WESTFIELD, Mass. - Junior QB
Dante Aviles-Santos and Head Coach
Mark Robichaud, along with eight other members of the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth football team collected yearly awards from the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC), announced on Thursday.
Aviles-Santos was voted the Offensive Player of the Year, while Robichaud was tabbed the BSN Coach of the Year for the first time in his career. Joining Aviles-Santos on the Offensive First Team were sophomore WR
Angel Sanchez, 5th-year senior OL
Andrew Paulus and senior OL
Brandon DiChiaro. First-Team Defensive recognition was awarded to 5th-year LB
Javien Delgado. Second Team All-MASCAC honors on offense went to 5th-year WR
Keenan Little. Picking up Second Team on defense were 5th-year DL
Marcus Elysee, junior DB
Logan Chappell and sophomore LB
Sam Alicea.
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Dante Aviles-Santos, Junior, Quarterback, Cumberland, R.I.
After breaking onto the scene last season by winning the Offensive Rookie of the Year award, Aviles-Santos followed up with an even more impressive season to win Offensive Player of the Year in just his second full season. Aviles-Santos completed 199 of 328 passes (.604), throwing for 2,940 yards and 26 touchdowns with only six interceptions. Aviles-Santos is ranked fifth in the nation in passing yards and is tied for 16th in total touchdown passes. He is 25th in completions per game with 19.9 and 27th in yards per pass attempt at 8.96. Led by Aviles-Santos, UMass Dartmouth was the 15th ranked scoring team in Division III during the 2022 season with an average of 42.1 points per game. Aviles-Santos broke UMass Dartmouth single-season records for passing yards, TD's, completion percentage, passing yards per game, average yards per pass and total offense. For his career, Aviles-Santos has 5,137 passing yards and 51 touchdown passes. He needs just 340 yards to break the program's all-time passing yard record and six touchdowns to set the new career record in pass TD's.
BSN COACH OF THE YEAR: Mark Robichaud - 16th Season
Head Coach
Mark Robichaud picked up his first Coach of the Year award and first Conference Championship in 16 years at the helm. Robichaud and his staff of
Steve Faniel,
Josh Sylvester,
Ryan Struthers,
Ryan McCormack,
Bryan McCann,
Justin Borden,
Andrew Gacioch,
John Gendron,
Andrew Brown and
Joe Paulo have built a powerhouse in the conference. Offensively as a team, the Corsairs are currently nationally ranked second in total offense (545.8), 11th in passing offense (303.9), 12th in rushing offense (241.9), 15th in scoring offense (42.1) and 24th in both third down conversions (.481) and passing yards per completion (14.47). Defensively, UMass Dartmouth leads the MASCAC with an only 18.8 points allowed per game, 246.7 yards allowed per game and 11 team interceptions.
MASCAC FIRST TEAM OFFENSE
QB -
Dante Aviles-Santos, Jr.
WR -
Angel Sanchez, So.
OL -
Andrew Paulus, 5th
OL -
Brandon DiChiaro, Sr.
Sanchez was electric in eight games this season. The sophomore transfer from Providence, R.I., currently leads the nation in receiving yards per game (138.0) and is ninth in total receiving yards (1,104) with nine touchdowns despite playing in two games less than mostly every other player. Sanchez put up over 100-yards receiving in seven games this season, including 191 yards and a TD at Mass. Maritime. (Oct. 6) He hauled in two grabs for six twice against Framingham State (Sept. 17) and at Plymouth State (Nov. 11). Sanchez set the UMass Dartmouth single-season record in receiving yards and receiving yards per game.
The experienced duo of Paulus (Milford, Conn.) and DiChiaro (Mapleville, R.I.) anchored the UMass Dartmouth offensive line that led the MASCAC and is 12th in the nation in rushing offense (241.9). The pair helped allow just 15 sacks on the year and gave Aviles-Santos time to execute the Corsairs' high-powered offense.
MASCAC FIRST TEAM DEFENSE
LB -
Javien Delgado, 5th
Delgado secured First-Team honors for the second-straight season. From Lynn, Mass., Delgado led UMass Dartmouth with 52 tackles, adding half a sack, an interception, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery, four pass breakups and a QB hurry. Delgado finished with a season-high 11 tackles at Anna Maria (Sept. 10).
MASCAC SECOND TEAM OFFENSE
WR -
Keenan Little, 5th
One of the most physically imposing wide receivers in the MASCAC, Little collects his first yearly award. From Stratford, Conn., Little went for 456 receiving yards and four touchdowns in 2022. Little posted a career-high of 110 yards and two TD catches at Anna Maria (Sept. 10).
MASCAC SECOND TEAM DEFENSE
DL -
Marcus Elysee, 5th
DB -
Logan Chappell, Jr.
LB -
Sam Alicea, So.
A back-to-back second-team performer, Elysee had another strong year with 30 tackles, 1.5 sacks and one QB hurry. From Framingham, Mass., Elysee was rock steady all season, he finished with six tackles at Anna Maria (Sept. 10) and had a pair of four-tackle games at Worcester State with a sack (Sept. 24) and at Mass. Maritime (Oct. 6).
Making his second appearance as a Second Team All-Conference member, Chappell proved again why he is one of the best defensive backs in the MASCAC. From Griswold, Conn., Chappell finished the regular season 31 tackles, one sack, one interception and four pass breakups.
A first time member of the All-Conference team, Alicea picked up where he left off from the 2021 season with another stellar year. The Providence, R.I. native was third in the MASCAC with seven sacks for a loss of 51 yards to go with 41 tackles, a fumble recovery, four QB hurries and two pass breakups. Alicea sacked the opposing QB twice on three separate occasions at Worcester State (Sept. 24), at Mass. Maritime (Oct. 6) and at Fitchburg State (Oct. 22).
