History was made in December when Marc Jones became Gannon football’s first student-athlete named NCAA Division II Conference Commissioner’s Association (D2CCA) Football Offensive Player of the Year.
The honor came two days after he was named a finalist for the Harlon Hill Trophy awarded to the top NCAA Division II football student-athlete, another first in the school’s history. He was second in the program’s history to be named a conference player of the year and was named PSAC Western Division Offensive Player of the Year.
Jones was featured in Sports Illustrated’s “Faces in the Crowd” in October for his record-setting season. He set school records with 10 100-yard rushing performances and single-season records for rushing yards, rushing yards per carry, rushing touchdowns, all-purpose yards, points and touchdowns.
He broke PSAC single-game records for rushing yards and rushing touchdowns, and led all NCAA divisions in rushing yards per game. He ranks No. 1 in NCAA Division II Super Region One in all-purpose yards per game, rushing yards per carry, rushing touchdowns, rushing yards, rushing yards per game, total points and total touchdowns.
Gannon’s competitive cheer all-girl and co-ed teams received bids to the 2018 National Cheerleaders Association Collegiate Cheer Championships in Daytona Beach, Florida. Both Gannon teams have qualified for the national championships every year during their program’s existence.
The men’s cross country recorded its best NCAA Division II Atlantic Regional finish in program history in November. Sophomore Joseph Westrick earned all-region first-team honors with the best individual regional finish in program history while leading the team to a ninth-place finish out of 19 teams.
For the first time in its 45-year history, the Golden Knight Booster Club topped 1,000 members and raised a record-breaking $214,406 during the 2016-17 academic year.
Gannon Athletics launched the Gannon Sports Network in conjunction with the PSAC Sports Network. The network provides fans the opportunity to watch more than 60 home events during the fall and winter sports seasons free of charge on their computers, smartphones and tablets.
This article is reported as of December 1, 2017. For more updates on Gannon’s Golden Knights, visit gannonsports.com.