AMHERST, Mass. – Fresh off the fourth 8-0 season in program history, Amherst College placed 13 student-athletes on the 2011 NESCAC Football All-Conference Team, while Eric Bunker '12 and E.J. Mills were named Offensive Player and Coach of the Year.

Bunker was tough to stop in 2011, going for a league-leading 106.6 yards per game and ranking second in yards per carry (5.3). He rushed for at least 100 yards six times, racking up a season-high 143 on 21 carries in a 24-10 victory over Wesleyan on Oct. 22. He also found the end zone a NESCAC-best and program-record 12 times this fall, scoring his record-breaking 12th touchdown during a 31-18 win at Williams in the season finale. Against Middlebury, Bunker rushed for a personal-best four touchdowns in a 48-28 decision. 

Bunker finished his Amherst career with 21 rushing touchdowns and more than 1,500 rushing yards. In addition to being named Offensive Player of the Year, Bunker garnered All-NESCAC honors for the second-straight season, earning First Team recognition a year after landing on the Second Team. He is the first Lord Jeff to be named Offensive Player of the Year since Mark Hannon '07 in 2005. 

Helping to pave the way for Bunker's outstanding season were offensive linemen John Ceccio '13 and Rob Wasielewski '14, who were each named to the All-Conference First Team. This is the second First Team selection for Ceccio, who paired up with Wasielewski and a strong line to help the Jeffs average 189.5 rushing yards per game. Amherst allowed a league-low six sacks on the season, marking the fourth consecutive year the Jeffs have led the conference in the category. 

Also earning First Team honors on offense is wide receiver Ben Kettering '12, who averaged 9.9 yards per catch and led the Lord Jeffs in receptions (30), yards (298) and touchdowns (3). Kettering was a matchup nightmare for opposing teams for four years, finishing his career with 897 yards and eight touchdowns on 78 catches. This marked the second time he led his team's receivers in touchdowns, as he also had three as a sophomore. 

Rounding out Amherst's All-Conference selections on offense is quarterback Brian McMahon '12, who earned a spot on the Second Team. After battling injuries as a junior it looked as though McMahon would have to sit out his senior season as well, but he worked his way back into the starting role and played the final four games under center. He completed 60 of his 111 passes for 642 yards, adding 211 rushing yards on 37 carries. McMahon ran for a touchdown in each of his final three games and threw for at least one in all four, finding the end zone eight times in all. 

Representing a defensive line that helped Amherst lead the league in sacks (28) and finish second in rushing defense (88.1 ypg) are First Team selections Kevin Ferber '12and Matt Sponheimer '13. Ferber claimed First Team recognition for the second consecutive year following a senior season in which he made 54 tackles (31 solo) and led the NESCAC in sacks (11.0) and tackles for loss (15.0). Ferber also intercepted a pass, forced two fumbles and recovered two others, while his 11.0 sacks set a new single-season program record. Sponheimer finished with 22 tackles (12 solo) and contributed 2.5 sacks, one year after recording 27 tackles and 2.0 sacks as a sophomore. 

Cornerback Landrus Lewis '13 (First Team) and safety Kevin Heller '12 (Second Team) represent Amherst's secondary on the All-Conference Team. Each player recorded 41 tackles and four interceptions, but Lewis stood out by adding a sack, five pass breakups, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. After leading the Jeffs with three picks as a sophomore, Lewis recorded interceptions against Bates, Middlebury and Wesleyan before coming down with a Trinity pass in Week 7 to close the books on the Bantams. Lewis also earned All-Conference Second Team honors as a specialist for leading the league in punt return average (13.2), returning one for a 76-yard touchdown at Colby. 

Heller spent his first two years at Amherst as a promising wide receiver before making the switch to free safety. As a junior he recorded 47 tackles and an interception, but he broke out in 2011 with picks against Bowdoin and Middlebury in the first half of the season. Heller saved his best for last, as he intercepted a pair of passes during the Lord Jeffs' 31-18 win at Williams. 

Also contributing to Amherst's outstanding defense were inside linebackers Matt Pieterse '13 (First Team) and Sam Clark '13 (Second Team). Pieterse joined Amherst last year and wasted no time making an impact, finishing his sophomore season with 55 tackles and a fumble recovery for an 81-yard touchdown. This year he was even more impressive, ranking second on the team with 68 tackles (6.5 TFL) while adding 2.0 sacks, an interception and three pass breakups.

Clark has been a regular in the starting lineup since his first year with the team, and this season he was named one of Amherst's five captains. He recorded two interceptions and 38 tackles in 2009 before bumping that total to 56 as a sophomore, and this season he took another significant step by leading the Lord Jeffs with 72 stops. His lone interception of the year came against Wesleyan, as he ran it back for a touchdown that closed out the first-half scoring. 

Rounding out Amherst's All-Conference selections is punter/kicker Matt Rawson '12, who earned a First Team selection for the second time in as many years. A year after establishing the single-season program record for made field goals (9), Rawson bested his own mark in 2011 with 10, which also ties the NESCAC single-season record. Rawson owns the Amherst career records for made field goals (27) and career points as a kicker (160), going 27-of-35 on field goals and 79-for-84 on PATs. Over 48 punts this season, Rawson averaged 37.9 yards with 22 attempts landing inside the 20-yard line.

For the second time in three years, Mills was the unanimous choice for NESCAC Coach of the Year. Amherst finished first in the NESCAC in scoring offense, turnover margin (+9) and sacks (28), while also ranking second in scoring defense. Mills bumped his career record to 88-32 (.733) and is 22-2 in his past three seasons, marking the best record in the NESCAC during that stretch. 

Amherst joins an elite group of teams to have placed at least 13 players on the All-Conference ranks, while the nine First Team selections fell one shy of the record Williams set a year ago. A complete list of this year's honorees can be found on theNESCAC website.