Moon Township, Pa. – The Robert Morris University football had four players earn postseason accolades from the Northeast Conference following the 2016 season. All four of the Colonials award winners came from the defensive side of the ball.
 
Senior defensive back Marcelis Branch and senior defensive lineman Ryan Lewis were named to the All-NEC First Team while junior defensive back Ryan Richards earned second team honors. Freshman linebacker Gee Stanley was given the nod for NEC Defensive Rookie of the Year.
 
Stanley stormed onto the college scene by recording four sacks in the first two games of the season. It was a precursor of things to come as the rookie out of Miami, Fla., tallied 8.5 on the season, breaking the 18-year old RMU freshman record and marking the fourth most sacks in team history. That sack total also put him 21^st in the nation. His three fumble recoveries rank third in the country on the FCS level. Steadily rounding out his game over the season, Stanley finished fifth on the team with 59 tackles, 29 of them solo. He ranked third in the NEC and led the team with 12.5 tackles for loss. The 86 yards accumulated on those tackles for loss are second most in RMU history.
 
Branch appears on the All-NEC team for the third time in his career after being selected in 2012 and 2015. The senior defensive back started in more games in his career, 42, than any other player in team history. Branch finished the year third on the team with 71 tackles and led the team with two interceptions, five pass break ups and seven passes defensed. He also became the first player in team history with a blocked field goal return for a touchdown, racing 63 yards for a score against Duquesne.
 
The Homestead, Fla., native finished his illustrious career 10^th at Robert Morris with 251 career tackles while his 146 solo stops put him fourth in team annals. He picked off seven passes and is tied for third all-time in team history with 21 pass break ups.
 
Lewis, a starter at defensive end for most of the last three seasons, earned All-NEC recognition for the first time in his career with a spot on the first team. Playing in the team's base 3-4 setup, he got to the quarterback 4.5 times in 2016 and tallied 6.5 tackles for loss. He led the team with six quarterback hurries. Lewis finished his career with 19.5 tackles for loss and 136 total tackles. His 12 sacks rank 13^th all-time at RMU.
 
Richards, Jr., just a junior, earned All-NEC honors for the first time with a place on the second team. Hailing from Buffalo, N.Y., Richards finished the season sixth on the team with 51 tackles in just nine games. He had 34 solo stops, tied for second most among Colonials. Richards added two sacks and 3.5 tackles for loss along with two pass break ups, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. On his only interception of the season, Richards scampered 75 yards down the right sideline for a touchdown. With a season still to play, the defensive back has 152 tackles, 94 solo, five interceptions and nine pass break ups.
 
The Colonials defense finished in the top-30 nationally in seven different categories – red zone defense (11^th - .711), fumbles recovered (14^th – 11), sacks (16th – 2.73), third down percentage (17^th - .326), defensive touchdowns (27^th – 3), rush defense (29^th – 131.7) and first downs allowed (30^th – 194).