Spadola, Lum, Liebler garner Sports Network All-America honors
12/19/2011 5:06:00 PM | Football
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Junior Ryan Spadola picked up his third first team All-America nod of the postseason as he was one of three Lehigh football student-athletes named to the Sports Network/Fathead.com FCS All-America teams, announced Monday. Spadola was joined on the All-America teams by senior quarterback Chris Lum and senior center Jim Liebler.
The Sports Network/Fathead.com FCS All-America teams were selected by a national panel of sports information directors, broadcasters, writers and other dignitaries. The awards are based entirely on regular season performance.
Spadola appears on the first team after earning third-team All-America honors from the Sports Network last season. Lum will be on either the first team or the second team depending on the results of the voting for the Walter Payton Award, which will be handed out January 6 in Frisco, Texas. Lum and Eastern Washington quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell are both finalists for the award. The leading vote-getter between the two will be the first-team quarterback while the other signal caller will be on the second team. Liebler was named to the third team.After being recognized by both the AFCA and the Associated Press, Spadola was lauded by the Sports Network voters for his record-breaking season. Spadola's 1,614 receiving yards were the eighth-highest total in FCS history and were both a Lehigh and Patriot League single-season record. He also set school and league marks with 96 receptions and added 11 touchdowns, including three in a September win at Princeton. The Howell, N.J. native had nine 100-yard receiving games in 2011 including a pair of 200-yard games and also caught ten or more passes on four occasions.
Lum put together a statistical season worthy of his Walter Payton Award consideration. The Patriot League's Offensive Player of the Year, Lum engineered one of the nation's top passing attacks, completing 66 percent of his passes (358-of-543) for 4,378 and 32 touchdowns. Lum set a school record with his 32 touchdown passes and established new Lehigh and Patriot League single-season records for completions and passing yards. The Lake Orion, Mich. native opened his senior season by eclipsing the 300 yard passing mark in each of his first seven games, including a 401-yard, six touchdown pass performance against New Hampshire and a career-best 413 yard effort in a win at Fordham. Lum was selected as a second team AP All-American last week.
Liebler earns the first All-America honor of his career and becomes the second member of Lehigh's offensive line to earn third-team All-America honors in as many weeks, joining left tackle Troy McKenna who was recognized by the AP last week. A three-year starter in the middle of Lehigh's offensive line, Liebler started 12 of the Mountain Hawks' 13 games this season, and was a leader on a line that paved the way for Lehigh's offense that averaged close to 470 yards and 32.5 points per game. A native of Miami, Liebler joined Spadola and Lum as three of Lehigh's 11 first team All-Patriot League selections.The Mountain Hawks' three All-Americans mark the fifth time since 1988 that Lehigh had at least three players honored by the Sports Network.
Lehigh won its tenth Patriot League Championship in 2011 and advanced to the FCS quarterfinals for the first time since 2001.
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