SCHENECTADY, N.Y. – After posting back-to-back seven-win seasons and bringing the Dutchmen Shoes trophy back to Schenectady, the Union College football team held its postseason banquet in which it looked back at the 2018 season and handed out its annual team awards.
 
The football coaching staff recognized the senior class which was comprised of: Packy Brown; Hunter Constable; Mike Curran; Alex Doolin; Daniel Gottlieb; Alex Hamilton; Derek Khnaizir; Andrew Kielar; Bobby Law; Sebastien Lubrano; Tucker Newman; Chris Nicholas; Hunter Ordukhanyan; Phil Panici; Quentin Poteralski; George Reed; Jack Reilly; Pat Ryan; Anthony Sarullo; Ryan Schaenman; Dan Sullivan; and Corey Tines.
The first award of the night was named after Ronald Plumb '80, in recognition for someone that team will never forget. The award was given to senior captain and defensive lineman Phil Panici.
 
The Richard E. Roberts '50 Award for Dedication to the Union College Football Program was awarded to fellow senior captain and linebacker Jack Reilly. The award is given annually in recognition of the player who demonstrates a tireless commitment to improving the quality of Union College football.
 
Senior Packy Brown was named the recipient of the team's Chris Schmid "Pay it Forward" Award. The award is given to the Union football player who embodies Chris Schmid's spirit, heart, and dedication to Union football.
 
Head coach Jeff Behrman handed out the Coaches Award to senior defensive back Tucker Newman. The award is voted on by the coaching staff and given annually to the student-athlete who has contributed the most to the team during the season considering things as sportsmanship, dedication, character and contribution to the team.
 
There was a tie for this year's James Kochan '98 Lineman Award, and it was given to sophomore defensive lineman Daniel Gioioso and senior defensive lineman Bobby Law. Gioioso recorded 43 total tackles with 13.0 tackles for loss (which ranked second in the league) 5.5 sacks, one fumble recovery, one interception and one blocked kick. He was named the league's defensive player of the week and D3Football.com team of the week for his performance against RPI. He was also named to the All-Liberty League Second team. Law recorded 22 total tackles. While he may not have the stats that other players had, he dominated the line of scrimmage week in and week out and many times required opposing offenses to double team him. An All-Liberty League Honorable Mention and repeat winner of this award
 
The Thomas Arcidiacono '07 Offensive MVP Award was given to quarterback Will Bellamy. The sophomore was named the league's offensive player of the week twice and was named to the All-Liberty League First team. He was one of most consistent performers throughout the season. He led the league in completion percentage (.663), threw for a league-leading 22 touchdowns and finished with the best touchdown to interception ratio.
 
The Mark Stokes '03 Defensive MVP Award was given to linebacker Jack Reilly. The senior was a four-year starter at the outside linebacker position. He finished the season with 51 total tackles and led the league in tackles for loss (17.5) and sacks (8.5). He also finished fifth in passes defended. He had two fumble recoveries and one interception return for a touchdown.  He was named first team All-Liberty League, second team All-ECAC, first team D3football.com, All-East Region team, and Google Cloud Academic All-District. He was also named D3football.com All-America Honorable Mention.
 
The team's Special Teams MVP was awarded to kicker Marcos Rodriguez. The sophomore was a big part of our team success throughout the year. He proved consistent as he converted on 36 of 38 extra points and 4 of 6 field goals.
 
In another tie, the teams' Offensive Rookie of the Year Award was given to both running back Ike Irabor and wide receiver Andre Ross Jr. Irabor was named All-Liberty League First Team. He twice earned Liberty League rookie of the week honors. He finished first for rushing yards per game and finished second in points per game in the Liberty League. He carried the ball 148 times for 798 yards (a 5.4 yards-per-carry average) and finished with 10 rushing touchdowns. He also had 16 receptions for 149 yards and two receiving touchdowns. Ross Jr., recipient was also named All-Liberty League First Team. He was also honored as the Liberty League Rookie of the Year and was named the ECAC Offensive Rookie of the Year. Three times he earned Liberty League rookie of the week honors and was named to the D3football.com Team of the week. He finished first for receiving yards per game and led the Liberty League in scoring. He finished the season with 57 receptions for 929 yards and 13 touchdowns.
 
The Defensive Rookie of the Year was awarded to defensive back Austin St. Pierre. The first-year gave the defense valuable snaps from his safety position finishing with 23 total tackles, one tackle for loss, one fumble recovery and one interception. He was also a major factor on special teams.
 
The team's Academic Award was given to tight end Pat Ryan. The senior holds a 3.7 cumulative GPA in biomedical engineering, is a member of the Engineering Honors Society and a Dean's list honoree. He was named to the 2018 National Football Foundation and College Football Hall of Fame – Capital District. He also had a biomedical immersion internship with Albany Medical Center this past summer.
 
The team also recognized the 19 student-athletes that were named to the Liberty League All-Academic Team: Hunter Constable; Stephen Crevani, Alex Doolin, Ryan Ehrets; Connor Finn; Turner Geenty; John Germinerio; Daniel Gottlieb; Alex Hamilton; Teddy Hood; Derek Khnaizir; Andrew Kielar; Sebastien Lubrano; Phil Panici; Jack Reilly; Pat Ryan; Ryan Schaenman; Dan Sullivan; and Marc Zazzaro.
 
In addition, Ryan Ehrets and Jack Reilly were also recognized for their work in the classroom by being named to the Google Cloud Academic All-District team, as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America. Ehrets was also named as a second team Academic All-American by the Sports Information Directors of America.