FULL D2CCA ALL-SUPER REGION 1 TEAMS

WEST HAVEN, Conn. – Coming on the heels of All-New England honors earlier in the week, sophomore running back Christopher Ais (Stoughton, Mass./Stoughton) is adding yet another honor to his credit as one of three New Haven football players who were named All-New England by the Division II Conference Commissioner's Association (D2CCA).

Joining Ais in representing the Blue and Gold was offensive lineman William Ayers (East Meadow, N.Y./East Meadow) and linebacker David Onyemem (Dracut, Mass./Central Catholic), with all three earning spots on the Second Team for offense and defense, respectively. Overall, the trio of Chargers were a third on the nine total players representing the Northeast-10 Conference, tying Bentley for the most from league schools. In total, 50 players make up the two all-region teams from Super Region 1 which represents the PSAC, NE10, MEC and GMAC conferences.

Ais closed out his sophomore year with 1,105 net yards, averaging 5.8 per carry and 100.5 per game, while scoring seven touchdowns. His 1,105 yards is the fifth most in a single season in program history, while he will enter his third season at New Haven next year under 400 yards shy of making his way onto the all-time top-10 in school history.

His total rushing yards for the season not only led the Chargers and the Northeast-10, but was top-20 in the nation for all of NCAA Division II, while he was also top-20 with his 100.5 rushing yards per game and top-30 in yards per carry.

A versatile player who has seen time four OL positions throughout his career, Ayers was named First Team All-Northeast-10 after starting all 11 games at center for the Chargers. Overall, he helped lead New Haven to a conference best 4,188 total yards on offense, an average of 380.7 per game. From that total, the Chargers were second in the NE10 in rushing yards and passing yards, splitting that total offense to 1,881 rushing yards and 2,307 passing yards.

Onyemem led the Chargers defense to a top-25 finish in all of NCAA Division II in total defense, limiting opponents to 286.9 yards per game which was 24th best in the country. In addition, New Haven's defense saw a number of top-20 finishes on the year including fourth down conversion percentage (second, .133), first down defense (12th, 158), red zone defense (15th, .667) and scoring defense (16th, 16.3). In addition, the Chargers rushing defense finished the season 21st in the country at 89.7 yards per game allowed.

Individually, Onyemem closed out the season with 74 tackles, including 12 tackles for loss, tied for the most on the team. Among his 12 TFL was one sack which resulted in a 12 yard loss, while he added a pair of fumble recoveries and an interception. His returned his two fumble recoveries for 105 yards, while also forcing a pair of fumbles, breaking up four passes and pressuring the quarterback three times for hurries.

Sports Information Directors from NCAA Division II East Region schools and conferences selected the two CCA All-Region teams. The process concludes with All-American selections announced on December 15 prior to the NCAA Division II Championship in McKinney, Texas.

The Division II CCA encourages and promotes Division II athletics and high standards of sportsmanship as important elements of higher education. The CCA is a key communications link among the conferences as they discuss views, policies and regulations that impact Division II intercollegiate athletics and works closely with the NCAA as a communications channel to NCAA Division II member colleges and universities.