TERRE
HAUTE, IND. -- Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology football players
combined for 10 awards from the Heartland Collegiate Athletic
Conference, including four first-team all-league honors, in
balloting conducted by league head coaches.
First-team all-conference honorees included senior center Trey Cahill (Auburn/DeKalb), sophomore linebacker Grant DePalma (Mount Prospect, Ill./Prospect), junior defensive lineman Dean Griffing (Plano, Ill./Aurora Christian) and senior defensive back Jordan Martin (Shelbyville/Triton Central).
Second-team all-conference award winners included freshman receiver Aaron Abbott (Lebanon, Ohio), freshman receiver Jacob Dye (Tipton), senior running back Kyle Kovach (Munster/Andrean) and junior punter Eric Schaible (Findlay, Ohio).
Honorable mention all-conference honorees included junior offensive tackle Kie Bates (Indianapolis/Ben Davis) and senior quarterback Mitch Snyder (Casey, Ill./Casey-Westfield).
Cahill started 29 games and appeared in 34 contests as a four-year member of the offensive line. His efforts helped the Fightin' Engineers gain 3,284 yards in total offense in nine games, including 1,889 passing and 1,395 rushing yards.
DePalma ranked among the national leaders with 71 solo hits among his 100 total tackles this season. He earned NCAA Division III National Player of the Week for his efforts in the Homecoming win over Manchester and ranked second on the team with 14.5 tackles-for-loss and 7.5 sacks.
Griffing paced the team and ranked in the league's top two in sacks and tackles-for-loss this fall. He amassed 52 tackles, 16 tackles-for-loss and 10 sacks, along with two forced fumbles. Griffing was also named HCAC Player of the Week for his efforts against Mount St. Joseph that included 14 tackles and 4.5 tackles-for-loss.
Martin finished second on the team with 83 tackles, including 45 solo hits and one interception. His career featured a total of 227 career tackles, with exactly 83 in each of the past two years. In addition, Martin earned a spot on the HCAC all-sportsmanship team.
Abbott was twice named HCAC Player of the Week as part of a strong freshman season. He led the team with 49 receptions and six touchdown catches, gaining 505 receiving yards. He also rushed for 235 yards on 8.4 yards per carry and three touchdowns.
Dye hauled in 39 receptions for 570 yards and five touchdowns, including a 64-yard scoring strike that marked Rose-Hulman's longest pass play of the season. He finished fourth on the team in scoring with 30 points.
Kovach battled through an injury plagued year to rush for 626 yards and eight touchdowns in roughly 20 quarters of action. He holds school records with 3,631 rushing yards and 6,134 all-purpose yards, and completed his career with two 1,000-yard rushinh seasons and 100 career receptions for 930 yards.
Bates started at the tackle position and provided blocks for the balanced offensive attack this season. His career features 27 varsity appearances and 19 consecutive starts.
Snyder finished 170-304 through the air for 1,725 yards and 13 touchdowns as the team's starting quarterback. He passed for 5,133 career yards and 40 touchdowns to rank third in Rose-Hulman's career record book.