CLEVELAND, Ohio (Dec. 2) – First-year quarterback
Tyler Green and senior kicker/punter
Daniel Cunningham earned major awards from the North Coast Athletic Conference on Monday to highlight Denison's representation on the 2024 all-conference teams and award winners.
Green became Denison's first-ever football player to secure NCAC Newcomer of the Year honors. Cunningham is also the first Denison recipient of the NCAC's Special Teams Player of the Year award since its inception in 2016.
Four members of the Big Red earned All-NCAC First Team honors. That included senior defensive lineman
Michael Ballenger, senior defensive back
Collin Murphy, senior return specialist
Jaylin Epps and Cunningham for his work as a kicker.
Senior wide receiver
Tommy Asleson secured a spot on the Second Team. Joining him were on Second Team were Epps (defensive back) and Cunningham (punter). Third Team honors went to Green, senior running back
Trey Fabrocini, senior wide receiver
Billy Guzzo, junior center
Canyon Schneider, sophomore offensive lineman
Brady Moffitt and sophomore linebacker
Nick Pellicciotta.
Green was named the NCAC's Newcomer of the Year as the top player in the league in his first year of collegiate competition in the sport of football. The third-team All-NCAC selection wasted little time making a name for himself on the gridiron this fall as the Big Red's signal caller. The rookie ranked in the top three in the NCAC in nearly every passing category during the regular season. Green threw for the longest touchdown this season in the NCAC, an 86-yard pass at Wooster on Oct. 12. The rookie ranked second in the NCAC in completed pass attempts (174-of-261), yards (2,228), passing yards per game (222.8), and touchdowns (22) this season, while also compiling the third best passing efficiency (161.6). Green tossed two or more TD passes on seven different occasions during the regular season, which included three or more touchdowns in four different league matchups with a career-high five against Oberlin on Nov. 9. His 364 yards passing at Wabash on Nov. 2 were a season high.
Cunningham is the first Denison recipient of the NCAC's Special Teams Player of the Year award since its inception in 2016. Cunningham collects both his second and third all-conference certificates this season, after claiming a spot on the top team as a kicker and a second-team selection as a punter this season, after collecting third-team laurels as a kicker in 2022. The senior was tabbed the league's top special-teams athlete after converting all seven of his field goal attempts, going 38-for-41 in point after attempts and recording 59 points for the Big Red this season. Cunningham ended the season tied at the top for the longest field goal after nailing a 48-yarder at Wooster on Oct. 12, just three yards shy of his career best. The senior recorded three seasons with at least five field goals made, ending his collegiate career going 18-for-25 on field goals. Cunningham missed just seven extra points in his career, totaling 132 makes overall.
Nearly half of his kickoffs resulted in touchbacks (28 of 57). He averaged 61.9 yards per kickoff. He also made his mark as a punter. Cunningham averaged 40.8 yards per punt. He placed an NCAC-best 15 punts inside the 20 while 13 of his attempts resulted in fair catches. Two of Cunningham's punts traveled 50+ which included his season long boot of 60 yards in a win versus Kenyon.
On his way to earning All-NCAC First team honors, Ballenger wrapped up his collegiate career by leading the team in sacks (7.5) and ranking second on the squad in tackles for loss (10). Ballenger tallied 46 tackles to rank third on the Big Red. He saved his best effort of the season for the season finale when he registered three sacks, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery in a win over Ohio Wesleyan. Ballenger recorded at least 1.5 tackles for loss in each of the last four games. He totaled a season-high 10 tackles against eventual conference champion DePauw. This is the second All-NCAC honor for Ballenger.
Epps continued to shine in his work as a multi-dimensional playmaker. The senior put a stamp on his final season with the Big Red as one of the top return specialists in the country. Epps ranked sixth in kick return average (30.9 per return) and finished as one of just eight players to return multiple kickoffs for touchdowns in 2024. Now a four-time honoree for his work as a return specialist, Epps returned kicks for scores in back-to-back games in 2024 – a 94-yard run back in a win at Wooster on Oct. 12 and a 97-yard return against NCAC champion DePauw on Oct. 19. Epps averaged 14.0 yards per punt return to rank 11th in NCAA Division III. Defensively, Epps produced a team-high 10 pass breakups, a fumble recovery and 27 total tackles. For his career, Epps totaled five return touchdowns (three kickoff, two punts). Epps was listed on the First Team for his special teams work while earning Second team laurels for his time at defensive back.
