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BRIDGEPORT -- West Virginia Wesleyan sophomore John Merica has been selected to the All-Mountain East Conference first team as a defensive back.
The Bobcats also placed senior defensive linemen Harry Lewis and Aman Speed on the second unit, while offensive lineman Trey Milam and linebacker Grant Safford were listed as honorable mention.
Notre Dame's Jaleel McLaughlin, Nick Beans, Bryce Sheppert and head coach Mike Jacobs, along with Glenville State's Dominic Cizuaskas, earned top individual honors in the MEC.
McLaughlin earned Offensive Player of the Year honors for a second straight year. Cizauskas was selected as the Defensive Player of the Year. Beans was tabbed as the Offensive Freshman of the Year and teammate Sheppert was the Defensive Freshman of the Year.
Jacobs was selected as the Coach of the Year for a second straight season.
McLaughlin, a freshman from Marshville, N.C., led the NCAA with 1,982 yards and 27 rushing touchdowns during his sophomore season. His 180.2 rushing yards per game and his 15.2 points per game were also best in the country. He rushed for over 100 yards in 10 games this season, including four games with 200+ yards. During the course of the season, he set the MEC career mark for rushing yards and will enter the postseason with 4,403 rushing yards in 25 games.
Cizauskas, a senior from Mukwonago, Wisc., earned Defensive Player of the Year honors after racking up 120 tackles on the season. He ranked third in the league in solo tackles (67), and also ranked among the league leaders in tackles for a loss (14.0), interceptions (4) and passes defended (14) from his linebacker position. He also returned two interceptions for touchdowns and was a two-time MEC Defensive Player of the Week in 2019. Beans, a native of Akron, Ohio, is the Offensive Freshman of the Year after starting at center on Notre Dame's offensive line. He helped contribute to the league's best rushing attack at 246.2 yards per game and scoring offense at 41.2 points per game. The offensive line also allowed just 12 sacks on the year.
Sheppert, a native of Stow, Ohio, is the Defensive Freshman of the Year playing in the secondary for the Falcons. He finished the year with 38 tackles (27 solo), and came up with three interceptions on the year. He was also a key member on special teams blocking two kicks and recording eight tackles on special teams.
Jacobs is the MEC Coach of the Year for a second-straight season after directing Notre Dame to back-to-back MEC titles. The Falcons were nationally ranked for the entire season rising as high as No. 5 in the AFCA poll. Notre Dame also earned a NCAA Playoff berth for a second-straight season and will represent the Mountain East Conference in the postseason as the No. 3 seed in Super Region 1.
In addition to the individual awards, the league also announced the All-MEC teams. Regular season champion Notre Dame led the way with nine first-team honorees, followed by Fairmont State with six and Charleston with five. Glenville State was recognized four times on the first team, as was Charleston. Urbana had three honorees, while West Liberty and West Virginia Wesleyan each had one.
The all-conference teams and individual award winners are selected by a vote of the league's coaches.