FOREST, Va. --- Randolph-Macon College gathered a league-high 12 all-conference awards and garnered a pair of special individual honors to headline the 2021-AllODAC Football Awards.

Yellow Jackets signal-called Presley Egbers received J. Stokeley Fulton Offensive Player of the Year laurels, while R-MC mentor Pedro Arruza secured ODAC Coach of the Year recognition from his peers. Emory & Henry College defensive end Jay Swegheimer earned Lou Wacker Defensive Player of the Year accolades, and Hampden-Sydney College defensive back Will Pickren collected ODAC Rookie of the Year honors. H-SC offensive lineman Tyler Howerton was tabbed the ODAC/Virginia Farm Bureau Insurance Scholar-Athlete of the Year by the conference's athletic communications personnel.

The first set of ODAC football awards honored in a spring season featured athletes from teams that were active during the campaign. Given the size of the schedule and with one team not in action this spring, the conference's coaches and administration elected to reduce the amount of awards from three to two All-ODAC squads.

The majority of this year's 53 honorees are in the awards circle for the first time, including both players of the year, but 13 returning stars picked up their second straight All-ODAC nods. Randolph-Macon offensive lineman Will Jackson and E&H linebacker Ivan Phillips repeat as All-ODAC First Team choices. Running backs Demetreus Jalepes from Bridgewater College and Grayson Overstreet from E&H move up to the first team after earning All-ODAC Second Team spots in 2019. Overstreet earned his plaudit as a linebacker last year. Wasps' teammates Donovan Pinnix, a defensive line, and Jaylyn Kreimes, a defensive back, also moved from the second to first team along with RMC linebacker Matt Vergara. E&H offensive lineman Dakota Morris and H-SC all-purpose back Kaleb Smith jumped from the 2019 All-ODAC Third Team to the first team this season.

Bridgewater offensive lineman Cole Cooksey earned a second team spot after collecting first team recognition in 2019. R-MC offensive lineman Connor Denning, H-SC defensive lineman Phil Pullen, and BC defensive back Dustin Green each moved from last fall's third team to this spring's second team.

RELATED: 2019 All-ODAC Football Awards | All-Time All-ODAC

Egbers, a sophomore from Clifton, Va., proved adept in the passing game and a threat with his legs in spearheading the Yellow Jackets offense this spring. Egbers led the ODAC in passing efficiency (158.6) and touchdown passes (10). He completed 62-of-100 passes (62.0%) for 829 yards. He tossed just three interceptions. In the running game, Egbers carried the ball 75 times for 338 yards and seven touchdowns. He posted a season-high 174 yards and two touchdowns in a win at Shenandoah, which came a week after running for 103 yards and two scores in a win over Bridgewater. In each of those games, he accounted for four touchdowns with a pair of passing TDs. He also was in on four scoring plays with three touchdown passes and a rushing TD in the season-opening win over Guilford.

Swegheimer, a sophomore from Orlando, Fla., flourished along the Wasps defensive front after spending the 2019 season at the Florida Institute of Technology and the 2018 campaign at the University of Richmond. Swegheimer lived in the opposition's backfield, leading the ODAC in sacks (7.5), yards lost from sacks (70), tackles for a loss (10.5), and yards lost behind the line of scrimmage (74). He registered at least one TFL in all four of Emory & Henry's games. He registered 3.5 sacks in the season-opening win at Ferrum. He had four tackles for a loss including three sacks in a win over Guilford. Swegheimer finished his first season in Emory with 18 total tackles including 15 solo stops.

Arruza completed his 17th season at Randolph-Macon after leading the Yellow Jackets to their 12th overall ODAC title, breaking a tie with Emory & Henry for the most crowns in ODAC history. This is Arruza's fourth ODAC top coaching honor, joining the awards he earned in 2008, 2016, and 2018. Randolph-Macon went 5-0 overall and 4-0 in league play thru the first spring season in conference history. Arruza owns a 104-66 (.612) career record including a 66-42 (.611) mark in ODAC play.

Pickren, a first-year from Mt. Pleasant, S.C., stepped right in and helped solidify the Hampden-Sydney secondary. He racked up 38 total tackles including 20 solo stops to go with one interception and two passes broken up. He was ever-present in "The Game" against Randolph-Macon with a season-best 14 tackles including five solo stops. He picked up ODAC Defensive Player of the Week honors for his eight-tackle one-interception showing in the Tigers win on the road at Guilford.

Howerton, a senior from Alexandria, Va., is a star both on and off the gridiron for Hampden-Sydney as he pairs this honor with an all-ODAC First Team nod along the Tigers offensive line. Howerton boasts a 4.0 grade point average as a physics major with a mathematics minor. His academic profile is littered with accomplishments, but his most prestigious distinction comes as a finalist for the William V. Campbell Trophy, commonly referred to as the "academic Heisman." The Campbell Trophy recognizes the absolute best collegiate football scholar-athletes at all levels of the NCAA. Howerton is the first finalist in Hampden-Sydney history.

Howerton, a 2017 All-ODAC honoree, has started all 32 career games, having played center, right guard, and left tackle for the Tigers. A perennial honoree on the ODAC All-Academic Team, he is a member of the 2021 National Football Foundation (NFF) & College Hall of Fame Hampshire Society. He is a recipient of the Hampden-Sydney President's Award for Overall Academic Excellence, given to the senior at H-SC who stands highest in his class. His community service ventures at H-SC and within the surrounding Farmville area are numerous, several of which have come thru his involvement as President, Vice-President, and Treasurer of the Tiger Athletic Club. He also served as Vice-President of Omicron Delta Kappa leadership honor society, helping spearhead ODK's Cares for Kids program that focuses on raising money to support local Southside Virginia children who are struggling academically.

Listed below is the full set of All-ODAC Football Awards. For more information, 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, follow the ODAC on Twitter at @odacathletics, and follow the odacathletics on Instagram! 

2020-21 ALL-ODAC FOOTBALL TEAMS
J. Stokeley Fulton Offensive Player of the Year: Presley Egbers, So., QB, Randolph-Macon
Lou Wacker Defensive Player of the Year: Jay Swegheimer, So., DL, Emory & Henry
ODAC Coach of the Year: Pedro Arruza, Randolph-Macon
ODAC Rookie of the Year: Will Pickren, Fy., DB, Hampden-Sydney
ODAC/Virginia Farm Bureau Insurance Scholar-Athlete: Tyler Howerton, Sr., OL, Hampden-Sydney