Five Kalamazoo College football players were named All-Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association selections Monday afternoon as released by the conference.
Earning first team defensive honors for the Hornets was senior linebacker Dylan Zerki and senior defensive back Octavius Sanders. Elijah Hamilton-Wray was named to the conference's first team as a kick returner as well as being named to the offensive second team.
Also earning second team honors was sophomore linebacker Quentin Sweeney and sophomore kicker Viet Nguyen.
Zerki, who ends his career as Kalamazoo's all-time leading tackler, makes his first appearance on the All-MIAA first team after earning a second team selection in 2014. The senior linebacker from Waterford, Mich. led the Hornets in tackles (104), sacks (3), and tackles for a loss (11) in 2015. Zerki led the Hornets in tackles in all four years of his career and compiled a total of 404.
Sanders, a product of Martin Luther King High School in Detroit, Mich., returns to the All-MIAA first team after earning the same honors following the 2013 season. Sanders ends the season with five interceptions, tied for the most in the MIAA. Three of his interceptions were returned for touchdowns this season, including two against Hope in the Hornets' season finale. He also recorded 42 tackles, four of which were for a loss, and 12 pass breakups.
Hamilton-Wray is making his first appearance on both the conference's first and second teams in 2015, much in part due to his versatility used in nearly every aspect of the game. Named to the first team as a kick returner, Hamilton-Wray recorded 649 return yards this season and returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown against Alma. Offensively, he scored eight touchdowns—one rushing and seven receiving. He recorded 475 receiving yards, 175 rushing yards and his 1,299 all-purpose yards led the team.
Sweeney is being honored for the first time in his career as an All-Conference selection. A sophomore from Wayland, Mich., Sweeney recorded the second-most tackles on the team (66) and also recorded the second-most interceptions on the team (3). He played in all ten games for the Hornets, recorded 3.5 tackles for a loss and also recorded one pass breakup.
Nguyen, a sophomore from Canton, Mich. and a Plymouth High School graduate, is making his first appearance on the All-MIAA second team. Nguyen made eight field goals in 2015 along with 29 extra points making him accountable for 53 points scored. He was honored as the Special Teams Player of the Week by the MIAA in the second week of the season after making three field goals including the game-winning field goal on the road at Millikin.
The Hornets ended their season this past Saturday against Hope, earning their second consecutive win in the Wooden Shoes Rivalry.