Stags land nine on All-SCIAC teams
PASADENA, Calif. – The Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference released the 2016 All-Conference football teams, including nine athletes from Claremont-Mudd-Scripps. The four CMS players on the First Team are senior tight end Patrick Dixon (CMC), senior defensive tackle Paul Slaats (HMC), junior linebacker Brendan MacDonald (CMC), and junior defensive back Victor Bunce (CMC). Sophomore offensive lineman Malcolm Stolarski (CMC), junior tight end Chris Cziesla (CMC), defensive end Henry Wei (CMC) and senior kicker Matthew Aven (CMC) represent CMS on the Second Team. Senior defensive end Jake Glasser (CMC) was named to the Second Team and was the 2016 recipient of the John Zinda Award.
The Stags finished their second consecutive season at 7-2 overall and placed second in the SCIAC at 5-2. The team had its first 4-0 start since 2010. The CMS defense led the conference for the second year in a row in yards allowed per game at 322.9 at just 97.4 rushing yards per game. CMS also topped the conference with 211 yards from punt returns.
Slaats earned his third All-SCIAC nod after being named the Defensive Athlete of the Year in 2015 while MacDonald and Bunce each earned their second All-SCIAC award. During the season, Wei was named SCIAC Athlete of the Week on Sep. 12. Glasser and Bunce were each named to D3football.com's Team of the Week on Oct. 4 (Bunce), Nov. 1 (Glasser) and Nov. 8 (Glasser again).
Defensively, Slaats captained the line and forced opponents to find other alternatives to rushing up the middle. Glasser led the team with 6.0 sacks with Slaats and Wei right behind him at 3.5 and 3.0 respectively. MacDonald led the Stags in tackling for the second consecutive year, recording 67 in 2016. In the backfield, Bunce saw less action this season as teams tended to throw to the other side of the field, away from the pre-season All-American DB. Still, Bunce was fourth on the team in tackles at 44 plus two interceptions and six pass breakups.
Offensively, Dixon and Cziesla together made 30 receptions for 346 yards and each contributed a touchdown. Dixon's biggest game came in the 17-6 win over Chapman when he caught seven passes from senior Trey Reynolds (CMC) for 73 yards. Cziesla made three receptions including one for 51 yards in the 45-28 victory vs. Occidental. Stolarski was a consistent member of the Stags' offensive line this season. Behind the O-line, CMS rushed for 1155 yards this season and Reynolds set CMS career passing records.
Aven was second on the team for points this season at 30. He was 10-for-14 in field goals with his longest for 46 yards. Aven was the Stags' lone punter, averaging 41.1 yards per kick.
Glasser was honored as the John Zinda Award recipient in 2016. The award goes to a senior student-athlete who best exemplifies the high ideals and characteristics demonstrated by John Zinda during his tenure as Head Football Coach and Athletic Director at Claremont-Mudd-Scripps. Encompassed in these ideas are athletic and academic performance, leadership, integrity, positive attitude and sportsmanship.
By Emily Nordhoff
Sports Information Director
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