Moon Township, Pa. - A total of 10 members of the Robert Morris University football team garnered All-Northeast Conference honors in 2006, as five players were named to the All-NEC First Team and five more garnered second team accolades. Each of RMU's 10 players to garner all-conference accolades this season were honored for the first time by the NEC.
Named to the All-NEC First Team in 2006 are senior defensive linemen Ray Gensler (Pittsburgh, Pa. / Keystone Oaks) and Matt Brunck (Pittsburgh, Pa. / Fox Chapel), senior defensive back Mike Niklos (Columbus, Ohio / Bishop Watterson), junior return specialist Mario Hines (Ecorse, Mich. / Ecorse) and senior tight end Jarvis Powers (Stafford, Va. / Brooke Point).
Gensler and Brunck anchored a Robert Morris defensive line that helped the Colonials finish first in the nation in total defense, allowing an average of just 228.36 yards per game. Gensler led the NEC in sacks (11) in 2006, which also tied the RMU single-season record. Gensler established a new Colonial career record for sacks this season, finishing his career with 19, and finished fourth on the club in tackles with 65, including an NEC-best 23 for losses that totaled 106 yards. Brunck compiled 74 tackles for Robert Morris in 2006 to finish second on the club, including 19 for losses that totaled 72 yards and four and-a-half sacks.
Niklos returned to the field in 2006 for Robert Morris after missing the 2005 season with an injury and solidified the Colonial secondary, tying for the NEC lead in both interceptions (5) and passes defended (11). He also added 42 tackles on the season.
On special teams, Hines garners All-NEC First Team honors at return specialist after averaging 24.5 yards on kickoff returns and 7.3 yards on punt returns. He also scored a touchdown on special teams in 2006, returning a punt 48 yards for a score in a 21-0 win over Rowan (9/21/06). The lone offensive player to garner first team All-NEC honors for Robert Morris is Powers, who led the club in receptions (31), receiving yards (421) and touchdown catches (5), averaging 13.6 yards per reception.
Named to the All-NEC Second Team in 2006 for RMU are junior offensive lineman John Steilner (Ellwood City, Pa. / Lincoln), senior defensive lineman Colyn Haugh (Murrysville, Pa. / Franklin Regional), senior linebacker Jeff Rommes (Gibsonia, Pa. / Deer Lakes), junior linebacker Chad Wengert (Kempton, Pa. / Kutztown) and junior defensive back James Kazil (Georgetown, Pa. / South Side).
Steilner started all 11 games in 2006 at center and became the first RMU offensive lineman to garner All-NEC honors since Clifton Jean-Jacques (2002-05) in 2004. Haugh, meanwhile, was another anchor on the defensive line for the Colonials in 2006, contributing 48 tackles while recording five sacks, good enough to rank second on the club in the category behind Gensler and fourth in the NEC.
Rommes wrapped up his Robert Morris career in 2006 by leading the club in tackles with 75, including 34 solo stops, and also added two-and-a-half sacks, an interception, three pass breakups, a fumble recovery and three forced fumbles. He finished his career with 214 tackles, good enough to rank ninth all-time at RMU.
Wengert occupied the outside linebacker spot opposite Rommes and finished third on the team in tackles with 73, including 23 solo stops. He finished third on the club in pass breakups (5) and also recorded a pair of interceptions, one of which he returned for a touchdown.
Kazil joined Niklos in helping solidify RMU's secondary in 2006, compiling 60 tackles and three interceptions. He also posted two fumble recoveries on the year, one of which he returned 94 yards for a touchdown in a 41-21 victory at Sacred Heart (11/11/06) that stands as the longest fumble recovery in school history.
Under the guidance of head coach Joe Walton, the program's only head coach in its 13-year history, the Colonials finished the 2006 campaign with an overall record of 7-4, including a 5-2 mark in the NEC that tied them for second place with Albany and Stony Brook. Walton has guided Robert Morris to an overall record of 82-49-1 (.625) in his 13 years at the helm of the Colonials.
