21 Football Players Garner All-UAA Selections

Nov. 21 - (ROCHESTER, N.Y.) Carnegie Mellon University football team had 21 players receive All- University Athletic Association (UAA) honors for the 2005 season, as announced late Monday, November 21 by the conference office. The Tartans had seven first team selections.

Sophomore fullback Travis Sivek (Traverse City, MI/St. Francis), who was last year's UAA Rookie of the Year, garnered First Team All-UAA honors. Joining Carnegie Mellon's fullback on the top team was junior defensive back Aaron Lewis (Englewood, OH/ Northmont), senior offensive guard Bryan LeBude (Mt. Laurel, N.J./Lenape), sophomore running back Robert Gimson (Palm Beach Gardens, Fla./The Benjamin School), senior defensive lineman Jared Wenger (Carlisle, PA/Carlisle), junior kicker Nathaniel Greenstein (Dobbs Ferry, N.Y./Dobbs Ferry), and sophomore punter Matthew Adams (Dublin, Ohio/Dublin Scioto).

Sivek earned the honor after finishing first in the league in rushing with 996 yards and in scoring with 9.6 ppg, including 16 touchdowns. The sophomore fullback broke the 100-yard barrier five times including a career-high 196 yards against Case Western Reserve. He also recorded five multi-touchdown games. Travis finished 2005 second on the single season rushing list at Carnegie Mellon and sixth on the all-time list with 1,741 yards.

Joining Sivek on the offensive first team was backfield partner Robert Gimson. Gimson rushed for 440 yards and rushed for four touchdowns. His 440 yards was fifth best in the UAA. Offensive lineman Bryan LeBude, who led the way for the two backs, joined then with first team accolades. The Tartans averaged 219.8 rushing yards per game, as the offensive line had only given up 13 sacks and led the team to a first place ranking in the UAA in rushing offense and sacks against. They were also ranked second in scoring offense and total yards.

Three other offensive linemen were recognized with Second Team All-UAA accolades. Senior offensive guard Christian Guirnalda (Union, NJ/Union), senior center Matt Zink (Wash Courthouse, Ohio/Miami Trace) and sophomore offensive tackle Jameson O'Donnell (Marianna, Pa./Pittsburgh Central Catholic), as well as junior wide receiver Jonathan Kline (Greensburg, PA/Greensburg Central Catholic). Kline had 30 receptions for 292 yards and two touchdowns.

On the defensive side of the ball, Lewis grabbed first team honors for the third straight year leading Carnegie Mellon and the UAA in tackles with 115 (61 solo). He also had six interceptions and recovered a fumble for the Tartans and ranked second in interceptions in the UAA. Lewis recorded double-digit tackles six times, including a career-high 22 in the November 12th game against #18 Thiel. Aaron was also named UAA Defensive Athlete of the Week four times during the 2005 season.

On the defensive line, Wenger earned first team accolades after recording 29 tackles, 4.5 for a loss and two sacks. Wenger was named to the second team in 2004.

Six other Tartan defensive players were named to the Second Team All-UAA: senior defensive lineman Mike Burnside (Noxen, PA/ Tunkhannock), senior inside linebacker Jamie Ploetzner (Rathdrum, ID/Lakeland), senior cornerback Adam Bowland (Oak Hill, WV/Oak Hill), junior defensive back Nat Scarmazzi (Canonsburg, PA/Canon McMillan), senior outside linebacker Tom Pfister (Springfield, Ohio/Tecumseh), and junior inside linebacker James Rogers (Battle Ground, Wash./Skyview).

Burnside had 16 tackles with 8.5 coming for a loss including a team-high 6.5 sacks. He also recorded three pass breakups and forced one fumble. Ploetzner was second on the team with 58 tackles for the second straight season. He recorded five tackles for a loss, and two sacks with two interceptions and two pass breakups. Bowland recorded 32 tackles and had two pass breakups. Scarmazzi was tied for third on the team with two interceptions and recorded 37 tackles for a team seventh best. Pfister ranked sixth on the Tartans with 40 tackles and tallied three pass breakups. Rogers had 53 stops on the year ranking him third on the team. He also recovered one fumble, had an interception and a tackle for a loss.

Greenstein, the Tartans kicker, was named First Team All-UAA marking his third consecutive year of making the All-UAA Team. He made the second team his freshman and sophomore years. He went 7-11 in field goals and 30-31 in extra points. He was second on the team in scoring with 51 total points. Greenstein kicked a career long 41-yard field goal in the win against Case Western Reserve.

Carnegie Mellon received yet another first team selection on Special Teams when punter Matthew Adams was honored. Adams had 15 punts inside the 20-yard line and an average of 39.4 yards per punt.

Sophomore running back Colby Whitman (Sarasota, Fla./Cardinal Mooney), senior linebackers Greg Klinefelter (Waynesburg, Pa./Waynesburg Central) and junior defensive back Jonathan Menhart (Rices Landing, Pa./Carmichaels) garnered Honorable Mention All-UAA status. Whitman also made the All-UAA Second Team for Special Teams as a returner.

This season, Carnegie Mellon finished 5-5 and in third place in the UAA. It was the 31st consecutive non-losing season for the Tartans, which coincides with the time Head Coach Rich Lackner has been a part of the football program. After playing linebacker from 1975-78, he stayed on as an assistant coach until 1986. Lackner then took over as head coach and has compiled a 138-59-2 record in 20 years at the helm.