DATE: December 18, 2000

C Jeff Fiss LB Brian McKenna DE Mike Cecere QB Matt Nagy OG Chris Phipps

CENTERVILLE, MA -- Five members of the University of Delaware's NCAA I-AA semifinalist football squad have been named to the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) All-East team.

Senior quarterback Matt Nagy, senior center Jeff Fiss, senior offensive guard Chris Phipps, and senior linebacker Brian McKenna were each named to the first team while senior defensive end Mike Cecere was named to the second team squad.

Delaware's five selections were more than any other school. Of the 54 players honored on the two teams, 21 were members of Atlantic 10 Conference teams. The teams were selected from a vote of ECAC member head coaches.

The Hens finished the 2000 season with a record of 12-2 and tied Richmond for the Atlantic 10 Conference title with a 7-1 mark under 35th year head coach Tubby Raymond. Delaware advanced to the NCAA I-AA semifinals for the second time in four years before falling to eventual national champion Georgia Southern 27-18 Dec. 9 at Delaware Stadium.

Nagy, a first team All-Atlantic 10 player and third team Associated Press All-American, tied for first team honors with Ivy League Player of the Year Gavin Hoffman.

Nagy, a 6-2, 210 lb. senior quarterback from Manheim, PA (Manheim Central HS) and a first team All-Atlantic 10 selection and third team Associated Press All-American, rewrote the Delaware record book for passing during the 2000 season, surpassing UD marks established by Gannon and former NFL starters Jeff Komlo and Scott Brunner. He shared first team All-ECAC honors with University of Pennsylvania signal caller Gavin Hoffman. Nagy connected on 199 of 379 passes for 3,436 yards and 29 touchdowns with just 15 interceptions. He threw for over 200 yards eight times, connecting for 456 yards vs. Villanova and 349 yards vs. Hofstra. His regular season passing rating of 152.02 ranked No. 5 in NCAA I-AA.

Among the school records he set during the 2000 season were completions in a career (502), passing yards in a season (3,436) and career (8,214), touchdown passes in a season (29) and career (58), consecutive 200-yard passing games (9), consecutive games throwing a touchdown pass (14), and career pass completion percentage (.561). His 8,214 career passing yards rank seventh all-time in Atlantic 10 history.

Fiss, a 6-1, 3-4 lb. senior center from Norristown, PA (Norristown HS), and Phipps, a 6-3, 280 lb. guard from Doylestown, PA (Central Buck West HS), each earned first team All-Atlantic 10 honors this fall. Both started all 14 games in 2000 and paved the way for an offense that averaged 41.4 points per game in the regular season to rank second in NCAA I-AA. The Hens also ranked 16th nationally in total offense (445.9) and passing offense (260.0) and gained over 500 yards in a game five times. Delaware never scored less than 18 points in a game and had 30 or more points 10 times.

McKenna, a team co-captain from South Orange, NJ (Columbia HS), paced a defense that ranked among the top units in all of NCAA I-AA football. The Atlantic 10 Defensive Player of the Year and a first team All-American by the Associated Press and American Football Coaches Association, McKenna was second on the Blue Hens with 109 tackles, including 53 solo stops, had nine tackles for loss, two sacks, and four interceptions. McKenna, who led the team in tackles in both 1998 and 1999, finished his career with 341 tackles to rank fifth all-time in school history. He intercepted seven career passes. Delaware ranked 12th in the NCAA in scoring defense (15.9 ppg) and 27th in rushing defense (117.7 yards per game) in 2000.

Cecere, a 6-3, 275 lb. defensive end from West Essex, NJ (Fairfield HS), earned second team All-East honors for the second straight year. The only four-time all-conference selection in Delaware football history, Cecere earned league first team honors for the second straight year in 2000 when he posted 56 tackles, including 28 solo stops. Despite constant double-teaming, he led the team with 6.5 sacks for 50 yards and tied for the team lead with 14 other tackles for loss. He also broke up four passes, recovered two fumbles, and forced three fumbles during the season. His 21.5 career sacks rank fifth all-time in UD history.

Villanova junior all-purpose back Brian Westbrook was named ECAC Player of the Year while Lafayette freshman quarterback Marko Glavic was named ECAC Rookie of the Year.

The complete 2000 All-ECAC Teams:

First Team Offense - QB Gavin Hoffman (Penn), Matt Nagy (Delaware); RB - Brian Westbrook (Villanova), Marcel Shipp (Massachusetts); WR: Steve Campbell (Brown), Phil Yarberough (Lafayette); TE - Darnerien McCants (Delaware State); OL - Jeff Fiss (Delaware), Chris Phipps (Delaware), Mike Clare (Harvard), Matthew Mazefsky (William & Mary), Brian McDonald (Lehigh)

First Team Defense - DL - Andrew Hollingsworth (Towson), Chris Morant (James Madison), David Puloka (Holy Cross); LB - Brian McKenna (Delaware), Kole Ayi (Massachusetts), Derick Pack (James Madison), James Young (Lehigh); DB - Steve Dogmantis (Fairfield), Kevin Eiben (Bucknell), T.J. Hill (Northeastern), Brian Smith (Massachusetts), Brandon Tinson (Colgate)

First Team Special Teams: Returns - Brian Westbrook (Villanova), P - Todd Jagoutz (Maine); K - Brett Sterba (William & Mary)

Second Team Offense: QB - Rocky Butler (Hofstra); RB - Noah Reed (Towson), Johnathan Reese (Columbia), Ralph Saldiveri (Iona); WR - Reggie Harris (Duquesne), Dave Klemic (Northeastern); TE - Ben Zagorski (Penn); OL - Jason Inskeep (James Madison), Drew Inzer (Brown), Caleb Moore (Dartmouth), Dennis Norman (Princeton), Pat Quay (Holy Cross)

Second Team Defense: DL - Mike Cecere (Delaware), Cornell Key (Monmouth), Khary Williams (Hofstra); LB - Tony Atkins (Gardner-Webb), Brett Bashaw (New Hampshire), Vince Ficca (Bucknell), Kayode Mayowa (Sacred Heart); DB - Ron Atkins (James Madison), Michael Blake (Holy Cross), Sam Durst (Gardner-Webb), Jeremy Robinson (Massachusetts), Doug Shanahan (Hofstra)

Second Team Special Teams: Returns - Opio Gary (Robert Morris); P - Frank Traupman (Holy Cross); K - Jason Feinberg (Penn).