Murphy put together a sterling senior season to earn All-NCAC First Team honors. Murphy provided a playmaking presence in the defensive secondary. Murphy intercepted a team-high four passes and finished with eight pass breakups. Murphy tallied 45 total tackles, added a forced fumble and blocked a kick. Murphy earned D3football.com Team of the Week twice during the season. The Sudbury, Mass. native earned the honors following conference wins over Hiram and Ohio Wesleyan. He accounted for a pair of turnovers in each of those victories. This is the second-straight All-NCAC honor for Murphy, who picked up Third Team last season.
Asleson emerged as a top target and earned Second Team honors. The senior wide receiver logged team highs in receiving yards (729) and touchdown receptions (9) during the 2024 campaign. Asleson ranked fourth in the NCAC in receiving yards. His 86-yard touchdown reception in the road win over Wooster matched the longest reception in the NCAC this fall. Asleson recorded three 100-yard receiving games including his 191-yard effort against the Fighting Scots. Asleson had four games with multiple touchdown receptions including against ranked opponents Alma (Sept. 14) and DePauw (Oct. 19). This is the first All-NCAC honor for Asleson.
Fabrocini became a four-time All-NCAC honoree. The senior finished the season with 979 rushing yards and 10 total touchdowns. Fabrocini will go down as one of the top offensive players in program history. Fabrocini finished his career with 4,475 rushing yards and 59 rushing touchdowns, both Denison program records. During a senior day win over Oberlin, Fabrocini surpassed Chris Spriggs as Denison's all-time leading rusher. Spriggs previous total of 4,248 yards had stood since 1986.
Guzzo finished his final campaign with the Big Red with 528 receiving yards and five receiving touchdowns. He had three 100-yard receiving games and matched his season high with six catches versus Alma, Wabash and Ohio Wesleyan. Guzzo had a season-best 156 receiving yards against Wabash on Nov. 2.
Schneider and Moffitt both claimed spots on the Third Team for their play and leadership on the offensive line. The duo was tasked with keeping the first-year QB Green clean throughout the season. Denison ranked second in the NCAC in third down conversion rate (45.3 percent). This marks the first All-NCAC honors for both Schneider and Moffitt.
Despite missing the final two games with injury, Pellicciotta finished as one of Denison's top tacklers in 2024. Pellicciotta totaled 47 total tackles with a lot of that heavy lifting coming during a four-game span. The sophomore finished with double-digit tackles in three-straight weeks. Pellicciotta racked up 10 tackles in a win at Wittenberg before following that up with a 13-tackle performance in a win at Wooster the following week. Pellicciotta recorded a career-high 14 tackles in a loss to NCAC champion DePauw on Oct. 19.
2024 All-NCAC – Denison University
AWARD WINNERS
Newcomer of the Year
QB
Tyler Green Denison Fr. Concord, N.C./Cannon
Special Teams Player of the Year
K/P
Daniel Cunningham Denison Sr. Lexington, Va./Rockbridge County
FIRST TEAM
DL
Michael Ballenger Denison Sr. Upper Arlington, Ohio/Upper Arlington
DB
Collin Murphy Denison Sr. Sudbury, Mass./Lincoln-Sudbury Regional
RS
Jaylin Epps Denison Sr. Cordele, Ga./Crisp County
K
Daniel Cunningham Denison Sr. Lexington, Va./Rockbridge County
SECOND TEAM
WR
Tommy Asleson Denison Sr. LaGrange, Ill./Lyons Township
DB
Jaylin Epps Denison Sr. Cordele, Ga./Crisp County
P
Daniel Cunningham Denison Sr. Lexington, Va./Rockbridge County
THIRD TEAM
QB
Tyler Green Denison Fr. Concord, N.C./Cannon
RB
Trey Fabrocini Denison Sr. Lancaster, Ohio/Fisher Catholic
WR
Billy Guzzo Denison Sr. Mayfield, Ohio/Mayfield
C
Canyon Schneider Denison Jr. West Jefferson, Ohio/West Jefferson
OL
Brady Moffitt Denison So. Evanston, Ill./Loyola Academy
OLB
Nick Pellicciotta Denison So. Malvern, Pa./Great Valley
