BRENTWOOD, Tenn. – Nine Eastern Kentucky University football players earned postseason Ohio Valley Conference honors, the league announced today from its Brentwood, Tennessee headquarters.
Tight end Ben Madon, offensive tackle Brett Eyckmans, defensive lineman Noah Spence, kicker Lucas Williams and punter Keith Wrzuszczak were named first team All-OVC. Spence was also chosen as the OVC Co-Defensive Player of the Year.
Defensive lineman Bryce Krebs and linebackers Chris Kelly and Marquise Piton garnered second team All-OVC honors.
Running back Ethan Thomas and Spence were two of 13 players from across the conference named to the OVC All-Newcomer Team.
Madon earned first team honors over four other nominees. The senior from Pineville, Kentucky finished the season with 34 catches for 456 yards. He caught three touchdown passes and averaged 13.4 yards per reception. Against Southeast Missouri on Oct. 17, Madon caught six passes for 117 yards. He had touchdown catches in two of Eastern’s final three games.
Eyckmans was one of two tackles on the first team. The senior from Lexington, Kentucky started every game this season and helped the Colonels average 388 yards of offense per game, fourth best in the conference. The Colonels were third in the OVC in passing at 256 yards per game.
Spence made an immediate impact in his first season in maroon and white. The redshirt junior from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania is fourth nationally in tackles for a loss (2.0/game), fifth in sacks (1.05/game) and 22nd in forced fumbles per game (0.27).
Williams leads the OVC in scoring (8.2 ppg) and field goals per game (1.22). He is second in the league in field goal percentage (78.6) and third in extra points made (41). The redshirt sophomore from Russell Springs, Kentucky converted 11-of-14 field goal attempts this season with a season-long of 45 yards. He made 41-of-42 extra point attempts.
Wrzuszczak set a new school record and is 10th in the nation with an average of 43.7 yards per punt. He broke current Pittsburgh Steeler Jordan Berry’s program mark of 43.3 yards per punt. Twenty of the sophomore’s 62 punts this season went for 50 or more yards. He nailed a 75-yarder against No. 1 Jacksonville State, three short of the school record and the ninth longest in FCS this season. The native of Geelong, Australia has also placed 20 punts inside the 20 yard line.
Krebs, a senior from Greenwood, Indiana, started every single EKU game during his four-year playing career, 47 straight. He finished the 2015 season with 26 tackles, 3.5 tackles for a loss, 0.5 sacks, one pass break-up and one quarterback hurry.
Kelly, a senior from Cold Spring, Kentucky wrapped up his career with 56 tackles, five tackles for a loss, one sack and four quarterback hurries. He had 11 tackles at Kentucky and 10 at Eastern Illinois.
Piton stepped in as the starter in the second game of the season and never relinquished his spot. The senior from Pembroke Pines, Florida contributed 44 tackles, seven tackles for a loss, 3.5 sacks and four quarterback hurries.
Thomas led the team in rushing with 498 yards and tied for the team lead with four rushing touchdowns. The freshman from Johnson City, Tennessee may have been on his way to earning all-conference honors before a late season injury cost him two games. He ran for a season-high 149 yards and scored a touchdown in Eastern’s win over Tennessee State on Homecoming.
