Cleveland, Ohio - A total of 15 members of the Allegheny College football team were named to the 2000 All-North Coast Athletic Conference football team. The Gators placed nine honorees on the first team, second in the conference to Wittenberg University's 12 honorees.

The first team was led by junior tailback Shane Ream (Meadville, Pa./Meadville), a finalist for the Gagliardi trophy, Division III's version of the Heisman trophy. Joining Ream on the first team offensively were junior tight end Jared McNeilly (Andover, Ohio/Pymatuning Valley), senior center Bill Andrews (Ridgeley, W.Va./Frankfort) and senior guards Ken Achenbach (Meadville, Pa./Meadville) and Bernie McGuinness (Youngstown, Ohio/Ursuline).

First team members from the Allegheny defense included a pair of senior tackles making their third appearances on the All-NCAC team in Joe Rossi (Pittsburgh, Pa./Central Catholic) and Josh Six (New Cumberland, W.Va./Oak Glen). Also on the first team was senior linebacker Kris Knepper (Grove City, Pa./Grove City) and Jim Lorber (Cleveland Heights, Ohio/Benedictine).

Other Gators on the All-NCAC teams were senior halfback Jeremy Snyder (Titusville, Pa./Titusville), senior strong safety Pat Lentz (Westlake, Ohio/St. Edward) and senior punter Al Trezza (Glenshaw, Pa./Shaler) who were all named to the second team. Sophomore quarterback Joe Cowart (New Castle, Pa./New Castle), senior wide receiver LaMarcus Thurman (Ft. Polk, La./Leesville) and senior nose tackle Jon Olshock (Allison Park, Pa./Central Catholic) were each named honorable mention All-NCAC.

The Gators had four repeat selections on the first team in Andrews, Rossi, Achenbach and Six, who earned first team honors as a sophomore and second team honors in 1999.

Ream registered one of the most memorable seasons of any Gator running back. He set single-season school and NCAC records for scoring (180 points) and rushing TDs (27), and also established Allegheny records for rushing yards (1,636), rush attempts (286) and all-purpose yards (1,807). He also ranked first in NCAA Division III in scoring (18.0 points/game), fifth in rushing (163.6 yards/game) and 14th in all-purpose yards (180.70 yards/game).


McNeilly finished second on the team in receptions, pulling in 28 passes for 422 yards and two touchdowns. He set career highs in receptions and receiving yards this season. The trio of Achenbach, Andrews and McGuinness led the Gators to the fifth-ranked rushing attack in Division III, averaging 288.8 yards per game. The Gators also ranked eight in the nation in total offense (479.3 yards/game). In three seasons as starters on the offensive line, the senior trio led the Gators to the 14th-rated rush offense in 1998, moved to tenth in 1999 and closed their careers with the fifth-rated rushing attack.

Rossi concluded his career making 41 consecutive starts, every game of his collegiate career. He established a single-season school record for sacks, with 12.0, breaking Bob Tatsch's former record set in 1995. Six closed out his collegiate career by making 40 tackles, including 12 for a loss, with 2.5 sacks. Knepper finished third on the team in tackles with 61 stops, which included four for a loss and one sack. Lorber finished second on the team in interceptions with four, a career high, and also made 53 tackles and 18 pass breakups.

Snyder was second on the team in rushing with 721 yards on 111 carries and seven TDs. He also made 24 receptions for 431 yards and two touchdowns. Snyder piled up 2,262 yards for his career, eighth all-time at Allegheny. Lentz led the team in tackles, totaling 87 stops, including 13 for a loss, and also made two interceptions. Trezza averaged 36.5 yards per kick this season, and closed his career with the second best career average in school history (37.4 yards/punt).

Cowart completed 108-of-218 passes for 1,683 yards and 12 TDs against seven interceptions. Cowart tied the Allegheny single-season record for attempts this year. Thurman, battling injuries through the final six games of the year, finished the season as the team's receptions leader with 32 catches for 519 yards and two TDs. Olshock made 40 tackles and 4.5 sacks in 2000.