WEST LONG BRANCH, NJ- Five Monmouth University football players were named to the 2016 All-Big South Conference teams, including three on the first team.
Mike Basile (Brick, NJ/Brick Memorial), Alex Thompson (Lawnside, NJ/Haddon Heights/Milford) and Reggie White Jr. (Randallstown, MD/Milford Mill) all earned First Team All-Big South honors while Darren Ambush (Dickerson, MD/Urbana) and Darnell Leslie (Gaithersburg, MD/Quince Orchard) were named to the second team.
Additionally, for the second straight year, Ambush was named to the Big South All-Academic Team. The senior currently has a 3.54 cumulative grade point average and will graduate in May with a degree homeland security.
Basile earns his third straight First Team All-Conference honor after leading the Hawks in tackles with 110 (second in the Big South). The safety had five games with 10+ tackles, including 16 against FBS foe Kent State. He also led the conference in fumbles and blocked kicks with three.
Thompson earns his second straight First Team All-Conference honor after starting every game at center for the Hawks. The junior led the way for two of the conference's top receivers and running back Lavon Chaney who had the third most yards for a running back. MU's offensive unit finished second in sacks allowed despite attempting more passes than any other conference team. The Lawnside native has started in 32 contests for the Blue & White.
White Jr. picks up his first postseason award after an impressive sophomore campaign that saw him lead the Big South in receptions and yards with 69 for 934. The Randallstown, MD product recorded four games of 10+ receptions and four games of 100+ yards receiving. His 69 receptions are the second most in school history for a single season while he finished second in the Big South in TD receptions with seven.
Ambush, a first team honoree as a junior, capped off his senior campaign by finishing third in the BSC in reception yardage (588) and second in receptions (49). His 77 yard catch against Liberty was the longest pass of the season by a Big South player while his 1,315 all-purpose yards was second in the league. Ambush set the Monmouth single-season kickoff return mark with 678 yards in 2016.
Leslie earns his second All-Big South honor after finishing second among conference defensive linemen in tackles with 72. The Gaithersburg, MD native finished second in the league with two fumble recoveries and third in forced fumbles (2). Leslie finished seventh in the league in tackles for a loss with 10 and recorded a career-high 14 tackles in his final game at Gardner-Webb. He ended his career sixth all-time in sacks with 15.0 in three seasons with the Blue & White. The fifth-year senior started every game at defensive end after missing 2015 with an injury sustained in preseason.
Monmouth finished the season 4-7 overall. The Hawks will celebrate the 25th season of football in 2017, which kicks off with the opening of the brand new Monmouth Stadium, which is currently under construction.
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