Moon Township, Pa. - In a vote of league head coaches, a total of five players from the Robert Morris University football team garnered All-Northeast Conference postseason honors Monday.
Earning a spot on the All-NEC First Team was junior kicker Garrett Clawson (Duncansville, Pa. / Hollidaysburg), while sophomore tight end Shadrae King (McKeesport, Pa. / McKeesport), junior defensive back Rolf Bathold (Naples, Fla. / Lely), senior defensive back Michael Landers (Springdale, Pa. / Springdale) and junior punter Nick Schirtzinger (Hurricane, W.Va. / Hurricane) were each named to the All-NEC Second Team.
The first player in league history to be named the NEC Special Teams Player of the Week three straight times earlier this season, the 5'11", 175-pound Clawson led the Colonials in scoring in 2009 with 64 points. He established a new RMU single-season record with 14 field goals and was also 22-for-25 in point after attempts.
On three separate occasions Clawson posted three field goals in a game, which tied the RMU single-game mark. Clawson will enter the 2010 campaign tied for 10th all-time at Robert Morris for career points with 104.
The lone offensive player for the Colonials to earn All-NEC honors in 2009, the 6'3" 225-pound King finished second for RMU in 2009 in receptions (34), receiving yards (369) and touchdown catches (4). His best game of the season came at Central Connecticut State (10/10) when he established career highs in both receptions (9) and receiving yards (110).
Bathold tied for team-high honors in interceptions in 2009 with three while contributing 53 tackles. The 5'10", 175-pound cornerback led the Colonials with 12 pass breakups and also forced a fumble and blocked a kick on special teams.
Joining Bathold with All-NEC honors from the Colonial secondary is Landers, who earns postseason accolades for the second consecutive year. In 2009, the 6'1", 210-pound safety finished third for Robert Morris in tackles with 80, including 43 solo stops. Landers also added one interception and six pass breakups.
The 5'8", 250-pound Schirtzinger earns All-NEC Second Team accolades for the second time in his career, as he was tabbed to the squad following his freshman campaign in 2007. RMU's all-time leader in both punting yards (7,117) and punting average (40.2 yards per punt), Schirtzinger averaged 39.2 yards a punt in 2009 to rank second in the league. He pinned 21 of his 63 punts inside the 20-yard line of the opponent and also booted four punts 50 yards or longer.
Led by Joe Walton, the only head coach in the 16-year history of the program, Robert Morris used a five-game winning streak to close out its 2009 campaign to finish with an overall record of 5-6. The Colonials posted a 5-3 record in league games, good enough to tie for third with Wagner.
