Senior offensive guard Chris Van De Weert
12/11/2009
Five SUNY Cortland players have been selected to the 2009 D3football.com All-East Region team. Senior defensive end Bryan Wiley (Cape Vincent/Thousand Islands) was a first-team selection, senior offensive guard Chris Van De Weert (Goshen) and senior defensive end Evan Wyler (Warwick/Warwick Valley) were second-team choices, and senior wide receiver Eric Hajnos (Grand Island) and sophomore cornerback D.J. Romano (Newburgh/Newburgh Free Academy) were named to the third team.
All five Cortland players are eligible for D3football.com All-America honors, which will be announced on Saturday, Dec. 19, at the Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl (Div. III national title game) in Salem, Va.
Wiley finished the season with 74 tackles, 39 solo, in 11 games as a starter. The New Jersey Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year, Wiley shared the team lead with 10 sacks and was second with 17.5 tackles for losses. He also forced two fumbles, broke up one pass and recovered two fumbles.
Van De Weert started all 11 games and anchored an offensive line that allowed only 15 sacks in 332 passing plays. Cortland averaged 323.4 yards of total offense, including 140.3 rushing yards, per game.
Wyler, an 11-game starter, ranked fourth on the team with 68 tackles with a team-high 41 solo stops. He also led the Red Dragons with 18.5 tackles for losses and tied for the team lead with 10 sacks. Wyler potentially has one year of eligibility remaining, based on a medical hardship from the 2007 season.
Hajnos caught 62 passes for 838 yards and 10 touchdowns despite missing one game due to injury. He set a new school single-season record for touchdown receptions, and his 62 catches are third-highest total in a season by a Red Dragon. Hajnos also tied the school record with 23 career touchdown grabs, and his 142 career catches ranks third on Cortland’s all-time chart.
Romano led Cortland this fall with four interceptions and eight pass breakups in 10 games. He also totaled 54 tackles, 35 solo, and forced a fumble. In two seasons, Romano has nine career interceptions and has led the Red Dragons in that category each year.
Cortland finished the season with a 7-4 record, including a third-place 7-2 mark in the 10-team New Jersey Athletic Conference. The Red Dragons were selected to play in the ECAC Div. III Northwest Bowl – their fifth straight postseason berth and 15th overall.