Five claim ECAC honors

Football 12/21/2022 11:00:00 AM

Five claim ECAC honors

DANBURY, Conn.--Five members of the Westminster College football program earned Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) honors Wednesday morning.

Senior running back Ryan Gomes (Tampa, Fla. | Walter L. Sickles), senior safety Bryce Thomas (Saint Marys, Ga. | Camden County) and sophomore safety Brice Butler (Farrell, Pa. | Farrell) claimed First Team All-ECAC.

Graduate student defensive end Brayden Thimons (Natrona Heights, Pa. | Highlands) and senior tight end Chevy Dawson (Port St. Lucie, Fla. | Centennial) were named Second Team All-ECAC.

Gomes, a D3football.com All-Region selection, was voted this year's Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) Offensive Player of the Year after leading the league with 1,024 rushing yards on 224 attempts. He had eight rushing touchdowns, the third-highest total in the league this season. Gomes also caught 13 passes for 108 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Gomes is Westminster's first 1,000-yard rusher since Dominique McKinley ran for 1,262 yards in 2015. He is Westminster's first PAC Offensive Player of the Year since Scott Froelich in 2003. Gomes' 60 points scored this season ranked fourth in the PAC. He posted 100 or more rushing yards five times in 20223, going for a career-best 194 yards in a win over Bethany on September 10.

Thomas, a four-time All-PAC selection and three-time First Team honoree, finished the season with 50 tackles (38 solo), 5.0 tackles for loss and a pair of interceptions. In 48 career games he registered 301 tackles (208) solo, 18.0 tackles for loss and eight interceptions.

Butler was named to this year's D3football.com All-Region squad. He was a First Team All-PAC pick this season after being named honorable mention in 2021. Butler finished the season with six interceptions, the second-most in the league. He returned two interceptions for touchdowns. Butler has 11 interceptions in 21 career games. The 21 interceptions rank seventh among active Division III players.

On December 13 Thimons secured his second-straight American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Division III Coaches' All-America honor. Named First Team All-AFCA, he was one of just five players to repeat as an AFCA All-America after claiming Second Team AFCA All-America following the 2021 season. Thimons also earned his second-straight selection to the Associated Press (AP) Division III All-America team on Dec. 15. He collected First Team D3football.com All-Region honors on Dec. 7.

A three-time First Team All-PAC selection, Thimons was voted the PAC Defensive Player of the Year for the second-straight season on November 15. He ranked third in the league with 16.0 tackles for loss and fourth in sacks with 8.5. His 16.0 tackles for loss rank 31st in Division III while his 8.5 sacks rank 41st. Thimons finished the year with 59 total tackles (42 solo). He also scored three rushing touchdowns in 2022. In 25 career games at Westminster Thimons totaled 25.0 sacks, the fourth-highest total in program history. He had 47.0 career tackles for loss.

Dawson caught 21 passes for 207 yards and a pair of touchdowns. He is a three-time All-PAC pick, earning First Team in 2020-21 and 2022.

Westminster finished its season 7-3 overall and 6-2 in the PAC. The Titans received an invitation to participate in the Eastern College Athletic Conference's (ECAC) Clayton Chapman Bowl, but the game was canceled due to extreme winter weather conditions in the Buffalo, N.Y. area. Westminster was slated to travel to SUNY Brockport on Nov. 19.

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Players Mentioned

#3 Brice Butler: DB; 5' 11"; Sophomore

#1 Ryan Gomes: RB; 5' 8"; Senior

#7 Brayden Thimons: DL; 6' 4"; Graduate Student

#22 Bryce Thomas: DB; 5' 7"; Graduate Student

#0 Chevy Dawson: TE; 5' 11"; Senior

Players Mentioned

#3 Brice Butler
: 5' 11"; Sophomore
: DB

#1 Ryan Gomes
: 5' 8"; Senior
: RB

#7 Brayden Thimons
: 6' 4"; Graduate Student
: DL

#22 Bryce Thomas
: 5' 7"; Graduate Student
: DB

#0 Chevy Dawson
: 5' 11"; Senior
: TE

Players Mentioned

Players Mentioned

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