ITHACA, N.Y. – The Ithaca College football team, 2013 Empire 8 Champions, totaled 11 player honors as well as the Coaching Staff of the Year Award when the 2013 Empire 8 All-Conference Teams and awards were announced Nov. 26. The Bombers placed six players as all-conference first-team selections.

Ithaca won the conference championship and returned to the NCAA Division IIII Championship tournament for the first time since 2008. The Bombers were 8-2 in the regular season and currently have a 9-2 overall record. Ithaca will travel to Wesley for an NCAA Tournament second-round game Saturday at noon.

This is the third time that Mike Welch has been honored as Empire 8 Coach of the Year, after also claiming that distinction in the 2003 and 2008 seasons. Welch earned his 150th career coaching victory during the 2013 season with a 25-22 win over St. John Fisher on Oct. 26. The Coaching Staff of the Year also includes Dan Elberty (JV head coach/running backs), Greg Hadley (linebackers), Ryan Heasley (offensive coordinator/offensive line), Mark McDonough (defensive coordinator/linebackers), Jack Mrozinski (defensive backs/special teams), Tyler Noll (wide receivers), Jim O'Neill (quarterbacks), Alex Peffley (wide receivers/offensive line), Joe Volpe (tight ends/fullbacks) and student assistant coaches Matt Costello, Ben Mendelson and Mark Panarelli.

Special-teams standouts Sam Carney at kick returner and Garrett Nicholson at place-kicker earned All-Empire 8 First Team honors for the second year in a row, after both were honored in their respective positions in 2012. Carney led all Empire 8 players in both punt and kickoff return yardage. Carney stands seventh nationally in punt return average at 16.3 yards per return. He averages 27.9 yards per kickoff returns, which ranks 20th in the NCAA. Nicholson has converted 10-of-11 field-goal attempts and 22-of-25 extra-point attempts. He ranks 16th nationally in field-goal percentage and 31st in field goals per game.

First-team selections on offense were tight end Jared Prugar and offensive tackle Pat Stephenson. It is the second-career All-Empire 8 honor for both players.  Prugar leads Ithaca and all Empire 8 tight ends with 42 receptions for 748 yards and averages 68 receiving yards per game. He earned honorable mention in 2012. Stephenson anchors an Ithaca offensive line that has helped the Bombers rank in the top-10 nationally in time of possession, as Ithaca has held the ball for an average of almost 34 minutes per game despite using two quarterbacks and three featured running backs this season.

On defense, team captains and linebackers Will Carter and Jake Santora each earned first-team selections. It is the second all-conference honor for Carter, after he was a second team pick in 2010. Carter leads Ithaca with 92 tackles on the year including 8.5 tackles for loss and six sacks. He also has one forced fumble and one interception. Santora earned his first career all-conference selection after making 86 tackles in just eight games played. He leads Ithaca with 11.5 tackles for loss and has two sacks and an interception. Ithaca ranks in the top 30 in the NCAA in both rushing defense and scoring defense.

Offensive guard Andrew Benvenuto, a junior, earned all-conference recognition on the All-Empire 8 Second Team, helping the Bombers up front for a unit that has led Ithaca's balanced offense that ranks in the top-10 in the country in time of possession. It is the first all-conference selection for the three-year starter.

Two Bomber defensive players were named to the Second Team. Defensive tackle Joe Ricotta has 5.5 tackles for loss and two sacks among his 29 total tackles on the season as part of an Ithaca defense that is nationally-ranked in rushing defense. Ricotta earned all-conference honorable mention in 2012. Safety Skylar Griffenberg ranks fifth on the Bombers with 52 tackles. He has two tackles for loss and seven pass break-ups. He also has two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery and one blocked punt. It is the first-career all-conference award for Griffenberg.

Two Ithaca defenders earned all-conference honorable mention. It was the first-career all-conference nod for each player. Senior linebacker Brian Hardenberg ranks third on Ithaca with 71 tackles, and second on the team with 10.5 tackles for loss. He has three sacks, five pass break-ups, four fumble recoveries, a forced fumble and an interception. Senior cornerback Mike Vulcano shares the Ithaca team lead with four interceptions and has 39 tackles on the year. He has six pass break-ups and one forced fumble and one fumble recovery on the year.

Additionally, Prugar was named as Ithaca's representative on the Empire 8 Sportsman of the Year Team, which recognizes one player from each team for competing with honor and integrity.