Date: Friday, November 15, 2002
MEDFORD
– The 10 head NESCAC football coaches announced on Wednesday, November 13 the
All-Conference first and second teams for 2002. Five Tufts University players
were recognized: senior offensive tackle Adam
Colette (Westminster, MA/Oakmont), senior corner back Evan
Zupancic (Lake Oswego, OR/Lakeridge),
junior defensive tackle Caleb Hudak
(White River Jct, VT/Hartford) and junior return specialist Mark
Tilki (Derby, CT/Derby) were named to the First Team. Tilki was also named
to the Second Team as a defensive back, and junior tight end Ryan Papi (Dover, MA/Dover-Sherburn) earned Second Team honors.
Collette,
6'8" and 285 pounds, was at times dominant on the Jumbos' offensive line
this year. Behind him and his mates, the Tufts offense scored 20.1 points per
game and averaged 281.8 yards per game. The Jumbos scored over 20 points on five
occasions this season and ranked fifth in the conference for scoring. Collette
was named Second Team All-NESCAC last year as a junior.
Zupancic
was the center of Tufts defense this year. With seven interceptions this season,
he tied for the league lead with Amherst's Jeremy Carroll. Zupancic finished
with 20 picks in his career, a new school record previously held by Scott
Burnham (15 from 1979-82). With his help the Jumbos ranked first in the
conference for pass defense efficiency (80.3 rating) and had 22 interceptions
total this season. With 12 break-ups for the season, Zupancic also tallied 75
yards in returns off his interceptions. A Second Team All-NESCAC pick last year,
he also caught four passes for 51 yards on offense.
Hudak
was at the center of the Jumbo defense that ranked fourth in the conference
allowing only 129 points and 17 touchdowns in eight games. Tufts held its
opponents scoreless for the first 10 periods of play this fall. Hudak was the
leading tackler for Tufts this year with 58 (32 solo), including 6.5 for losses.
He also had two fumble recoveries in the game against Colby on November 2.
As a sophomore Hudak was named to the First Team All-NESCAC last year.
Tilki
earned a spot on both teams this season. As a return specialist Tilki had nine
kickoff returns for 225 yards, averaging 25 yards per. He also took two punts
back for a total of 60 yards. This is his second straight year as the All-NESCAC
return specialist selection. On the defensive side, Tilki tallied 26 tackles (22
solo) as well as three interceptions for 57 yards. He also had two fumble
recoveries for the season, including one in the end zone for a touchdown at
Amherst.
Papi,
the prototypical tight end, finished with 13 receptions for 105 yards and four
touchdowns, which tied for the team lead. He had two TD catches, tying a Tufts
record, in the season opener against Hamilton, then caught one each against
rivals Williams and Amherst. The Tufts passing attack was responsible for 12 of
the team's 21 touchdowns.
After
a 3-0 start, Tufts lost its last five games and finished 3-5.
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