LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. – Southwestern nearly swept all of the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference superlative honors, as the league office announced its all-conference teams on Friday. In all, 23 Pirate student-athletes were honored.

Joe Austin was named the SCAC Coach of the Year, while Justin Broussard captured defensive player of the year honors, Matt Gillen was tabbed SCAC Co-Offensive Player of the Year, Nik Kelly earned special teams player of the year for the second straight season and Luke Fierst was named the league's newcomer of the year.

Austin guided Southwestern to its best record in over 70 years. The Pirates posted a 7-3 mark overall and a perfect 6-0 record in league action, capturing the SCAC championship outright. It also marked the program's first league title since being crowned Texas Conference co-champions in 1946. Austin led Southwestern to a five-game turnaround, as the Bucs logged a 2-8 record a year ago. He also oversaw an offense that led the conference in yards per game (429.1) and points per outing (28.9).

Broussard, a 6-foot-1, 235-pound defensive end, is the first non-linebacker to be named SCAC Defensive Player of the Year since 2007. A two-time SCAC Player of the Week, Broussard finished the campaign with 60 tackles, including 20.5 for loss. The senior from Beaumont ranks second in the nation with 15.5 sacks. A four-time, first-team All-SCAC selection, Broussard ends his career with 37 sacks, which is tied for second in SCAC annals. He also set the conference's single-game mark with 5.5 sacks against Trinity on Oct. 15.

Gillen, a 6-foot-4, 195-pound wide receiver, shared the league's co-offensive player of the year award with Texas Lutheran running back Marquise Barrolle. Gillen, a senior from Coppell, led the SCAC in almost every receiving category, including yards (951), yards per game (95.1) and receptions (73). He also ranked second with seven receiving touchdowns and third in yards per catch (13.0). Gillen had a streak of five consecutive games with at least seven catches and at least 135 yards receiving, including a 14-catch game against Wisconsin-River Falls on Sept. 24, which made him the only receiver in conference history to record multiple 14-reception games in a career. He set an SCAC single-game mark with five touchdown receptions in Southwestern's 48-0 win at Trinity on Oct. 15. Gillen, who also is a four-time, first-team all-league honoree, collected conference offensive player of the week honors two days later. He finishes his career at SU with 187 receptions for 2,523 yards and 18 touchdowns.

Kelly, a 5-foot-7, 170-pound junior, is the most versatile player in the conference. The League City native earned a conference superlative award for the third straight season. He was named SCAC Special Teams Player of the Year the second consecutive campaign. He also collected first-team all-conference honors at both cornerback and returner. Kelly ranked second in the SCAC in kick return average (28.9 yards per return) and returned a kickoff 89 yards for a touchdown in Southwestern's 42-38 win over Texas Lutheran on Oct. 22. Kelly also racked up 32 tackles (22 solo) and hauled in a league-best four interceptions.

Fierst, a 5-foot-10, 175-pound placekicker, picked up newcomer of the year laurels following his freshman campaign. The Kerrville native finished his inaugural season as the second leading scorer among kickers with 55 points. He was 7 of 12 on field goal attempts, including a long of 46 yards versus Austin College on Oct. 8. Fierst was twice named SCAC Special Teams Player of the Week.

Gillen was joined on the league's offensive first team by Will Devine, Dereck Harenda, Jacob Harton, Bryan Hicks, Dante Smith and Dylan Wilburn.

Devine (senior left tackle), Harenda (senior left guard) and Harton (senior right guard) anchored Southwestern's offensive line. The trio paved the way for the conference's top offensive unit, which racked up 4,291 total yards. The Pirates led the league with 1,970 rushing yards and ranked second with 2.321 yards. Additionally, the offensive line, which was named to the D3football.com Team of the Week on Sept. 13, allowed a league-low 19 sacks. Devine was named to the league's top team for the second straight year.

