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- BEST IN STATE -

UNC Pembroke football duo collect top Mountain East Conference honors

Jamae Blank shared Defensive Player of the Year; Sincere Baines picked as Offensive Freshman of the Year

Sincere Baines (left) and Jamae Blank broke school records and collected two of the Mountain East Conference's top honors this season. Photos/graphics courtesy UNC Pembroke athletics.

BY CHRIS THOMAS | Director of Strategic Communications, Mountain East Conference

BRIDGEPORT, W.Va. – The Mountain East Conference today unveiled its 2023 Football All-Conference teams and postseason award winners following a vote of the league’s head coaches.

Charleston running back Chavon Wright was voted the league’s Offensive Player of the Year, while UNC Pembroke football’s Jamae Blank and Charleston’s Nick Evans shared Defensive Player of the Year honors for 2023.

UNC Pembroke running back Sincere Baines was voted the MEC Offensive Freshman of the Year, and Frostburg State defensive back Darrell Scott earned Defensive Freshman of the Year recognition. UC head coach Quinn Sanders was voted the league’s Coach of the Year.

—> READ MORE: UNC Pembroke’s official release on its 11 all-conference players

Wright, a redshirt sophomore from Pembroke Pines, Fla., led the MEC in rushing this season with 1,231 yards on 203 carries (6.1 yd/carry). Wright also rushed for a league-high 14 touchdowns and put together five 100-yard rushing performances on the year. He rushed for a season-high 276 yards and three touchdowns on Oct. 14 against Notre Dame.

Blank, a redshirt junior from Durham, N.C., led the league with 12.5 sacks and finished second in the MEC with 21.5 tackles for loss this season. For the season, the defensive end also chipped in 49 tackles, had six pass breakups, and forced and recovered three fumbles. Blank had five multiple sack performances on the season.

Evans, a redshirt senior from Boston, Mass., finished the year with 22 tackles, 9.5 sacks and one forced fumble to lead the Charleston defense. He totaled 12.0 tackles for loss from his defensive end position this season. Evans ranks second in the league in sacks this season. He recorded a season-high six tackles and two sacks in Charleston’s season opener against Gannon. He had four multiple sack performances this season.

Baines, from Fayetteville, N.C., finished fourth in the league with 797 rushing yards on the season. He averaged 7.6 yards per carry and also rushed for 11 TDs on the year. Baines was also a contributor in the UNCP passing game, hauling in 15 passes for 207 yards and a touchdown. Over the final four weeks of the season, Baines had three 100-yard rushing games and nine touchdowns. His best outing of the year was in week 11, when he rushed for 178 yards and five scores against Concord.

Scott, a cornerback from Brandywine, Md., recorded 14 solo tackles, nine pass breakups and one interception in the Frostburg State secondary this season. Scott recorded a season-high four solo stops and four pass breakups against Wheeling back in September. He recorded his lone interception of the year against Charleston on Oct. 28.

Sanders was named the MEC Coach of the Year after leading Charleston to a 9-1 record in 2023, including an 8-1 mark in league play. Charleston is making its first NCAA playoff appearance since 2015. UC also won its first-ever Mountain East Conference Football Championship in 2023 and currently ranks 23rd in the AFCA National Poll.

Charleston earned the No. 2 seed in Super Region 1 and will host New Haven on Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m. in the opening round of the NCAA Division II Football Playoffs.

In addition to the 2023 award winners, the league also announced its all-conference teams on Tuesday afternoon (listed below).

