Benning and Cohen named ECAC All-Stars
12/16/2009 12:00:00 AM | Football
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BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Senior captains BJ Benning and Matt Cohen were named 2009 ECAC Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) All-Stars on Wednesday. The pair of First Team All-Patriot League selections are Lehigh’s first ECAC All-Stars since 2004. It also marks the 13th time since 1989 in which Lehigh has placed at least two players on the ECAC All-Star Team.
Benning ranked second in the Patriot League this season with 7.5 sacks and eighth in the league with 9.0 tackles-for-loss. The Maryland native earned his second consecutive First Team All-League nod after finishing the season with 47 total tackles and one fumble recovery. Benning posted a career-best 12 tackles versus Central Connecticut State and had at least one sack in six games in 2009. For his career Benning totaled 111 tackles, including 17.5-for-loss and 14.5 sacks.
Earlier this week Cohen earned a spot on the Walter Camp All-America Team becoming the first First Team All-America at Lehigh since 2004. A native of Allentown, Cohen led the Patriot League in sacks (9.0) and tackles-for-loss (13.5) marking the second consecutive season he has accomplished that feat.
The 2009 Patriot League Defensive Player of the Year, Cohen was the first Mountain Hawk to win a major award from the Patriot League since Jason Leo in 2006 and the first Lehigh player to earn the Defensive Player of the Year honor since Abdul Byron in 2001. He garnered Patriot League Defensive Player of the Week honors on October 12 following his performance in Lehigh’s win over league rival Georgetown where he totaled six tackles, including four-for-loss and three sacks. Cohen finished this season with 63 total tackles, including a season-best ten versus Central Connecticut State in the opener, and he registered two or more sacks in three games.
Cohen wrapped up his Lehigh career with 177 total tackles, 18.5 sacks and 44 tackles-for-loss. He was a Second-Team All-League pick in 2007 and a First-Team selection each of the last two seasons.
