Van Alstyne and Muirhead Named to D3football.com All-East Region Teams
Framingham, Mass. – Sophomore running back Melikke Van Alstyne (Salem, Mass.) and junior defensive tackle James Muirhead (Middleboro, Mass.) have been named to the D3football.com 2011 All-East Region Team. Van Alstyne has been named to the second team and Muirhead the third as a total of 78 players were chosen for the teams, selected in balloting by East Region Sports Information Directors and the D3football.com staff, from 251 nominations by Division III member schools.
Van Alstyne, who earns his first D3football.com honors, continues to rack up accolades this season after previously being named the New England Football Conference (NEFC) Bogan Division Offensive Player of the Year, first team NEFC All-Bogan Division and an All-New England Selection by the New England Football Writers. Muirhead also earns his first D3football.com honor in addition to being a first team NEFC Bogan Division selection.
In 2011 Van Alstyne led the NEFC in rushing, all-purpose yards and scoring. Van Alstyne finished the season ranked 6th in the nation in rushing, 5th in scoring, and 19th in all-purpose yards. Van Alstyne rushed for 1,579 yards on 293 carries with 21 rushing touchdowns averaging 143.5 yards per game on the ground. He has amassed 100 yards rushing in nine of the Rams 11 games and has gone over 200 yards twice. In 2011 Van Alstyne established a new FSU single season rushing mark and broke the FSU career rushing record as he now has 2,735 rushing yards in just two seasons.
Muirhead, a 2010 Bogan Division second team selection, finished the 2011 campaign third in the NEFC with 9.0 sacks on the year, which established a new Framingham State single season sack record and a new FSU career sack mark for Muirhead as he now has 17.0 sacks in his three seasons. He recorded 70 total tackles on the season (45 solo) and 16.0 tackles for a loss which gives him 32.5 tackles for a loss in his career which is another FSU record.
The Rams who finished the 2011 regular season 7-3 overall and 6-1 in the Bogan Division captured their first Bogan Division Title and their second straight Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) Title. The Rams were defeated by NEFC Boyd Division Champion Western New England Golden Bears in overtime in the NEFC Championship game to conclude the year 7-4.