TROY, N.Y. – The Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) football team was presented with 13 All-Liberty League honors this week, led by two major awards as the Engineers were well represented in the league's season accolades.
 
Leading the way was three awards for senior Sterling Walker-Sutton with a headlining Special Teams Player of the Year honor, followed by a Rookie of the Year award for freshman Kayden White. Also receiving recognition was Danny Bekkenhuis, Anthony D'Agostino, Carlos Davis, Hayden Faraday, Cortez Garrett, Cassius Johnson, Jake Kazanowsky, Brian McNeil, Aidan Monteiro, CJ Schumaker, and Nate Sicard.
 
A fifth-year wide receiver out of Stewartsville, NJ, Walker-Sutton was selected as Liberty League Special Teams Player of the Year, Liberty League First Team Specialist (return specialist), and Liberty League Second Team Specialist (athlete). Walker-Sutton was a dual return threat, leading the league in both kick returns and punt returns. He made 22 punt returns for 306 yards and two touchdowns, averaging 13.9 yards per return. His longest return was 89 yards resulting in a touchdown. Walker-Sutton recorded 13 kick returns for 368 yards, averaging 28.3 yards per return. On the year, he totaled 674 yards in returns and finished 20th in Division III in combined kick returns.
 
A freshman running back out of Pottstown, PA, White earned Liberty League Rookie of the Year. Playing in 10 games, White earned a team leading 488 rushing yards on 88 attempts, 8th in the Liberty League. He averaged 5.5 yards per carry and 48.8 yards per game, landing in the league's top 10 for both stats, fourth and 10th respectively. His longest rush of 56 yards was third in the league and he recorded five rushing touchdowns. He also made seven catches for 29 yards and a touchdown.
 
Kazanowsky, a junior quarterback from Toms River, NJ, and Hayden Faraday, a sophomore wide receiver from Anaheim Hill, CA, both earned Liberty League First Team Offense honors. Kazanowsky played in all 10 games this season passing for 1,757 yards on 197 attempts with 15 touchdowns and rushing for 247 yards on 65 attempts and five touchdowns. Faraday, the wide receiver, racked up 802 yards for the season on 57 receptions for six touchdowns, averaging 14.1 yards per catch and 80.2 yards per game.
 
D'Agostino, a junior linebacker from Hewlett, NY, and Davis, a fifth-year defensive back from Baltimore, MD, both earned Liberty League First Team Defense honors. The linebacker, D'Agostino, put up 45 solo tackles and 31 assisted tackles on the season. He also snagged a pair of interceptions for 31 yards. Davis, the defensive back, earned 33 solo tackles with nine assisted for a total of 42. He earned one pick this season for 21 yards.
 
Monteiro – a junior from Bridgewater, NJ earned All-Liberty League Second Team honors, while Bekkenhuis, a fifth year from Reading, MA that earned honorable mention honors, each represented the offensive line on the awards list. The duo led an offensive line that helped the offense convert over 48 percent on third down tries, and only allowed 12 sacks on the season.
 
Sicard, a junior defensive lineman from Taunton, MA, and C.J. Schumaker, a graduate student linebacker from Charlton, MA, both earned Liberty League Second Team Defense honors. Leading the defensive line, Sicard recorded 21 solo tackles with 23 assisted for 44 total. He picked up two sacks for a combined 15 yards lost, as well as a trio forced fumbles and one fumble return for 32 yards. The linebacker, Schumaker, put up 11 solo tackles with nine assisted. He also picked up two sacks for 11 yards lost.
 
The Engineers had three earn Liberty League Honorable Mention Defense. They were McNeil, a senior defensive lineman out of Stillwater, NY; Garrett, a sophomore defensive back from Dameron, MD; and Johnson, a sophomore defensive back hailing from Riverhead, NY. McNeil, the senior, earned 16 solo tackles with 12 assisted for a total of 28, 3.5 for loss. He also recorded 1.5 sacks for nine yards lost. Garrett, a sophomore, also earned 28 tackles, 20 of them solo with eight assisted. The sophomore also grabbed two interceptions for 11 yards. Johnson, another sophomore, earned 30 total tackles, combining 20 solo and 10 assisted. He also picked up two interceptions.
 
RPI will conclude their season this weekend as they host Widener at ECAV Stadium as part of the ECAC's Scotty Whitelaw Bowl. Kickoff for the showdown will be at 12 p.m.
 
