Slaats named Defensive Athlete of Year; six Stags on All-SCIAC teams
PASADENA, Calif. – After a second place finish, the highest since 2003, the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps football team landed six players on the All-SCIAC teams, highlighted by junior Paul Slaats (HMC) earning the Defensive Athlete of the Year award. Senior center Austin Crist (CMC), sophomore linebacker Brendan MacDonald (CMC) and sophomore cornerback Victor Bunce (CMC) were named to the First Team while sophomore running back Shane Pico (CMC) and senior defensive lineman Andrew Sova (CMC) made the Second Team, as released by the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference office on Nov. 30.
This marks the second consecutive year that CMS has nabbed the Defensive Athlete of the Year award.
Defensively, the Stags led the conference in points allowed per game (21.9), rushing yards allowed per game (105.8) and interceptions (17). Slaats captained the defensive line with 46 tackles on the season and led the team with 7.5 tackles for loss setting opponents back 14 yards. This is Slaats' second All-SCIAC award after a First Team selection in 2014. Also on the D-line, Sova capped off his senior season with 31 tackles, seven coming against Occidental on Oct. 24 in the tight 45-42 last-minute victory.
MacDonald led the team with 84 total tackles on the season, 33 solo and 51 assisted. He contributed to a sack and a trio of tackles for loss. Bunce led all of Division III in interceptions per game with nine on the season, and in passes defended, averaging 2.3 per game. He was named the SCIAC's Athlete of the Week Sep. 8 after making three interceptions, tying a 20-year old program record.
On the offensive side, Crist finished his CMS career as the anchor to the offensive line that averaged 417.3 total yards per game, 191.7 yards rushing per game.
Pico led the Stags on the ground with 126 carries totaling 646 yards and 10 of CMS' 21 rushing touchdowns. In the win over Occidental, Pico amassed 201 yards of offense with 24 carries and one reception.
In the 2015 season, the Stags broke a school record from 2010 for total points scored at 287.
By Emily Nordhoff
Sports Information Director
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