Hicks, a senior quarterback, led the conference with a pass efficiency rating of 138.3. The Humble native, who was an honorable mention pick the last two seasons, completed 139 of 328 passes for 1,692 yards and 14 touchdowns. He was named SCAC Offensive Player of the Week after throwing for five touchdowns in Southwestern's 35-31 win at Texas Lutheran on Nov. 12. Hicks also threw for six touchdowns in the Pirates' 48-0 win at Trinity on Oct. 15.

Smith, a senior wide receiver, ranked sixth in the league with 32 receptions. He posted 317 receiving yards and five touchdowns. The Beaumont native hauled in three touchdowns at East Texas Baptist on Sept. 17. He also was named SCAC Offensive Player of the Week on Oct. 24 after helping the Pirates to a 42-38 win over Texas Lutheran two days earlier. During the victory, Smith threw for a touchdown and then took an onside kick back 39 yards for a score.

Wilburn, a senior running back out of Houston, who was a 2014 honorable mention, carried the ball 95 times for 595 yards and five touchdowns this year. He topped the century mark twice, including a 20-carry, 143-yard performance that included two touchdowns in a 35-0 win at Austin College on Oct. 29. Wilburn twice was named SCAC Offensive Player of the Week in 2016.

Broussard and Kelly were joined on the defensive first team by Addison Elliott, Brandon Fleischmann, Tyler Frisby, DeeJay Johnson and Aaron Robinson.

All seven were instrumental for the top defense in the conference. The Pirates led the SCAC in scoring defense (20.1 points per game), total defense (306.8 yards per game), pass defense (199.8 yards per game), interceptions (12) and sacks (38).

Elliott, a senior defensive tackle from Lago Vista, tallied 22 tackles, including seven for loss, and 4.5 sacks. He was named to the D3football.com Team of the Week on Sept. 13 after registering four stops, including two sacks, in the Bucs' 24-17 win over McMurry two days earlier.

Fleischmann, a senior defensive end from Roanoke, teamed up with Broussard to create the fiercest bookends in the nation. He finished second on the team with 66 tackles (38 solo), including 15 for loss. He also totaled 9.5 sacks and broke up four passes during the campaign. Fleischmann was tabbed SCAC Defensive Player of the Week and landed on the D3football.com Team of the Week following a 10-tackle, 2-sack performance in Southwestern's 35-0 win at Austin College on Oct. 29.

Frisby, a senior linebacker out of Justin, collected 50 tackles (27 solo), including seven for loss. He also intercepted three passes during the year. Frisby picked off two passes in Southwestern's 20-7 win over Trinity on Nov. 5, including a 47-yard pick-six that helped the Pirates clinch the conference title outright. He was named SCAC Defensive Player of the Week two days later for his performance.

Johnson, a junior from Houston, paired up with Kelly as two of the best cover cornerbacks in the league. He posted 17 tackles and picked off a pass during the 2016 campaign. Johnson also ranked third on the team with nine passes defended, including eight breakups.

Robinson, a sophomore safety from Spring, excelled in a new role for the Pirate defense this year. He moved into a "monster-back" role in Southwestern's 4-2-5 alignment that led him to a team-high 75 tackles (fourth in the SCAC), including 10 behind the line of scrimmage. Robinson also tallied 2.5 sacks, broke up three passes and forced a fumble.

Additionally, nine Southwestern players were named honorable mention, including six on the offensive side of the ball.

Fierst was joined on the offensive honorable mention list by Noah Berlanga (sophomore center), Frederick Hover (sophomore quarterback), Colten Shea (senior wide receiver, Trey White (senior right guard) and Kenneth Wynn Jr. (senior wide receiver).

Three Bucs earned honorable mention on the defensive side, including Grayson Beck (junior punter), Zach Cole (senior linebacker) and Kyle Perlowski (junior defensive tackle).

Southwestern wrapped up its final season in the SCAC. The football program will move to the American Southwest Conference next fall, along with Texas Lutheran. The Pirates will play a nine-game conference slate with one non-conference tilt to open the 2017 campaign. The schedule will be announced in the spring by the ASC.

– SOUTHWESTERN –