Muirhead and Van Alstyne Receive Player of the Awards at ECAC Football Awards Dinner
Framingham, Mass. – Senior defensive lineman James Muirhead (Middleboro, Mass.) and junior running back Melikke Van Alstyne (Salem, Mass.) received their 2012 Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Player of the Year awards on Thursday night Feburary 21st at the ECAC's Annual Football Awards Banquet that was held at Met Life Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J.
Muirhead was named the Division III North Defensive Player of the Year, while Van Alstyne Division III North Offensive Player of the Year. They received their awards along with the award winners from the other regions and divisions within the ECAC at the Stadium that is home to next year's NFL Super Bowl.
Muirhead and Van Alstyne are the Rams first ECAC Players of the Year since wide receiver Rodd Patten earned the award in 1993.
Muirhead earned several awards this year as he was previously tabbed as the New England Football Writers (NEFW) Season Gold Helmet Award winner, an NEFW All-New England selection, a D3football.com First Team All-East Region selection, the NEFC Bogan Division Defensive Player of the Year and a first team All-Bogan Division selection. Muirhead led the NEFC with 10.5 sacks on the season and is the FSU career leader in sacks and tackles for a loss. He recorded multiple sacks three times this season and led the Rams with 83 tackles, 59 solo stops, and 23.0 for a loss. Muirhead had an interception and five forced fumbles with one recovery. For his career, Muirhead holds school records with 27.5 sacks, 55.5 tackles for a loss and 149 solo stops.
Van Alstyne, who was named to the ECAC All-Star team as a sophomore, had a record breaking season and has garnered multiple honors. The junior earned 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 and first team All-East Region by D3football.com. 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.