Van Alstyne Honored by Gridiron Club of Greater Boston with Joe Zabilski Award
Framingham, Mass. – Framingham State University junior running back Melikke Van Alstyne (Salem, Mass.) has been honored by the Gridiron Club of Greater Boston with a share of the 2012 Joseph P. Zabilski Award. Van Alstyne shares the 2012 offensive award with Middlebury quarterback McCallum Foote. Van Alstyne will be honored with the other award recipients on January 10th at the Gridiron Club Awards Dinner.
Van Alstyne is the second Ram to be honored by the Gridiron Club of Greater Boston with the Joe Zabilski Award as receiver James McCarthy garnered the award in 2010. The Award is named in honor of Joe Zabilski coach of Northeastern University and former Gridiron Club president and is presented to New England's best collegiate players on offense and defense in Divisions II and III.
Van Alstyne had a record breaking junior season and has garnered multiple honors including his first D3football All-America nod as a third team selection. He was also named the ECAC Division III North Offensive Player of the Year as well as earning the prestigious Gold Helmet Award for his performance on November 17th in the NCAA Tournament. Van Alstyne received back-to-back NEFC Bogan Division Offensive Player of the Year honors, first team All-Bogan Division accolades as well as back-to-back selections as All-New England by the New England Football Writers (NEFW), first team All-East Region by D3football.com and selection to the ECAC Division III North All-Star squad.
Van Alstyne led the NEFC in rushing averaging 149.2 yards on the ground per game. One of the nation's leading rushers, Van Alstyne amassed 1,790 yards on 311 carries (both new single season FSU records) with 18 scores, while also making 19 receptions for 301 yards and a touchdown. Van Alstyne, who went over the 4,000 rushing yard mark for his career, continued to leave his mark on the FSU record book during his junior season as he established a new single game rushing record with 294 yards on the ground in a win over Westfield State and set new FSU career touchdowns and career points records.
The 2012 Rams captured the NEFC Conference Championship with a victory over Salve Regina in the league's final championship game and battled Cortland State in the opening round of the NCAA Division III Football Championship. The Rams were narrowly defeated, 20-19, and finished with a school best 10-2 record.