Stonehill participated in its first NEC Football Social Media Day at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., this week. (PHOTO BY Larry Levanti) |
Corbett, Murphy and Satkowski earn NEC preseason honors
Skyhawks open second NCAA I FCS season Sept. 2 vs. #8 UNH at W.B. Mason Stadium
NEC Preseason All-Conference Announcement
NEC Preseason Coaches' Poll Announcement
EASTON, Mass. (July 21, 2023) – The Stonehill College football program has been picked to finish sixth in the Northeast Conference preseason poll by the league's eight head coaches, and have three student-athletes selected to the All-NEC preseason team the Conference announced at its Social Media Day at the EY Coaches' Club at MetLife Stadium this week.
Stonehill, set to open its second NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision season in September, is tied with Central Connecticut State University for sixth in the NEC preseason poll, which is led by defending NEC Champions and NCAA I FCS Championship participant Saint Francis (Pa.) University with five first place votes. Merrimack College is picked second and received two first place votes, with Duquesne University third with a first-place vote, tied with Sacred Heart University. LIU received the remaining first place vote and is picked fifth, followed by Stonehill and Central Connecticut State in sixth and Wagner College in eighth.
Stonehill has three selections to the 2023 All-NEC Football Preseason Team, led by 2022 All-NEC first team selections senior running back Jermaine Corbett and fifth-year offensive lineman David Satkowski, along with senior linebacker Sam Murphy. The trio are the first Skyhawks to earn a spot on the preseason All-NEC team.
Corbett |
Satkowski |
Murphy |
|
Corbett, a two-time NEC Offensive Player of the Week and an All-NEC first team selection during Stonehill's first year in the Conference, appeared in seven games for the Skyhawks last fall and finished second among NEC rushing leaders with his 110.6 yards per game, while his 774-yard total ranked fourth. He ranked fourth in the Conference with his team-best nine rushing touchdowns and 6.3 yards per carry, finishing the year with 123 total attempts and ten touchdowns to rank fourth in the NEC. He finished seventh among NEC scoring leaders with 60 points, while his 8.6 points per game are good for second in the Conference.
Corbett surpassed 100 rushing yards in three of his seven games played, giving him four over the course of his career, including a season-high 227 yards on 16 carries and three touchdowns in Stonehill's 50-10 win over Wagner College. He reached the end zone in five of the seven games he played, and registered 12 receptions for 107 yards and another touchdowns to finish with 881 all-purpose yards and the ten total touchdowns. He will enter the 2023 season with 1,167 career yards on 197 rushing attempts and 11 touchdowns, having totaled 12 total touchdowns for his career.
Satkowski, the NEC Football Scholar-Athlete of the Year recipient and William V. Campbell Trophy® semifinalist, also earned All-NEC first team honors last season. The Skyhawks starting right tackle has started all 19 games at the position over the last two seasons and keyed a Stonehill offensive line that blocked for the No. 2-ranked offense in the NEC behind Conference champion and FCS Playoffs participant Saint Francis. Stonehill led the NEC in rushing offense (207.7 yds/gm) and third (43.7-percent) and fourth down conversions (64.3%) and ranked second in scoring offense (30.6 ppg), third in total offense (385.8 yds/gm) and first downs (21.2 per game) and fifth in passing offense (178.1 yds/gm). The Skyhawks offensive line allowed the second-fewest sacks (18) in the NEC last fall.
Satkowski, an All-NEC first team selection and NEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year, earns a spot on the All-NEC preseason team ahead of his fifth-year season (PHOTO BY Andrew Katsampes) |
Satkowski, who started all nine games this season and ten games as a junior in 2021, is a secondary education and history dual major and earned a 3.82 cumulative grade point average and was named to the Academic All-District® team by College Sports Communicators and NEC Commissioner's Honor Roll for having a cumulative GPA of 3.50 or better.
Murphy rounds out Stonehill's three preseason All-NEC selections as a member of the Skyhawks defensive unit that ranked this in the Conference for scoring defense (23.0 ppg) and fourth in total defense (351.9 ypg) in 2022. Murphy ranked sixth on the Stonehill defense with 41 tackles (16 solo) last fall, with 2.5 tackles for a loss of eight yards, including 0.5 sacks for a loss of five. He also contributed three pass breakups, a quarterback hurry and fumble recovery.
Murphy has appeared in 17 games over his Stonehill career and totaled 74 tackles (26 solo), including 6.0 for a loss of 15 yards, with 3.0 sacks for a loss of 11 yards, and five breakups. He was named to the NEC Commissioner's Honor Roll with a cumulative GPA of 3.50 or better and the NE10 Academic Honor Roll with Academic Excellence status in 2021-22 as a finance major in the Moreau Honors Program.
Stonehill, under the direction of head coach Eli Gardner, in his eighth year as head coach and 15th year at the College overall, opens its 2023 season on September 2, when it hosts the University of New Hampshire, ranked No. 8 in the Athlon Sports preseason NCAA FCS preseason poll, at W.B. Mason Stadium at 1 p.m. The Skyhawks will play three programs that reached the 2022 NCAA I FCS playoffs, including New Hampshire, Fordham University (Sept. 23) and Saint Francis (Sept. 30), the latter of which is the Skyhawks NEC home opener as part of Family Weekend at the College which will also serve as the kickoff to the College's 75th Anniversary celebration. Stonehill will open its second NEC season on the road at Central Connecticut State University on September 9.
For the latest on Stonehill Athletics, follow the Skyhawks via social media on Twitter and Facebook. Fans can also download the Stonehill Skyhawks "Front Row" mobile app, powered by PrestoSports, on iTunes and the Android Market.
NEC Football Social Media Day Photo Gallery
