INDIANAPOLIS – Three University of Indianapolis representatives and one Missouri S&T standout have garnered major postseason football honors in the Great Lakes Valley Conference, it was announced by the league office Wednesday. UIndy senior running back and return specialist Klay Fiechter was voted by the conference coaches as both GLVC Offensive Player and Special Teams Player of the Year. Fiechter’s teammate Derrick Bryant was tabbed as Freshman of the Year while Greyhounds’ head coach Bob Bartolomeo was selected by his peers as Coach of the Year. Missouri S&T senior linebacker Chris Emesih prevented the UIndy sweep as the GLVC coaches picked him as Defensive Player of the Year. In addition, 71 standouts earned All-Conference accolades while another 16 were named Honorable Mention.
Fiechter holds the unique distinction of earning both the league’s Offensive and Special Teams Player of the Year awards. In seven conference games this year, all of which were won by UIndy to claim its second-straight outright GLVC Championship, Fiechter ranked first in the league in scoring with 66 points off 11 touchdowns (9.4 ppg), first in all-purpose yards (1,121), first in punt return average (20.2), and second in rushing yards per game (93.6). The Bluffton, Ind., native amassed league-highs with eight touchdowns and 655 yards on the ground, while also totaling a conference-best 243 punt return yards, which included two touchdown returns. He eclipsed the 100-yard rushing mark in three of his seven GLVC contests this season, led by a 144-yard performance against Saint Joseph’s on Nov. 2. Fiechter’s numbers are equally impressive when the scope broadens to include non-conference games. In 11 outings this season, he posted league-high numbers in rushing yards (1,093), touchdowns (14) and punt return average (16.9). His two punt return TDs tied the Division II lead, while his 164.2 all-purpose yards per game ranked 19th. On campus, he broke UIndy’s 37-year-old career rushing mark and scored the game-winning touchdown to secure the GLVC Championship over Truman State in the season finale, giving him sole possession of the school’s all-time scoring mark of 276 – a record that had stood for nearly 60 years. Additionally, the three-time GLVC Player of the Week honoree (2 Offensive/1 Special Teams) was one of four unanimous first-team All-Conference selections this season, marking his second straight unanimous nod at first-team All-GLVC running back. His postseason accolades also mark consecutive honors for the Greyhounds as then-senior wideout Mar’Quone Edmonds and then-sophomore kicker Scott Miller were named 2012 GLVC Offensive and Special Teams Players of the Year, respectively.
After being recognized as a second-team All-Conference honoree at linebacker in 2012, Emesih concluded his career at S&T as the league’s top defender in the eyes of the coaches. In seven GLVC games this year, Emesih tied for third with 58 total tackles, averaging 8.3 hits each time out. On Nov. 4, the Houston, Texas, native garnered GLVC Defensive Player of the Week honors after posting 10 tackles, including five solo stops, to lead the Miners' best defensive performance of the season in a 24-6 win at William Jewell. In that win, the Emesih-led Miners held second-team All-Conference running back Thomas Cook to minus-two yards on seven carries. Overall, Emesih, who has led S&T in tackles for three consecutive seasons, totaled a team-high 87 tackles in 11 games, while guiding a unit that ranked third in NCAA Division II in pass efficiency defense (95.31) and 14th in total defense (304.9).
In his first season on the field, Bryant compiled nearly six tackles a game for a Greyhound defense that led the nation in fewest bullets allowed (12.0). He twice set a season high with 12 tackles in a game, and picked up his first collegiate interception in a win versus Missouri S&T Oct. 5. The South Holland, Ill., native, who also totaled 7.0 tackles for loss on the year, helped UIndy to the nation’s third-best defense this season as the Hounds allowed just 268.6 total yards each time out. Bryant also earned second-team All-Conference distinction at his linebacker position.
In his fourth year as the UIndy head man, Bartolomeo improved on the Greyhounds’ record-setting season last year by establishing a new school record for regular-season wins (10), its highest ranking ever in the AFCA Top 25 Poll (10th), a second-straight GLVC Championship, and back-to-back NCAA Division II playoff berths. At 10-1 on the year, his Hounds are undefeated against Division II opponents and have maintained an unblemished mark in the conference for the second straight season. Under Bartolomeo’s direction, 20 Greyhounds earned All-Conference distinction this season, including 13 on the first team, six second-team honorees and one honorable mention recipient.
A total of 33 student-athletes were selected to both the first-team All-Conference squad while 38 were named second-team honorees to include five additional players due to voting ties at wide receiver, defensive line, defensive back, punter, and return specialist. A standard GLVC All-Conference squad is comprised of a quarterback, three running backs, four wide receivers, one H-back, six offensive linemen, five defensive linemen, five linebackers, five defensive backs, a kicker, punter, and one return specialist.
