Teams: Football: Press Releases

Tuesday, January 8, 2008

TASSINARI, GLEASON HAUL IN FINAL FOOTBALL POST-SEASON AWARDS

MEDFORD -- Two Tufts football players were recently recognized as post-season awards for the 2007 season were wrapped up. Sophomore safety Tom Tassinari (North Andover, MA/Phillips Academy) was picked to the D3Football.com All-East Region Third Team, and senior quad-captain and tight end Kevin Gleason (Holden, MA/St. John's Shrewsbury) earned Eastern College Athletic Conference All-Northeast honors.

Tassinari was one of the top safeties in the region this fall. He finished second on the Jumbos with 51 tackles (29 solo) and was also second in the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) with five interceptions in eight games. That ranked ninth in the NCAA Div. III Statistics with an average of 0.7 per game. He also recorded four pass break-ups, forced two fumbles and recovered one. On special teams, he was a major reason why Tufts led the nation in punt return defense with an average of 1.8 yards allowed per return.

Gleason was second on the Jumbos in receptions with 28 from his tight end position. He gained 264 yards, an average of 9.4 per catch, and was second on the team with three touchdown receptions. He finished his career with 10 catches for 94 yards in the final game of the season against Middlebury. He also caught six balls for 43 yards versus Colby. In the final five games of the season, he averaged 5.4 receptions per game.

Tassinari and Gleason were both named to the All-NESCAC First Team this fall.

Coach Bill Samko's Jumbos finished fourth in NESCAC this season with a 5-3 record. They recorded two impressive victories at home against Trinity and Amherst.

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