Aviles-Santos Named Weekly Gold Helmet Award Winner

DARTMOUTH, Mass. - University of Massachusetts Dartmouth quarterback Dante Aviles-Santos was selected as the Gold Helmet Award winner this week as the region's top player for Division II/III as selected by the New England Football Writers Association. Aviles-Santos is the first Corsair player to earn the honor since Stephen Gacioch picked up the award twice during the 2019 season.

Aviles-Santos, a 6-foot-1, 180-pound sophomore from Cumberland, R.I, threw for 316 yards on 15-of-28 passing with four touchdowns and rushed for two more scores to lead UMass Dartmouth to a 42-16 triumph over Alfred State in the New England Bowl on Saturday. The win was the first bowl game victory for the program since 2003 and matched the '03 team with the second-most wins in program history with nine. It was also the first time the team finished with an undefeated, 6-0, record at home since 2003.

After UMass Dartmouth's 11-game slate, Aviles-Santos ranks 35th in the nation with 25 passing touchdowns and 40th in the country with a 159.94 passing efficiency. Along with those 25 TD's, Aviles-Santos finished the year with 2,221 passing yards and led the team with eight rushing scores to go with 299 yards on the ground for the season.

Along with Gacioch, Aviles-Santos joins defensive back Shaquille Brummitt, and DaVon Fuller '17 as the four Gold Helmet recipients during Head Coach Mark Robichaud's 15-year tenure.

For the seventh straight year, the Jack Grinold Eastern Massachusetts Chapter of the National Football Foundation is the presenting sponsor for both the weekly and end-of-year Gold Helmet Awards presented to student-athletes from FBS, FCS, Division II and Division III institutions throughout New England. 

For more information on the Gold Helmet Awards and the New England Football Writers Association, please visit www.newenglandfootballwriters.com, and for more information on the Grinold Chapter, please visit www.grinoldchapter.com.