Fiechter is among three other unanimous selections on the 33-member first-team All-Conference squad. Teammate John Strickland was a clear choice at defensive back, as were Quincy’s Justin Dickens at wide receiver and Saint Joseph’s Jake Styla at offensive line. UIndy led all teams with 13 first-team honorees, followed by newcomer Truman State with eight and Saint Joseph’s with five.
Among the other All-Conference notables, four individuals were twice honored for their supporting roles. Truman State senior Tremaine Millender was named first-team All-GLVC defensive back and second-team return specialist, Kentucky Wesleyan senior Jeff Ward was a first-team return man and a second-team H-Back, McKendree sophomore Cameron James was both a second-team wide receiver and returner, while UIndy junior Scott Miller was tabbed as a first-team place kicker and second-team punter.
A complete list of the 2013 GLVC All-Conference honorees follows:
FIRST-TEAM ALL-GLVC
QB - Connor Barthel, UINDY
RB - KLAY FIECHTER, UINDY
RB - Braxton Shelton, SJC
RB - Garrett White, TSU
WR - JUSTIN DICKENS, QU
WR - Dallas Grier, TSU
WR - Reece Horn, UINDY
WR - Greg Johnson, UINDY
HB - Tyler Callaghan, SJC
OL - Hayden Janney, UINDY
OL - JAKE STYLA, SJC
OL - Eric Stone, TSU
OL - Chris Massaro, UINDY
OL - Richie Rebmann, MCK
OL - Greg Wedow, UINDY
DL - Vince Maida, UINDY
DL - Brett Pearman, MCK
DL - Nic Abbate, TSU
DL - Lee Campbell, UINDY
DL - Jeremy Dockery, TSU
LB - Chris Emesih, S&T
LB - Joel Wimbley, SJC
LB - Todd Hacker, UINDY
LB - Gary Yeoman, SJC
LB - Matt Bell, TSU
DB - JOHN STRICKLAND, UINDY
DB - Will Brown, S&T
DB - Andre Smith, UINDY
DB - Mark Hopkins, S&T
DB - Tremaine Millender, TSU
K - Scott Miller, UINDY
P - Jacob Lamp, TSU
RS - Jeff Ward, KWC
ALL CAPS-UNANIMOUS SELECTION |
SECOND-TEAM ALL-GLVC
QB - Billy VandeMerkt, SJC
RB - Thomas Cook Jr, WJC
RB - Kobi Cook, SJC
RB - Ryan Herring, MCK
*WR - Dewayne Gatti, MCK
*WR - Cameron James, MCK
*WR - Melvin Stovall, S&T
*WR - Julian Walker, SJC
*WR - Alphonso Hines, SJC
HB - Jeff Ward, KWC
OL - Ayoola Oyetunji, MCK
OL - Jordan Bedan, UINDY
OL - Forrestal Hickman, S&T
OL - Ryan Grigsby, S&T
OL - Trent Hall, SJC
OL - Brandon Klewer, WJC
*DL - Eddie Rascon, S&T
*DL - Dan Mausczycki, S&T
*DL - Mike Philips, UINDY
*DL - Cameron Ford, MCK
*DL - Lucky Baar, MCK
*DL - Eric Heinzman, SJC
LB - Derrick Bryant, UINDY
LB - Chris Horn, S&T
LB - Ike Onike, QU
LB - Connor Nagel, TSU
LB - George Hill, MCK
*DB - Koby Orris, UINDY
*DB - Jessie Pourch, SJC
*DB - Jamison Wilson, MCK
*DB - Drew Byrd, SJC
*DB - Romary Corneille, SJC
*DB - Austin Zoda, TSU
K - Derek Koon, TSU
*P - Scott Miller, UINDY
*P - Pavel Polochanin, UINDY
*RS - Cameron James, MCK
*RS - Tremaine Millender, TSU
*Extra Player Due to Tie |
HONORABLE MENTION
QB - Isaac Fisher, MCK
QB - Nick Lonergan, QU
QB - Conrad Schottel, TSU
HB - Joe Bell, UINDY
HB - Greg Eilerman, QU
OL - Brandon Good, SJC
OL - Kyle Lomprez, QU
DL - Cody French, SJC
DL - Tyler Reidl, QU
DB - Sean Martin, S&T
DB - Kevin Farris, KWC
DB - Jeff Daverne, QU
DB - Quinlan Riser, WJC
DB - Jack Bissonnett, WJC
K - Gavin Voss, SJC
K - Adam Peden, S&T |
2013 GLVC OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Klay Fiechter, Sr., RB/RS, Indianapolis
2013 GLVC DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Chris Emesih, Sr., LB, Missouri S&T
2013 GLVC SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Klay Fiechter, Sr., RB/RS, Indianapolis
2013 GLVC FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR: Derrick Bryant, Fr., LB, Indianapolis
2013 GLVC COACH OF THE YEAR: Bob Bartolomeo, Indianapolis