NEC RELEASE

Somerset, NJ – Three members of the Wagner College football team have been named to the All-Northeast Conference (NEC) Preseason Team, it was announced by the league office today while the Seahawks were picked to finish seventh in the nine-team conference.

For the second consecutive season in 2011, the NEC champion will gain entry into the 20-team FCS Championship Game. Last year's NEC representative was Robert Morris. The 2011 season marks the 16th season of NEC football.

The three Seahawk student-athletes named to the All-NEC team are senior wide receiver David Crawford (Carrollton, TX/ Hebron), junior placekicker David Lopez (Plantation, FL/ Heritage) and senior outside linebacker Julian Stanford (Bloomfield, CT/ Bloomfield). All three preseason NEC selections were named Second-Team All-NEC following the 2010 season.

A Second-Team All-NEC performer a year ago, Crawford was the top individual performer on the offense in 2010, leading Wagner with 35 catches and 629 yards, good for a NEC-leading average of 18.0 yards per catch, with three touchdowns. The big-play wide receiver picked it up as the season went on, catching five balls for a career-high 117 yard at Albany before capping the season with four receptions for 79 yards and two touchdowns at Sacred Heart.

Lopez, a Second-Team All-NEC choice last year, led the team in scoring with 55 points. He was 11-for-17 on field goal attempts, including going 4-for-6 in on field goal attempts of at least 40 yards, while recording six touchbacks. The native Floridian was named The Sports Network/Fathead.com FCS National Special Teams Player of the Week for the week ending Saturday, Oct. 9 after kicking three field goals in the come-from-behind win over Georgetown, including a game-tying 54-yard boot that forced overtime.

Stanford was tied with an NEC-best seven sacks a year ago while also ranking fourth in the league with 12.5 tackles for loss among his 64 total stops. The Nutmeg State wunderkind led a defensive unit that ranked second with 23 sacks after finishing seventh with 15 a year ago. Stanford had a career-high 2.5 sacks in a 41-7 win against Cornell before matching that with 2.5 more sacks in the come-from-behind victory at Georgetown.

Central Connecticut St was picked to win the conference with for the second consecutive season with five first place votes, followed by Duquesne (two first place votes), Robert Morris (one first place vote) and Albany. Rounding out the NEC Preseason poll was Bryant in fifth place (one first place vote), followed by Monmouth, Wagner, Sacred Heart and Saint Francis (PA).

The Seahawks, under the tutelage of head coach Walt Hameline who enters his 31st season at the helm after garnering his 200th career victory last season, will open the 2011 season with a home game vs. NEC foe Saint Francis (PA) on Sat., Sept. 3 at 1:00 p.m.

NEC Preseason Poll (First Place votes in parentheses)

1. Central Connecticut St. (5)
2. Duquesne (2)
3. Robert Morris (1)
4. Albany
5. Bryant (1)
6. Monmouth
7. Wagner
8. Sacred Heart
9. Saint Francis (PA)