ODAC Players Sweep College Division Honors

RICHMOND, Va. --- Bridgewater College wide receiver Tyler Beiler became the first ever winner of the Willie Lanier Award this on Tuesday evening, edging out Hampden-Sydney College's Trevor Ikwild and Emory & Henry College's Caleb Jennings for the state's top college division honor. The award is given by the Touchdown Club of Richmond in coordination with the Richmond Times-Dispatch.  In all, ODAC players swept all five college division honors bestowed by the Club.

Beiler, the winner of the ODAC's J. Stokeley Fulton Award as the conference's top offensive player, joined Virginia Tech's Tyrod Taylor as the state's best players after Taylor claimed the Bill Dudley Award as Virginia's Top Division IA/IAA College Player.

ODAC athletes earned four other college division awards from the Touchdown Club earlier in the week.  Prior to being named the state's top college division player, Beiler was named the Offensive End of the Year, an award comprising the state's best wide receivers, tight ends and offensive linemen.  Hampden-Sydney student-athletes earned the remaining three accolades.  Quarterback Travis Lane was tabbed as the Offensive Back of the Year.  Defensive lineman Will Riggenbach was named the Defensive End of the Year for the second consecutive season.  Tiger's linebacker Trevor Ikwild, who earned the ODAC's Lou Wacker Defensive Player of the Year award, garnered Linebacker/Defensive Back of the Year laurels.

All four players were named to the All-ODAC First Team in November by a vote of the league's coaches.

Beiler, a senior from Ronks, Pa., posted a breakout campaign in which he hauled in 61 receptions that led to ODAC receiving-highs of 1,342 yards and 16 touchdowns, which rank sixth and tied for third in the ODAC records book, respectively.  Beiler added one more score on a kick return and notched a pair of two-point conversions on the way to posting a conference-best 104 points scored.  He was also #1 in the league with 2,048 all-purpose yards.  Beiler’s statistical marks rank as some of the best in NCAA Division III football.  He currently leads the country in receiving yards per game (134.20) and all-purpose yards per game (204.8) and is 18^th in points scored per game (10.20).  A true big play threat, Beiler maintained a 22.0 yards per reception average over his 61 grabs.

Lane, a junior from Richmond, Va., put together a solid season in his first year as the starting play-caller. He recorded the fourth-best passing season in school history with 3,338 yards on 272-of-420 accuracy (64.8%). He accounted for 28 touchdowns and 18 interceptions, and he also scored three via the ground to go with 131 net rushing yards. Lane led the ODAC in passing yards (the second-highest passer was over 1,000 yards below Lane), touchdowns (28), completions (272), yards-per-game (303.5 ypg), and total offense (315.4 ypg).

Riggenbach, the 2009 ODAC Defensive Player of the Year, was second in the ODAC in sacks, tallying 8.0 on seven solo and two assisted quarterback stops.  The senior Midlothian-native collected 43 total tackles, 12.5 of which were for a loss of 54 yards (third in the ODAC). Of his 39 tackles, 22 were solo stops while 21 were assisted. In addition, Riggenbach had one interception for a touchdown.

Ikwild, a senior from Philomont, Va., posted an ODAC-best 133 tackles, 42 more stops than the next highest mark in the conference.  His 12.1 tackles per game average currently ranks 12^th in the nation.  Ikwild also collected 10.0 tackles for a loss (sixth in the ODAC), and proved adept in pass coverage with 10 passes defended (seventh) including three interceptions (10^th).  Ikwild registered double-figures in tackles in eight of 11 games played, including a season-high 19 stops (12 solo) in H-SC’s playoff contest against Montclair State University.  Over the past two years, Ikwild recorded 227 tackles (94 in 2009).

For more information on the Touchdown Club of Richmond, view its website by clicking HERE.  For more on ODAC football, visit any of the participating schools' websites, or go to the ODAC's home on the Internet at www.odaconline.com.