NORFOLK, Va. – Hampton University freshman Antwon Chisholm was named the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Rookie of the Year on Friday, as announced by the conference office.
Four Pirates earned First Team All-MEAC honors, three of them on the defensive side of the ball.
Through nine games this season, Chisholm (Belle Glade, Fla.) has 590 rushing yards on 122 carries, averaging 4.8 yards per carry and 65.6 yards per game – seventh-best in the conference. Chisholm rushed for a career-high 157 yards on 15 carries in a Sept. 30 win at Delaware State, while he also rushed for 114 yards against North Carolina A&T and 98 yards on Oct. 16 against Norfolk State, accounting for the Pirates’ only touchdown in that contest. Senior offensive lineman Jamal Lewis (Uniontown, Ala.) was the lone Pirate on offense to earn First Team honors, after performing on an offensive line that helped Hampton rush for 149.1 yards per game, the fourth-best average in the MEAC. Senior defensive linemen Kenrick Ellis (West Palm Beach, Fla.) and Brandon Peguese (Greensboro, N.C.) were named First Team All-MEAC on defense. Ellis, who is second on Hampton in tackles with 91, leads the MEAC in tackles per game with 10.0 so far this season. Peguese is
Senior defensive back Ricardo Silva (Baltimore, Md.) was also named First Team All-MEAC; so far this season, Silva is fifth on the team in tackles with 65 tackles (31 solo), while also leading the team with four interceptions – while also tying for fourth in the MEAC in that category. Silva, who returned an interception 68 yards for a touchdown at North Carolina Central, has six pass breakups and 10 passes defended.
Chisholm was also named Second Team All-MEAC, as was senior linebacker Darius Johnson (Sussex, Va.), who has a team-high 92 tackles for the Pirates heading into this weekend’s season finale.
Bethune-Cookman quarterback Matt Johnson was named Offensive Player of the Year, while David Erby of South Carolina State earned Defensive Player of the Year honors. Josh Harrison, also of South Carolina State, was named Offensive Lineman of the Year, and Bethune-Cookman’s Brian Jenkins was named Coach of the Year.
The Pirates will close out the 2010 season on Saturday, when they head to Baltimore, Md. to face Morgan State at 4 p.m. For more information on Hampton University football, visit the official Pirates website at www.hamptonpirates.com.
Maurice D. Williams