University of Richmond Athletics
Edwards, Gund Highlight Richmond?s All-CAA Honorees
UNIVERSITY OF RICHMOND, Va. – Fresh off a convincing, 31-20 Capital Cup victory over No. 19/20-ranked William & Mary this Saturday, 11 Richmond Spider football players earned All-CAA honors, the league office announced Tuesday.
WR Ben Edwards and OL Austin Gund were named First-Team All-CAA, while WR Stephen Barnette, DL Evan Kelly, RB Seth Fisher and PK Brandon Jordi were named to the second team. Earning All-CAA Third-Team honors were QB Michael Strauss, DB Wayne Pettus, DL Kerry Wynn, LB Eric Wright and LB Aaron Roane.
Despite missing all or part of six games this year, Edwards was named First-Team All-CAA for the second-straight season. The Yorktown, Va., native had 74 receptions for 704 yards and five touchdowns, ranking second in the CAA in catches despite all the missed time. Edwards leaves Richmond as one of the most prolific receivers in program history, ranking second in career receptions (208) and sixth in career receiving yards (2,197).
After helping the Richmond offense set every school passing record this year, Gund earned First-Team All-CAA honors for the first time in his career. The Washington, D.C. product is a two-time captain for the Spiders, starting all 28 games in which he has appeared, including 23 straight.
Barnette proved himself to be one of the most dynamic wide receivers in the nation in 2013, earning Second-Team All-CAA accolades. Barnette was terrific for the Spiders, leading the CAA in both receptions (76) and setting a school-record with his league-leading 1,189 receiving yards.
Also earning All-CAA Second-Team honors was Fisher, who came on strong late in the season, totaling 442 yards on 90 carries to go with six total scores. Fisher was outstanding against W&M, being named the Capital Cup MVP after rushing for a career-high 135 yards and two touchdowns in the win.
Kelly was named all-league second-team for the second-straight season after totaling 47 tackles, 9.0 tackles for loss, 6.0 sacks and one forced fumble. Kelly tied for ninth in the CAA in sacks this year and ranked 14th among defensive lineman in tackles.
After joining the team in the spring, Jordi was named Second-Team All-CAA in his first year as Richmond’s kicker. Jordi led the league and set a school record with his 18 made field goals this year, while his 82 points were second-best in the CAA among kickers.
After leading the CAA in almost every passing category this season, Strauss was named to the All-CAA Third-Team. Strauss completed 333-of-509 (65.4) passes for a league-leading 3,808 yards and 26 touchdowns – all Richmond school records. The junior ranked second in the nation in completions and fourth in passing yards this year.
A pair of senior defensive standouts, Wynn and Pettus, both earned their first all-league accolades, being named to the All-CAA Third-Team. Wynn led all defensive linemen in tackles per game, totaling 56 stops, 5.5 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks on the year. Pettus lead the league in interceptions with five and also tallied 12 passes defended, two forced fumbles and two blocked kicks.
Rounding out Richmond’s all-league honorees was a pair of linebackers – Wright and Roane. Wright earned All-CAA Third-Team for the second-straight season after totaling 83 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss, 3.0 sacks and one interception. Roane had 67 stops on the year with 7.0 tackles for loss, 2.0 sacks four pass breakups and a forced fumble.
The three all-conference teams were voted on by CAA Football’s head coaches and awarded following a year that saw nine of the league’s 11 teams ranked in both national polls at some point during the season.
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