Wheeling, W. Va. - The Mountain East Conference (MEC) released their All-MEC Football teams on Monday, with eight Wheeling University Football players making the list. After revealing the three Second Team All-MEC honorees at 5 PM, which you can read by clicking HERE, five more Cardinals made the list as Honorable Mention All-MEC players. Running Back Elijah Young, Wide Receiver Quron Winder, Offensive Lineman Zay Lewis, Linebacker J.R. Atkinson, and Defensive Back Aaron Davis each earned honors for their work this season.
The first Honorable Mention All-MEC honoree was Elijah Young, who takes home his first All-MEC award of his career. After splitting time with former Cardinal Sy Alli IV last season, Young took over as the primary back for Head Coach Zac Bruney's team during the 2023 season. The senior led the Cardinals with 109 carries for 407 yards and six touchdowns during the year while averaging 40.20 yards per carry. The Cardinals spread out the running game throughout the season, but Young was the leader in the room for the team. He set a new career-high with six rushing touchdowns and scored multiple touchdowns in two games this season. On top of that, the senior was able to pull in 15 catches for 179 yards on the season as he prove to be a dual threat for the Cardinals.
Quron Winder also took home the first All-MEC honor of his career as he led the Cardinal's wide receiving corps as an Honorable Mention All-MEC honoree. Winder pulled in 27 catches for 551 yards and three touchdowns in his first season in a Cardinal uniform. The Graduate Transfer tied for the team lead with three touchdowns this year and saved his best performance for the final week against West Liberty. In that game, he pulled in a team-high five catches for 112 yards. It was a season-high in receiving yards for any Cardinal receiver, and tied his season high for receptions. Winder was a reliable target for the Cardinals this season and rounded out what has been a strong collegiate career.
The final offensive player who earned Honorable Mention All-MEC honors was offensive lineman Zay Lewis who, like four of the five honorees, was also taking home his first All-MEC honor. The graduate student has been a veteran of the offensive line for the Cardinals, and once again started all 11 games for the Cardinals in 2023. Lewis played an integral part in both the run game and the pass game as the team had just one game where they allowed more than one sack this season. Lewis also helped captain the seventh highest rushing attack in the conference this past season and was able to be a key contributor for the team during his final year of eligibility.
On the defensive side, the Cardinals had two honorees with linebacker J.R. Atkinson leading the way at linebacker. Atkinson earned All-MEC honors for the second time in his career and the first time since the 2020 COVID-shortened season. The redshirt senior finished second on the team with 46.0 total tackles, 28 solo and 18 assisted, to go along with 2.0 tackles for loss. However, he excelled in the passing game, finishing the year with four pass breakups and two interceptions. He picked up a season-high 8.0 tackles against Fairmont State, where he had 5 solo and three assisted tackles to go along with two of his four pass breakups.
The final honoree for the Cardinals was Defensive Back Aaron Davis, who earned his first All-MEC honor as an Honorable Mention. The sophomore was not only one of the top defensive backs in the conference, but across the country as well. He led all of NCAA Division II with 21 pass break-ups on the season and was tied for 19th in the country with four interceptions. Davis also picked up 42.0 total tackles to finish third on the team, with 32 solo and 10 assisted tackles. Davis led the MEC in passes defended (25), pass break-ups (21), and interceptions (4) as he rounded out a strong sophomore season.
For a complete list of All-MEC honorees, click HERE. The Wheeling University Football team now heads into the off-season as they prepare for the 2024 season.
