At Right: Senior OL Corey Nicholson won three awards at the Blue Hen Touchdown Club Banquet Friday night (Photo by Mark Campbell)

NEWARK, Del. -- The 12 seniors on the 2009 University of Delaware football squad were honored Friday night at the annual Blue Hen Touchdown Club Banquet at the Executive Banquet and Conference Center.

Head coach K.C. Keeler honored each of the seniors in attendance and club officials handed out honors that recognized the top seniors for their academic and athletic accomplishments as well as for their leadership.

Wide receiver Mark Duncan was named the Outstanding Senior on Offense, defensive lineman Brandon Gilbeaux and safety Charles Graves shared the Outstanding Senior on Defense Award, kicker Jon Striefsky was honored with the inaugural Outstanding Senior Special Teams Player, offensive lineman Corey Nicholson earned the Outstanding Senior Offensive Lineman Award, defensive end John Higginson earned the Winnie Mayer Outstanding Senior at End Award, running back and kick returner Jerry Butler won the Unsung Hero Award, Nicholson and Graves shared the Captain’s Award, Nicholson as the winner of the 62nd annual Taylor Memorial Trophy for leadership, dedication, and determination, and tight end Trevor Mooney was honored with the Newark Elks Scholar-Athlete of the Year.

In addition to the award winners, others seniors recognized were tight end Josh Baker, running back Jared Bradley, defensive lineman Justin Johnson, and defensive tackles Scott von Duyke.

Duncan, a wide receiver from Clarksburg, Md. (Suitland High School), earned first team All-Colonial Athletic Association honors in 2009 when he caught 48 passes for 697 yards and six touchdowns to rank among the CAA leaders. He played in 45 career games and caught 185 passes for 2,291 yards and 12 touchdowns. He finished his career ranked No. 3 all-time at Delaware for receptions and No. 5 for yards.

Gilbeaux, a defensive lineman from Washington, D.C. (Dunbar HS), earned first team All-CAA honors this past fall and was selected to play in the Texas vs. the Nation All-Star Challenge Feb. 6 at El Paso, Texas. He collected 58 tackles in 2009, including eight tackles for loss and a team-high 5.5 quarterback sacks. He had 84 tackles in two seasons for the Hens after transferring from Syracuse.

Graves, a free safety from Raleigh, N.C. (Southeast Raleigh HS), was a two-time All-American who earned consensus All-American honors this past fall, earning a spot on the American Football Coaches Association and the Walter Camp Foundation first teams and The Sports Network and Associated Press second teams. He was also a two-time All-CAA selection and led the team in tackles and interceptions each of the last two seasons. He had 69 tackles and four interceptions in 2009.

Nicholson, an offensive lineman from Frederick, Md. (Linganore, HS), was a big winner on the night as he earned three awards. A three-year starter, he served as a team co-captain in 2009 when he started all 11 games and earned second team All-CAA honors for a team that ranked second in the league in passing offense. Nicholson played in 44 career games and started 37 of his final 3 8 contests.

Higginson, a defensive end from Amherst, Mass. (Amherst Regional HS), was a three-year starter who posted 36 tackles in 2009, including a team-best 8.5 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks. He played in 44 career games and collected 112 tackles, including 21 tackles for loss and 14 sacks.

Butler, a running back and kick returner from Philadelphia, Pa. (George Washington HS), overcame an injury-plagued career with solid efforts the last two seasons. He was the team’s third leading rusher with 274 yards and three touchdowns in 2009 when he also averaged 22.6 yards per kickoff return and returned one for a touchdown against Towson. He also returned two kickoffs for touchdowns in 2008 and is the only player in school history to return three kickoffs for touchdowns in a career.

Striefsky, a kicker from Lansdale, Pa. (North Penn HS), enjoyed one of the top careers by a kicker in Delaware history as he earned consensus All-American honors in 2007 and set nine school records. He converted 29 of 32 extra points in 2009 when he was also good on 12 of 13 field goals, making each of his final 12 attempts. Among his school records were field goals in a game (4), season (21), and career (41), and consecutive field goals made (15) and consecutive extra points made (53).

Mooney, a tight end from Mission Viejo, Calif. (Trabuco Hills HS), earned the Newark Elks Club Scholar-Athlete Award. He carries a 3.8 grade point index as an economics major and was a second team ESPN The Magazine/CoSIDA District 2 All-Academic selection and member of the CAA Academic All-Conference team. He played in all 11 games in 2009 when he caught two passes for 12 yards and caught a touchdown vs. Massachusetts.

Baker, a tight end from Chesapeake, Va. (Western Branch HS), had his senior season cut short in 2009 when he caught three passes for 33 yards and a touchdown vs. West Chester before suffering a season-ending knee injury. He played in 26 career games and had 24 catches for 377 yards and three touchdowns. He has applied to the NCAA to receive a sixth year of eligibility in 2009.

Bradley, a running back from Swarthmore, Pa. (Strath-Haven HS), missed the entire 2009 season due to a torn achilles tendon injury suffered in the summer. He played in 33 career games and rushed for 426 yards and six touchdowns.

Johnson, a defensive lineman from Watertown, N.Y. (General Brown HS), was three-year letterwinner who also played offensive line during his career. He played in 19 career games and posted 14 tackles.

Von Duyke, a defensive tackle from Newark, Del. (Tatnall School), also missed the entire 2009 season with a foot injury suffered in pre-season practice. He played in 10 games and posted 10 tackles in 2008.