Nov. 15, 2006

BAY CITY, Mich. - Punter Brandon Hill and running back Richard Stokes of the Mercyhurst College football team were selected to the All-Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) second team in voting conducted by the conference coaches. Teammates Bryan Boyce, Alan Dailide, Roger McClinton, Jeff Nowling, Dan Salupo, and Dan Schuler were selected as honorable mentions.

Both Hill and Stokes were chosen All-GLIAC for the first time.

Hill, a junior, led the GLIAC with a 41.7 yard average per kick, which also rated eighth in all of Division II. The Timberlake, Ohio native's three longest punts of his career came in 2006 including a long of 63 yards. Six of his kicks landed inside the 20. Hill aslo assumed the top spot in career yards per kick at Mercyhurst in 2006. He also spent time at TE and led team with three TD grabs. His 19 catches were fourth on the team.

Stokes, a sophomore from Cincinnati, had three games of at least 120 yards, including career-high 166 against Gannon. He moved into eighth place on Lakers' all-time list with 1,243 rushing yards and ninth on school's career list with 2,123 all-purpose yards. His 20 catches and 225 yards receiving both ranked third on the team in 2006.

Boyce, a redshirt freshman from Hubbard, Ohio, finished second on team and tied for 12th in GLIAC in tackles. A converted quarterback, the linebacker was eighth in conference in tackles for loss with a team-best 11. Boyce registered three double-digit tackle games including career-high 12 in season final. He had two games where he registered a sack and an interception in the same game and led team in tackles three times.

Dailide anchored the offensive line as the starting center. He played in all 41 games during his career and is a two-year member of the GLIAC All-Academic team.

McClinton finished tied for sixth in the conference with three interception from his safety position. The Cleveland Heights, Ohio native also broke up four passes and had 3.5 tackles for loss. Of his 40 total tackles, 23 were solos.

Nowling, a wide receiver and team captain, finished the year with 17 catches for 291 yards (17.1 per catch) and two touchdowns, despite being sidelined for three games due to injury. He tied for the team lead in receivng yardage. He also threw one pass for 30 yards. Nowling hails from Perry, Ohio.

Salupo, a tight end, was second on the squad with 21 catches. He totaled 221 yards caught one toucdown. Salupo is a native of Broadview Heights, Ohio.

Schuler, a senior from New Middletown, Ohio, earned his second GLIAC honorable mention after also earning the honor in 2005. In 2006, he caught 18 passes for 198 yards and one touchdown while playing tight end, despite missing the final two game with an injury.

Grand Valley State University senior quarterback Cullen Finnerty (Brighton, Mich.) was named the Player of the Year. Wayne State University running back Joique Bell was voted Freshman of the Year and Offensive Back of the Year, while Wayne State's Paul Winters garnered Coach of the Year honors.

The rest of the GLIAC's postseason awards were chosen as follows: senior linebacker Charleston Hughes of Northwood University earned Defensive Back of the Year honors; junior tackle Brandon Barnes of Grand Valley State was named Offensive Lineman of the Year; while fellow Laker, senior Michael McFadden, earned the League's Defensive Lineman of the Year title for the second consecutive season.

Mercyhurst finished the 2006 season with a record of 3-7 overall, playing al1 10 games in the GLIAC. It was a one-win improvement over the previous season.