Youngstown State seniors Tevin McCaster, Gavin Wiggins and Steven Wethli were named first-team All-Missouri Valley Football Conference, the league announced on Monday. A total of nine Penguins received honors, with three more on the second team while three more were named honorable mention.
Three more seniors earned second-team honors in LB Armand Dellovade, C Vitas Hrynkiewicz and DT Savon Smith. Penguins recognized as honorable mention are FS Chrispin Lee, DT Shereif Bynum and TE Miles Joiner.
McCaster is being recognized as a first-team honoree for the second straight season. Wiggins was a second-team honoree in 2017 while Wethli becomes the first long snapper in school history to earn first-team all-league accolades.
McCaster is the first YSU tailback to be recognized on the first team in consecutive years since P.J. Mays in 2001-02. Mays and McCaster are the only two tailbacks in school history to be named first-team All-MVFC twice.
Dellovade earned second-team honors for the third consecutive year. He was a four-time all-conference selection in his career after being recognized as an honorable-mention pick in 2015. He is the first player in school history to earn all-conference accolades in four straight seasons. Hrynkiewicz was named second-team all-league for the second straight year while Smith received honors for the first time in his career.
First-Team Selections
#37 TB Tevin McCaster, 5-10, 195, Sr., New Castle, Pa./New Castle
Played in all 11 games, starting 10 times…rushed for a career-high 1,235 yards on 269 carries with 12 touchdowns… had seven 100-yard rushing performances…in MVFC play had 856 yards on 201 carries and scored nine touchdowns…averaged 107 yards per game in conference play and 112.3 yards per game for the seasopn…rushed for 136-or-more yards in four of the final five games…had 22 carries in eight of 11 games…had a high of 36 carries and 176 yards vs. South Dakota…had 165 vs. Indiana State, 142 at Illinois State, 136 vs. UNI and 116 vs. Southern Illinois...had more than 100 yards in each of the six home games...for his career, rushed for 2,970 yards on 626 attempts and scored 36 touchdowns...was a first-team All-MVFC pick in 2017.
#60 OL Gavin Wiggins, 6-4, 310, Sr., Philadelphia, Pa./Roman Catholic
Started all 11 games on the offensive line…stared the first nine games at guard before moving over to left tackle for the final two games…played every snap in 10 games…helped block for Tevin McCaster who rushed for 1,235 yards on the year…YSU averaged 382 yards of total offense per game…started all 42 games of his career...was a second-team All-MVFC pick in 2017.
#57 LS Steven Wethli, 6-0, 230, Sr., New Castle, Pa./New Castle
Four-year starter at long snapper…YSU punters averaged 38.6 yards per kick on 59 attempts…YSU placed 23 kicks inside the 20-yard line and had seven of 50-or-more yards…placekickers made 10-of-17 field goals and 28-of-30 PAT kicks…snapped on all 106 kicks this year…placekicker Zak Kennedy made his final 75 PAT kicks of his career…snapped on 472 kicking attempts in his career...was an honorable-mention All-MVFC pick in 2017.
Second-Team Selections
#52 DT Savon Smith, 6-1, 300, Sr., Syracuse, N.Y./Henninger
Started all 11 games at defensive tackle…for the season was credited with 34 total tackles, including 20 solo stops…had a team-high six sacks…had 8.5 TFLs and six QB hurries…had 27 tackles and five sacks in league play…had seven tackles and two sacks in win over South Dakota…had two sacks against Indiana State…had five tackles and a sack vs. UNI...for his career had 109 total tackles, including 70 solo stops.
#42 LB Armand Dellovade, 6-0, 215, Sr., Imperial, Pa./West Allegheny
Started all 11 games at linebacker…for the season was credited with 102 total tackles, including 56 solo stops…was second on the team with 9.5 TFLs…had a sack, four pass breakups and three QB hurries…in league play had 79 total tackles…had a 16-tackle effort at North Dakota State with seven solos…had 15 tackles at Western Illinois with seven solos…had 11 tackles, with seven solos, at Illinois State…had nine stops against UNI and Indiana State…had seven-or-more tackles in 10 of 11 games…had 337 tackles in his career, including 198 solo stops...started 47 of 49 career games played...earned All-MVFC honors for the fourth straight year.
#70 C Vitas Hrynkiewicz, 6-4, 300, Sr., Somerset, N.J./Immaculata
Started all 11 games at center…played every snap in 10 games…helped block for Tevin McCaster who rushed for 1,235 yards on the year…YSU averaged 382 yards of total offense per game…started all 38 games of his three-year career at center...was a second-team All-MVFC pick in 2017.
Honorable-Mention Selections
#19 FS Chrispin Lee, 6-1, 185, Sr., Pembroke Pines, Fla./Flanagan
Started 10 of 11 games at safety…was second on the team with 70 total tackles, including 40 solo stops…had three pass breakups and a forced fumble…in MVFC games had 50 tackles, including 28 solo stops…had a season-high 15 tackles at West Virginia…credited with 11 stops, including nine solos against Southern Illinois…had five-or-more tackles in seven of eight league games...had just 13 career tackles entering his senior season.
#50 DE Shereif Bynum, 6-4, 255, Jr., Belleville, Mich./Belleville
Started all 11 games at defensive end…for the season was credited with 37 total tackles, including 23 solo stops…had a team-best 11.5 TFLs and was second with four sacks…had a team-high 11 QB hurries…had 25 tackles in MVFC games…had five tackles against Western Illinois and Southern Illinois…had two sacks vs. the Salukis…had a TFL in eight contests...had just four career tackles entering his junior season.
#80 TE Miles Joiner, 6-4, 250, RFr., Dayton, Ohio/Butler
Played in 10 games and made eight starts…caught 12 passes for 202 yards and caught a team-leading four touchdowns…averaged 16.8 yards per catch…caught passes in nine games…had TDs against Butler, West Virginia, North Dakota State and Illinois State…had a season-long 58-yard scoring grab at Illinois State…hauled in a 52-yard grab vs. UNI…had 10 catches for 195 yards in MFVC games.
