ALFRED, NY – A total of 10 Saxons from the Alfred University football team received Empire 8 All-Conference honors, following an official announcement by associate commissioner, Joe Venniro.

"Congratulations to all our men on receiving Empire 8 All-Conference honors," Head Coach Bob Rankl said. "This is a great feat for them and we're looking forward to adding some more names onto that list by the end of next season."
 
Earning First Team recognition on the offensive side for AU was running back Max Freeman IV (Painted Post, NY/Corning-Painted Post), offensive lineman Robert Felder Jr. (Syracuse, NY/Institute of Technology at Central), and fullback Seth Walden (Bath, NY/Haverling). On the defensive side, Joe Copp (Minoa, NY/East Syracuse-Minoa) earned First Team honors as well.

Freeman enjoyed a breakout sophomore season with the Saxons, leading the conference with 222 rushing attempts. He finished the year with 931 rushing yards and nine touchdowns, including a career-high 274 rushing yards to go with two touchdowns in a 31-23 win over Kalamazoo College on September 24.
 
Felder Jr received All-Conference status for the second consecutive season with the Saxons after previously being named to the All-Empire 8 Third Team following the 2021 season. Felder Jr has been a staple for Alfred University's offensive front during his five-year career, being named as a team captain in each of the last two seasons.
 
Walden returned to the All-Empire 8 First Team for the second consecutive year, playing an important role for the Saxons offense. In a conference matchup against Utica University, Walden totaled two receptions for 30 receiving yards and his first collegiate touchdown.

Copp was named as an All-Conference honoree for the second straight season after receiving Third Team recognition following the 2021 season. Copp led the Empire 8 conference with 121 tackles. His 24-tackle performance against SUNY Cortland on October 29 sits as the fourth-highest mark in a single game in program history.
 
Jacob Kelsey (Hilton, NY/Hilton) was among the Saxons to receive Second Team honors. Alfred University had a handful of Second Team Defense/Special Teams selections, including linebacker Christopher Cox (Rochester, NY/Pittsford-Sutherland), defensive linemen Tim Dahl (Cobleskill, NY/Cobleskill-Richmondville) and Danny Quinones (Endicott, NY/Union-Endicott), and punter Zach Johnson (Rochester, NY/Aquinas Institute).

Kelsey had a successful senior season with Alfred University, leading the team in both receptions (43) and receiving yards (600). Kelsey broke out with a career-high seven-reception, 104-yard performance against Mount St. Joseph College on September 22.
 
Cox played well for the Saxons in his fifth season with AU, totaling 81 tackles to go with a team-high four interceptions. Cox posted three consecutive games with 10 or more tackles to end the season, forcing two fumbles during that span.
 
Dahl was a presence on the defensive front for Alfred University, recording 56 tackles along with a team-high eight sacks. Dahl recorded one or more sacks for the Saxons in six different games this past fall.
 
Quinones finished his junior season with 45 tackles, 23 of which were solo. He was one of four Saxons to end the season with 10 or more tackles for a loss. In the season-opener against Hobart, he totaled seven tackles, including one sack.
 
Johnson led the Alfred University special teams unit, accumulating seven punts of 50 yards or more. Johnson additionally led the conference in punts landed inside the 20-yard line with 14 this past fall.
 
Tyreek Ormil (Margate, FL/Coral Springs Charter) was selected as Alfred University's Sportsman of the Year. The Empire 8 Conference emphasizes that "Competing with Honor and Integrity" is an essential component of a student-athlete's experience in conjunction with an institution's educational mission.