our program," Fullen added. "He's lost weight, he's put the time in, and he works at his craft. I'm thrilled that his efforts continue to be recognized because Phil works his tail off and cares a ton."
 
Faccone's combination of scholarly work in the classroom and community-minded spirit, have allowed him to be nominated to the 2014 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team®. One of the sport's premier service honors, the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team® shines a spotlight on the positive, off-the-field impact that a select group of student-athletes has on their communities.
 
A three-year member of NEC Academic Honor Roll, Faccone holds a 3.74 GPA while majoring in sociology with a minor in government/politics. He has directed  and/or participated in a host of several community service initiatives, including Wagner's Annual Bone Marrow Registry Drive and the Crescent Beach Restoration Project, which aids one of the many Staten Island communities devastated by Superstorm Sandy in October, 2012. He, most recently, took part in Lauren's First and Goal Camp (LFG) at Lafayette College, a non-profit organization started in 2004 by John and Marianne Loose in honor of their daughter, Lauren, a 17-year-old pediatric brain tumor survivor. Since its inception, LFG has raised more than $1 million toward its mission to provide financial support for brain tumor research and cancer services.

Faccone was also recently-elected President of Omicron Delta Kappa, a National Leadership Honor Society that recognizes achievement in a myriad of areas (Scholarship, Athletics, Campus or Community Service, Social or Religious Activities and Campus Government, Journalism, Speech and the Mass Media, and Creative & Performing Arts). He is also the Vice-President of Community Service for Wagner College's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), a committee comprised of student- athletes assembled to provide insight on the student-athlete experience.

Follow Wagner Athletics on Twitter (@wagnerathletics) for all the latest news and updates on the athletic department.