W&L's Abell, H-SC's Koonce, BC's Douglass Earn Special Recognition

FOREST, Va. --- Guilford College quarterback Matt Pawlowski and Shenandoah University defensive lineman Jake Payne headline the 2015 All-ODAC Football Awards, earning the J. Stokeley Fulton Offensive and Lou Wacker Defensive Player of the Year honors, respectively.  Washington and Lee University mentor Scott Abell was tabbed the ODAC Coach of the Year, while Hampden-Sydney College running back Kyree Koonce picked up ODAC Rookie of the Year accolades.  Bridgewater College offensive lineman Sean Douglass received the ODAC/Virginia Farm Bureau Insurance Scholar-Athlete Award.

The 2015 All-ODAC Teams feature 26 repeat honorees of the 79 total selections.  The All-ODAC First Team holds 14 of those former picks, including six players that were tabbed to last season's first team.  Guilford's Pawlowski is joined by three teammates in wide receiver Adam Smith, linebacker Hunter Hoots and punter Tyler Hunt.  Shenandoah boasts running back Cedrick Delaney in addition to Payne.  GC all-purpose back De'Eric Bell made the jump from the second team along with Bridgewater tight end Keith Jennings and defensive lineman Logan Whitaker and Hampden-Sydney offensive lineman P.J. Melnick and corner Sidney Henry.  Emory & Henry College corner Tre'von Lightlight was a third team selection in 2014, as were GC d-lineman Gibson Ziah and linebacker Daytwyn Rascoe.

Pawlowski, a senior from Greensboro, N.C., becomes the first offensive player to repeat as the ODAC's Player of the Year and only third student overall to turn the trick since the ODAC first sponsored football in 1976.  NCAA Division III's fifth-highest rated passer (180.5) led the ODAC in passing yards (3,333), touchdowns (39) and fewest interceptions thrown (2) among quarterbacks with at least 100 pass attempts.  He was second in the league in completions (227) and completion percentage (64.9%; 227-of-350).  Pawlowski threw for an ODAC record 611 yards with seven touchdowns in a 52-49 win at Catholic.  The 611 yards stand second in the country this year, regardless of NCAA division.  A Gagliardi Trophy semifinalist for the second straight season, Pawlowski sits second among the ODAC's career leaders in passing yards (11,625) and touchdowns (116) and is third in completion percentage (63.7%; 872-of-1,369).  With just 16 career interceptions, he compiled a 7.25-to-1 touchdown-to-interception ratio.

Payne, a senior from Catharpin, Va., frequented the oppositions' backfields more than any other ODAC player in 2015.  He led the conference in both tackles for a loss (14.0) and sacks (7.0), costing opposing offenses a league-best 83 yards from scrimmage.  His seven sacks resulted in the bulk of that lost yardage with 59 negative yards.  He made at least one tackle behind the line in all but two games this season, including a season-high 4.0 TFLs with 3.0 sacks in a 34-17 win over Catholic.  Payne finished the season with 53 total tackles (26 solo), one forced fumble and a fumble recovery.  For his career, Payne notched 199 total stops (89 solo), which includes 33.0 tackles for a loss and 17.0 sacks.  He cost the opposition 170 yards of offense over four years.

Abell completed his fourth season guiding W&L football and now boasts a 25-17 (.595) overall record.   This is his second ODAC top coaching honor, pairing this season's award with the one he earned in 2012.  Picked for finish sixth in the ODAC preseason poll, Washington and Lee improved by eight wins from 2014 to post an unbeaten 10-0 regular season record for the first time in program history.  That mark included a 7-0 run thru its conference slate to lock up the Generals' sixth ODAC title and a trip to the NCAA Division III Tournament.  W&L set ODAC single season rushing records for yards (4,773), attempts (710) and touchdowns (55), all of which were previously owned by Washington and Lee teams.  The Generals also set the ODAC record for rushing yards in a game with 649 in a 63-35 win over Averett, the second-most in the nation throughout all NCAA divisions.

Koonce, a freshman from Charlottesville, Va., put together one of best rushing seasons in Hampden-Sydney history after leading the ODAC with 1,313 yards on the ground.  That total currently sits 19th nationally and is the second-most in H-SC history behind Jimmy Ferguson's 1,460 yards in 1977.  Koonce ran for an ODAC second-best 12 touchdowns, adding two more receiving to tie for second in the conference with 14 overall scores.  He found the end zone at least once in each game save for the season-opener against Wabash.  Koonce cracked the century mark in seven contests, including a pair of 200-yard efforts.  His 32-carry 220-yard showing in a 38-33 win at Shenandoah ranks as the second-most on H-SC's single-game rushing charts.  That performance and his 203-yard outburst in a 38-21 victory over Catholic marked the ODAC's two highest individual rushing days of the season.

Douglass, a senior from Centreville, Va., is the second straight Eagle to win football's scholar-athlete award.  He maintains a 3.86 grade point average as an Applied Physics major with minors in Computer Science and Mathematics.  A semifinalist for the National Football Foundation's Campbell Trophy, Douglass has earned CoSIDA Academic All-District laurels for the third consecutive season, which makes him eligible for Academic All-America consideration.  He worked as a systems engineer during an internship this past summer, using rockets to clear inactive satellite debris from outer space.  On the field, the Eagles' center graded out as BC's top lineman in 2014 and anchored a line that allowed just 12 sacks in 2013.  Douglass headed a unit that surrendered just 16 sacks this season, which helped him garner a third straight All-ODAC Second Team selection.

For more information on ODAC Football, visit the websites of any of the participating schools, or go to the ODAC's home on the Internet at www.odaconline.com.  Don't forget to become a fan of the ODAC on Facebook and follow @odacathletics on Twitter.

2015 ALL-ODAC FOOTBALL AWARDS
J. Stokeley Fulton Offensive Player of the Year: Matt Pawlowski, Sr., QB, Guilford
Lou Wacker Defensive Player of the Year: Jake Payne, Sr., DL, Shenandoah
ODAC Coach of the Year: Scott Abell, Washington and Lee
ODAC Rookie of the Year: Kyree Koonce, Fr., RB, Hampden-Sydney
ODAC/Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance Scholar-Athlete: Sean Douglass, Sr., OL, Bridgewater