Four Gulls Named to ECAC DIII North All-Star Squad

2013 ECAC DIII North All-Star Team

CENTERVILLE, Mass. – Four Endicott seniors were named to the ECAC Division III North All-Star Team, raising their season total to 10 All-Region awards following the Gulls 8-3 season that saw them capture their second NEFC Championship and automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament.  Kicker and punter Dylan Rushe (Palos Verdes, Calif.) leads the team with five All-Region awards to go along with his two All-American nods and conference accolades. 

Rushe finishes as a four-time ECAC Regional All-Star, the first in Endicott history as he eclipsed Kevin Eagan's '12 three awards earned in 2009, 2010, and 2011. 

Rushe received two ECAC DIII First Team All-Star selections as the North region's top kicker and punter.  Rushe finished his four-year journey in the Blue and Green as New England's all-time leader in several game, season, and career statistics including scoring, field goals made, field goal percentage, and consecutive field goals made.  His impact in the punting game over his career has been equally important for Endicott's success in four straight championship winning seasons.  This season, in particular, Rushe averaged a career-best 40.8 yards per punt while accurately placing 21 of his 43 punts inside the opposition's 20-yard line. 

Right tackle Alec Gatzogiannis (Wells, Maine), a First Team offensive lineman, earns his first ECAC All-Region award after collecting NEFC First Team honors in each of the past two seasons.  Gatzogiannis was a member of a Gulls offensive line that averaged 253.5 passing  yards per game with 27 touchdowns through the air, 145.3 rushing yards per game and 18 end zone scores on the ground, and allowed just 13 sacks in 11 games. 

Safety Jason Silva (Palatine, Ill.), already honored as NEFC First Team and All-New England by the New England Football Writers, was named a Second Team Defensive Back by the ECAC.  Silva ends his stellar career at Endicott as the program's leader in interception return yardage (12 Int, 227 yards).  In 2013, Silva led the team with a career-high 101 tackles, 57 of which were solo.  He had eight total passes defended and two fumble recoveries. 

Outside linebacker Andrew Holfinger (Sterling, Mass.) was named to the ECAC DIII North Second Team after being named a First Team Linebacker by the NEFC.  In his third season for Endicott, Holfinger moved into third place in the program's all-time tackles for a loss leaderboard (33.5) by totaling 14.5 takedowns behind the line of scrimmage.  He had 58 total tackles, three sacks, four passes defended, an interception, and a fumble recovery.