MANSFIELD, Mass. – Nine student-athletes from the Saint Anselm College football team have been selected to Northeast-10 All-Conference Teams, the league announced in a release on Thursday afternoon. Three Hawks earned All-NE10 First Team honors, while five were placed on the All-NE10 Second Team and one was an All-Rookie Team selection. In total, the nine All-Conference selections for Saint Anselm was fourth-most in the league.
Saint Anselm finished the 2024 season with a 5-5 record including a 5-3 mark in NE10 play. The Hawks have now finished .500 or better in three straight seasons, the first time the program has accomplished that feat since 2000-2002. The team also came in third place in the league after a second-place finish a season ago.
OFFENSE
The two All-NE10 selections for Saint Anselm on the offensive side of the ball were a pair of offensive lineman. Junior tackle
Kevin Coulther (Vernon, N.J.) was the lone All-NE10 First Team pick on offense, while junior guard
Ross Olinger (Marshfield, Mass.) was the team's only All-NE10 Second Team pick on offense.
Both Coulther and Olinger played in all 10 games this fall and helped the Hawks offense score 23.4 points per game, the fifth-most in the conference. The two linemen were key assets in pass protection as the Hawks gave up just 20 sacks in 10 games on the season. For Coulther, it is the third straight year earning an All-Conference nod. The junior was named to the All-NE10 Second Team last year and was an All-Rookie Team pick as a freshman two seasons ago. For Olinger, it is his first All-Conference accolade.
DEFENSE / SPECIAL TEAMS
On defense, senior defensive back
Najei Snyder (Deltona, Fla.) and senior defensive lineman
Austin Spille (Austin, Texas) both received All-NE10 First Team plaudits.
Snyder earned All-Conference honors for the first time in his career after a productive season in the Hawks' secondary. As one of the top corner backs for Saint Anselm, he racked up a career-high 24 total tackles and led the NE10 with a career-best 12 pass breakups while playing in all 10 games. Snyder posted two tackles for loss and forced a fumble as well. His 26 career pass breakups are tied for third-most in program history. In addition to his defensive prowess, Snyder served as one of the team's primary kick returners. The senior brought back 17 kicks for a total of 537 yards, which was good for an average return of 31.6 yards. His kick return total yardage and his kick return average were both the second-highest in the NE10. Snyder recorded a 50+ yard return in five separate games.
Another All-NE10 First Team selection was Spille, who earns an All-Conference honor for the second time after being named to the league's Second Team last year. The defensive lineman had a massive season for the Hawks and set career-highs across the board. He posted new single season career-bests in solo tackles (21), total tackles (56), tackles for loss (9.5), and sacks (five) across all 10 games this fall. In addition, the senior also recorded one forced fumble, one fumble recovery, one pass breakup, and a team-high 18 quarterback hurries on the season. His five sacks led the team and was tied for seventh-most in the league, while his 9.5 tackles for loss led the squad as well and were tied for fourth-most in the conference. He finished his career in sixth place on the program's all-time sack list with 14.0 for his career.
Four more student-athletes for Saint Anselm earned All-Conference recognition on defense and special teams. Fifth-year senior linebacker
Alejandro Santiago (Woodbridge, N.J.), fifth-year defensive back and punter
Devin Wood (Merrimack, N.H.), senior defensive back
Brandon Potts (Bowie, Md.), and sophomore defensive lineman
Stephen Laguerre (Spring Valley, N.Y.) were all named to the All-NE10 Second Team.
Santiago is another Hawk who received All-Conference accolades for the first time. Despite missing a game, the linebacker still managed to lead the team and finished 10th in the conference with 65.0 total tackles. He also recorded 4.5 tackles for loss, two sacks, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery, and eight quarterback hurries. All of those numbers were career-highs. Santiago achieved numerous career milestones in his final season as well. He hauled in his first collegiate interception against American International on September 21st and caught his first collegiate touchdown on a trick play against Post on October 5th.
Wood earned a spot on the All-NE10 Second Team as a punter for the second straight year. Primarily a safety, Wood served as the team's punter throughout the season. The fifth-year senior sent away 40 punts for a total of 1,470 yards. He finished the season with an average punt of 36.8 yards, which was fourth-highest in the league. He landed 15 of his 40 punts inside the opposing 20-yard line and five of his punts went 50 or more yards. Both of those figures were the second-most in the conference. His season-long punt was blasted for a total of 59 yards.
Potts is a second-time All-NE10 Second Team pick, having earned the same recognition following the 2022 campaign. The senior corner back finished his final season with new career-highs in both solo tackles (28) and total tackles (44) while playing all 10 games. His 28 solo tackles led the team, while his 44 total tackles was the most on the squad for a defensive back. Potts also recorded one interception, was tied for the team lead with two forced fumbles, and broke up four passes. He finished his career with 24 passes defensed, which puts him in sixth place in program history.
Laguerre was the final All-NE10 Second Team selection on defense and earns All-Conference recognition for the first time in his career. The sophomore played in all 10 games this season and posted 44 total tackles from the defensive line position. Laguerre posted five tackles for a loss of 17 yards and had a pair of sacks, the ladder of which was tied for the third-most on the team.
ALL-ROOKIE TEAM
Earning a spot on the conference's All-Rookie Team was freshman running back
Jake Croce (Point Pleasant, N.J.). Croce had a stellar first season on the Hilltop and finished as the team's leading rusher. He carried the ball 98 times for a team-high 443 rushing yards (4.5 yards per carry) and a team-best seven rushing touchdowns. His 443 rushing yards were eighth-most in the NE10 and second-most among freshman ball carriers. He finished tied for fourth in both rushing touchdowns (seven) and total touchdowns (eight). He averaged 44.30 rushing yards per game, which led the team. In addition, Croce made 21 catches out of the backfield for 143 receiving yards and a score. He also threw for a 65-yard touchdown against Southern Connecticut State on September 28th.
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