Complete List:
Offensive Player of the Year: Jalen Leonard-Osbourne, Senior, Running Back, Ithaca College
Defensive Player of the Year: Ben Stola, Senior, Defensive Back, Ithaca College
Special Teams Player of the Year: Sterling Walker-Sutton, Senior, Return Specialist, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Rookie of the Year: Kayden White, Running Back, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Coaching Staff of the Year: Ithaca College, Michael Toerper – Head Coach
 
ALL-LIBERTY LEAGUE FIRST TEAM OFFENSE
 
QB- Jake Kazanowsky, Jr., RPI
QB- A.J. Wingfield, Sr., Ithaca
WR- Hayden Faraday, So., RPI
WR- Sam Kline, Sr., Ithaca
RB- Michael Fiore, Sr., Union
RB- Jalen Leonard-Osbourne, Sr., Ithaca
TE- Dan Mason, Sr., Ithaca
OL- Ethan Kowalski, Jr., Hobart
OL- Matt McCorkle, Jr., Union
OL- Colin Norton, Sr., Ithaca
OL- JoJo Puckey, Sr., Ithaca
OL- Alex Westcott, Jr., Buffalo State
 
ALL-LIBERTY LEAGUE FIRST TEAM DEFENSE
 
DL- Bradley Beckwith, Gr., Rochester
DL- Isaiah Couser, Jr., Ithaca
DL- Jimaar Edwards, Sr., Union
DL- Connor Gunn, Sr., Hobart
DL- Jordan Sosa, Sr., Ithaca
LB- Jaimen Bliss, Jr., Hobart
LB- Anthony D'Agostino, Jr., RPI
LB- Spencer Goldstien, Sr., Union
LB- Ben Stola, Sr., Ithaca
DB- Jake Connolly, Jr., Ithaca
DB- Carlos Davis, Sr., RPI
DB- Abdoulaye Diallo, Sr., Hobart
DB- Derek Slywka, Sr., Ithaca
 
ALL-LIBERTY LEAGUE FIRST TEAM SPECIALISTS
 
PK- Max Gluck, Jr., Union
P- Alex Wing, Jr., Rochester
RS- Sterling Walker-Sutton, Sr., RPI
ATH- Rayshawn Boswell, Sr., Hobart
 
ALL-LIBERTY LEAGUE SECOND TEAM OFFENSE
 
QB- Donovan Pacatte, Sr., Union
WR- Landers Green, So., Union
WR- Trey Johnson, Sr., Rochester
WR- Tariq Nelson, Jr., Buffalo State
RB- Daniel Papantonis, Sr., Rochester
RB- Ale Wilson, Jr., Buffalo State
TE- Jackson Kane, So., Rochester
OL- Alec Berceli, Sr., Rochester
OL- Kevin Dewing, Sr., Union
OL- Aidan Monteiro, Jr., RPI
OL- Luke Wilson, Sr., Rochester
OL- Jonah Wisniewski, Sr., Buffalo State
 
ALL-LIBERTY LEAGUE SECOND TEAM DEFENSE
 
DL- Orlando Cabrera, Sr., Buffalo State
DL- Alex Karpawich, Jr., Hobart
DL- Nate Sicard, Jr., RPI
DL- Ethan VanderBrink, Sr., Union
LB- Cole DaSilva, Sr., Union
LB- Jonathan Koumas, Sr., Ithaca
LB- Kenneth Mosley, Jr., Buffalo State
LB- Anthony Romano, Jr., Hobart
LB- C.J. Schumaker, Gr., RPI
DB- Ethan Biscaro, Sr., Buffalo State
DB- Nathan Sullivan, Sr., Union
DB- Jordy Tawa, So., Rochester
DB- Judah Thomas, So., Rochester
 
ALL-LIBERTY LEAGUE SECOND TEAM SPECIALISTS
 
PK- Derek Baldin, Jr., Ithaca
P- Tobias Wefering, Jr., Hobart
RS- Rayshawn Boswell, Sr., Hobart
RS- Cole Salyards, Jr., St. Lawrence
ATH- Sterling Walker-Sutton, Sr., RPI
 
ALL-LIBERTY LEAGUE HONORABLE MENTION OFFENSE
 
RB- Tim Denham Jr., Sr., Hobart
TE- Garrett Cafaro, Sr., Union
OL- Joe Arico, Sr., Ithaca
OL- Danny Bekkenhuis, Sr., RPI
OL- Ashton Mejias, So., Hobart
OL- Nick Olivola, So., Union
OL- Alexander Rice, Sr., Ithaca
 
ALL-LIBERTY LEAGUE HONORABLE MENTION DEFENSE
 
DL- Brian McNeil, Sr., RPI
DL- Thomas Our, Jr., St. Lawrence
LB- Tommy Cavallo, Sr., Union
LB- Happy Chane, Jr., Rochester
LB- Sincere Green, So., Buffalo State
LB- Mike McGhee, So., Hobart
LB- Ryan Surhoff, So., St. Lawrence
DB- Cortez Garrett, So., RPI
DB- Cassius Johnson, So., RPI
DB- Matt Mitchell, FY, Union
DB- Mekhi Rodgers, So., Hobart
DB- Tamir Rowser, Sr., Ithaca
 
ALL-LIBERTY LEAGUE HONORABLE MENTION SPECIALISTS
 
PK- Tobias Wefering, Jr., Hobart
P- Darren Brunner, Jr., Ithaca
RS- Darion Jones, Jr., Buffalo State
ATH- Darion Jones, Jr., Buffalo State