LOCK HAVEN, Pa. – Slippery Rock University football coach George Mihalik was named Coach of the Year, defensive end Marcus Martin was named Defensive Player of the Year and 12 SRU players were honored Thursday when the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference announced the All-PSAC Western Division team for the 2015 season.
 
MIhalik was named the PSAC Western Division Coach of the Year for the sixth time, including the second in the last three years. Martin, just a sophomore, earned his second major award in as many seasons after taking home the PSAC West Freshman of the Year honor last fall.
 
Slippery Rock had a total of 12 players named to All-PSAC honors, including eight players in nine positions on the first team and an additional three players on the second team.
 
"They should rename the award and make it the 'Coaching Staff of the Year'," said Mihalik. "I'm very honored and this was really unexpected. I can't thank our staff here at The Rock enough for all the dedication they put in to make our football program as good as it can be. They all share this honor with me. We wouldn't be where we are today without our incredible staff."
 
Senior punter and placekicker Andrew Huska was named to first team honors both as a placekicker and as a punter.
 
Huska joined junior running back Shamar Greene, senior right tackle Cory Tucker and junior center Joe LoSchiavo on the offensive first team and joined Martin, junior defensive tackle Joe Phillips, junior linebacker Bob Vernick and senior linebacker Teven Williams on the first team defense.
 
The Rock offense landed two players on the second team, including senior left guard Kyle Henderson and senior tight end Brett Crenshaw. Senior nose guard Avery Anderson represents SRU on the second team defense to round out The Rock's All-PSAC selections.
 
Slippery Rock, ranked No. 10 in the latest Division II national rankings, won the PSAC title for the second straight year and became the first team to repeat as champion since the championship game was reinstated in 2008. The Rock earned the No. 2 seed in the NCAA Division II playoffs and will host their first home playoff game since 1999 when Virginia Union visits Mihalik-Thompson Stadium Saturday at noon.
 
Below is a brief look at what landed each of The Rock's 12 players on the All-PSAC team this fall.
 
• DE - Marcus Martin – Defensive Player of the Year – 1st Team Defense
Martin leads all active NCAA football players at any division in career sacks per game at 1.13. No other active player at any level of college football averages more than 1.00. Martin earns his second first team All-PSAC honor in just two years. He currently ranks third on SRU with 63 total tackles and leads the team with 14.5 tackles for loss and 10.0 sacks. Martin has also recovered three fumbles, forced two fumbles, recorded two pass breakups and been credited with an additional eight QB hurries.
 
• RB - Shamar Greene – 1st Team Offense
Greene earns his second straight first team honor and the third straight honor of his career after being named a second team All-PSAC selection as a freshman. Despite missing 2.5 games this season with an injury, Greene has rushed for 1,162 yards and 10 touchdowns. He ranks second in the PSAC, first in the PSAC West and ninth in the nation in rushing at 129.1 yards per game. Greene is the first SRU running back since Josh Kniess in 2004-05 to rush form more than 1,000 yards in back-to-back seasons.
 
• RT – Cory Tucker – 1st Team Offense
Tucker earns his third straight first team All-PSAC honor after starting every game at right tackle this season for the nation's best offense. A 2014 national finalist for the Gene Upshaw Lineman of the Year honor, Tucker seals the edge for the No. 1 scoring offense in the country as SRU averages 48.7 points per game. The Rock own the No. 4 total offense in the nation (517.1 yards per game) and the No. 8 rushing offense in the country (283.5 yards per game).
 
• C – Joe LoSchiavo – 1st Team Offense
LoSchiavo earns his second straight All-PSAC honor after being named to the second team last year. In addition to helping block for the numbers listed above, LoSchiavo has held down the middle of the line that has shattered SRU program records for rushing, rushing TDs and total scoring this fall. The Rock have rushed for 3,118 yards as a team this fall, breaking the record set in 1997. SRU has also rushed for 41 touchdowns and scored 536 points this year.
 
• P/PK – Andrew Huska – 1st Team Offense and 1st Team Defense
Huska pulled off the rare double by being chosen as the best punter and kicker in the conference by the league's coaches. He has kicked an incredible 41 touchbacks on kickoffs this year. The next highest total for any team in the PSAC is just 16. Huska also leads the PSAC in punting, averaging 42.0 yards per punt and broke the SRU record for longest punt ever recorded with a 78-yard boomer against Gannon this fall.
 
• DT – Joe Phillips – 1st Team Defense
Phillips earns his second straight All-PSAC recognition after being named to second team honors last fall. A staple in the middle of The Rock's front four, Phillips has recorded 9.5 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks this fall. He helps bolster the nation's best run defense as Slippery Rock allows just 62.9 yards per game on the ground.
 
• LB – Bob Vernick – 1st Team Defense
Vernick earns his first career All-PSAC honor after having the best season of his Rock career. The leader on the team for tackles most of the season, Vernick has recorded 73 total stops, including a career-high 11.0 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks. He has also recorded one fumble recovery and one pass breakup.
 
• LB – Teven Williams – 1st Team Defense
Williams has lived up to expectations after leading Youngstown State in tackles for three straight years as a middle linebacker before transferring to SRU for his senior year. Despite moving to the outside linebacker spot, Williams leads the team with 77 tackles, including 13.0 tackles for loss and 3.0 sacks. He also has one fumble recovery, one interception and three pass breakups this season. Williams recorded nine solo tackles in the PSAC Championship game last week.
 
• LG – Kyle Henderson – 2nd Team Offense
A long overdue honor for Henderson, who picks up his first career All-PSAC recognition after starting the last 36 straight games at The Rock. Henderson moved from tackle to guard this season to help lock down the middle of the line and that move has helped SRU to break the all-time program record for rushing yards and rushing touchdowns in a season.
 
• TE – Brett Crenshaw – 2nd Team Offense
Crenshaw, a fifth-year member of the program and a team captain, earns his first career All-PSAC honor as a blocking tight end and special teams standout. Crenshaw began his SRU career as a running back, but made the move to tight end this year to help fill a void on the team.
 
• NG – Avery Anderson – 2nd Team Defense
Anderson earns his first career All-PSAC honor after locking down the center of the line for the nation's best run defense all year. He has recorded 42 tackles, including 4.5 for loss and 2.5 sacks. He has also forced one fumble. Anderson and Phillips teamed together to form one of the best 1-2 punches in the center of any defensive line in the league.