Fitchburg State Football Earns All-Academic Honors

Falcons name seven players to NEFC All-Academic team

FITCHBURG, Mass. (May 21, 2009) - The Fitchburg State football team named seven student-athletes to the 2008-2009 New England Football Conference (NEFC) All-Academic team as announced by conference officials on Wednesday afternoon.

TIM BEANE

Five seniors led the Fitchburg State accolades as Timothy Beane (Kingston, Mass./Silver Lake), Josh Francis (Ashburnham, Mass./Oakmont),  Zach Hertel-Therrien (Ashburnham, Mass./Oakmont), Daniel Marcum (Pelham, N.H./Pelham) and Kevin Soldani (Dudley, Mass./Shepherd Hill) collected a 3.0 or higher cumulative grade point average (GPA) needed to make the All-Academic team. Junior Will Cavalieri (West Warwick, R.I./West Warwick) and sophomore Taylor Santos (Bedford, Mass./Bedford) completed the Falcon honorees.

The trio of Beane, Francis and Hertel-Therrien were dominant for the Falcons defense this season, combining for 77 tackles (45 solo, 32 assists) and three sacks. This season, Beane led the Fitchburg State linebacker core, picking up 42 tackles in ten games played with five stops for a loss. Francis was also solid for the Falcons, registering 22 tackles in a limited, five-game season, while Hertel-Therrien tallied 13 stops over eight contests.

Marcum and Santos also aided the Fitchburg State defensive crew, seeing limited action throughout the season. Marcum notched four appearances at the defensive back position, picking up six tackles with three solo stops and three assists, while Santos saw action in eight games on the Falcons defense line.

Soldani earns his Academic honor after completing a four-year career on the Fitchburg State football squad. Although sidelined by injury this season, Soldani has appeared six career games while protecting the Falcons conference-leading offense on the line.

Fitchburg State concluded its solid 2008 campaign only one game shy of the NEFC Championship match. The Falcons finished with an overall record of 4-6, while posting a 4-3 mark in the NEFC.