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2023 MEC Individual Awards
Offensive Player of the Year: Chavon Wright (RB, Charleston)
Offensive Freshman of the Year: Sincere Baines (RB, UNC Pembroke)
Defensive Player of the Year (co-): Jamae Blank (DL, UNC Pembroke), Nick Evans (DL, Charleston)
Defensive Freshman of the Year: Darrell Scott (DB, Frostburg State)
Coach of the Year: Quinn Sanders (Charleston)
2023 All-MEC First Team
Pos.NameSchool
QBDonovan RiddickWest Virginia State
RBJoel FelderWest Virginia State
RBIdris LawrenceNotre Dame
RBChavon WrightCharleston
WRKris CopelandConcord
WRTrey DixonUNC Pembroke
WRRashawn HarveyWest Liberty
WRTae MarreroCharleston
TEJames FaulknerNotre Dame
FB/HBNiko KauskyCharleston
OLBrandon DillardFrostburg State
OLCarson HeideckerNotre Dame
OLDonovan McCollisterCharleston
OLJoe PetryszakFairmont State
OLIan PomeroyGlenville State
OLChris RussellUNC Pembroke
==
DLJamae BlankUNC Pembroke
DLNick EvansCharleston
DLLavell GibsonNotre Dame
DLCam RiceWest Liberty
DLLeonard ScottFrostburg State
LBSeth ArnoldGlenville State
LBBrocton BlairFairmont State
LBWillie FloydCharleston
LBSean HillUNC Pembroke
LBIsaiah StephensNotre Dame
LBColby StreetFrostburg State
DBCashawn BeasleyCharleston
DBEltayeb BushraFairmont State
DBWylan HarichFrostburg State
DBAntoine HollowayNotre Dame
DBJy MartinWest Virginia State
==
KCam ShirkeyNotre Dame
PJosh HutleyConcord
RSTae MarreroCharleston
2023 All-MEC Second Team
Pos.NameSchool
QBColin JohnsonUNC Pembroke
RBSean AaronFrostburg State
RBSincere BainesUNC Pembroke
RBLeJay HatcherFairmont State
RBAlfred MenjorGlenville State
WROrion BonnerGlenville State
WRYves BosmansCharleston
WRChris CharlesWest Liberty
TECarter GiacomoFairmont State
FB/HBJoe JonesWest Virginia State
OLBarnabas BaningCharleston
OLRyan CreechWest Liberty
OLMike HudrenFrostburg State
OLAndres SagastumeWest Virginia State
OLPeter SchmittWheeling
OLZach SlapnickerNotre Dame
==
DLPK Ackah-YensuCharleston
DLRaydarius FreemanUNC Pembroke
DLCaleb GrantWheeling
DLIsaiah MacklinGlenville State
DLJaylen ParksFrostburg State
DLRandy RobinsonFairmont State
LBJacob ClarkGlenville State
LBJalen JonesWest Virginia State
LBSaige LeyUNC Pembroke
LBAden MillerCharleston
LBMichael MorganFrostburg State
DBJovon JacksonFairmont State
DBKeshawn PickettUNC Pembroke
DBIsaiah Powell-MajorFairmont State
DBMark ShepherdGlenville State
DBRoderick WebbCharleston
==
KTim McCutchenCharleston
PDom ButtazzoniNotre Dame
PBrennan SchmittWest Virginia State
RSTre HollowayWheeling
2023 All-MEC Honorable Mention
QB (2): Rudy Garcia (West Liberty), Javonte Howard (Charleston)
RB (2): Alex Brink (Charleston), Elijah Young (Wheeling)
WR (3): Nate Garnett (West Va. Wesleyan), Kobe Harris (Fairmont State), Quron Winder (Wheeling)
TE (1): Jayden Smith (UNC Pembroke)
FB/HB (1): Jessie Collins (West Liberty)
OL (7): Justin Collier (Glenville State), Jabari Edwards (Concord), Jon Fitzpatrick (West Virginia State), John Holland (Fairmont State), Isaiah Lewis (Wheeling), Jacob Perry (UNC Pembroke), Ethan Wolford (Charleston)

DL (5): Amir Franklin-Branch (West Va. Wesleyan), Yasir Holmes (Frostburg State), Lane Martinez Beasley (Notre Dame), Nemo Roberts (Fairmont State), Corlyn Witcher (West Virginia State)
LB (5): J.R. Atkinson (Wheeling), Thaxton Gallagher (Charleston), Emarion Perkins (Notre Dame), Nathan Rosario Santos (Notre Dame), Jamari Smith (Concord)
DB (6): Nick Blake (West Virginia State), Aaron Davis (Wheeling), Vincent Nwachi (Frostburg State), Anthony Smith (Frostburg State), Shaun Sterling Jr. (Glenville State), Chris Wilson (West Liberty)

K (1): Emmanuel Richardson (Fairmont State)
RS (1): Max Davis (Frostburg State)

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