SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (November 20, 2023) – The Western New England football team took 12 spots on the Commonwealth Coast Conference All-Conference list, while Jason Shumilla was honored with the Hal Chalmers Scholar Athlete of the Year award. The conference awards are split between offense, defense, and special teams, with each section taking first and second team selections.

All-CCC Offense First Team
Offensively, six Golden Bears were named to the All-CCC offense team, four on the first team and two on the second team. Junior Tyler Borwhat was named to the All-CCC First Team after totaling 24 catches on the season, totaling four touchdowns, and 405 yards on the season. Borwhat helped Western New England defeat St. Lawrence University in their third game of the season, collecting a season-high six catches for 83 yards while scoring two touchdowns in the win. The Glenville, New York, native quickly became one of WNE's top wide receivers in his first full season in blue and gold. Borwhat earns his first All-CCC nod.

The Western New England offensive line picked up three All-CCC spots as Zachary Smith, Jacob Dauphinee, and Nick Barrett all picked up All-CCC accolades. The Western New England offensive line allowed just seven sacks on the season, while opponents recorded 29.5 tackles for loss compared to Western New England's 74 tackles for loss. Smith, Dauphinee, and Barrett helped Western New England break a single-game rushing record in a win over Nichols College, where the Golden Bears offense ran for 590 yards on the day for a new program record. The three were subsequently named to the D3football.com Team of the Week as an offensive line for their work to help Western New England break the single-game rushing record in their program's history. The three linemen pick up their first All-CCC award in their careers.

All-CCC Offense Second Team

Western New England saw Dillon Kohl earn his second straight All-CCC recognition after leading the Golden Bears in the run game this season. Kohl ran 110 times during the regular season, netting 623 yards on the ground while running into the end zone 11 times for the blue and gold. Kohl's recorded six games of over 70 rushing yards, including an eight-carry, 104-yard outburst in the record-setting win over Nichols College. Kohl scored seven touchdowns in his final three regular-season games, totaling 245 yards in that span. The Southington, Connecticut, native also caught six passes during the season.

Junior Ryan Larson earns his first All-CCC nod after being named to the all-purpose position on the All-CCC second team. Larson has been instrumental in kickoff returns for WNE while also snatching 23 passes this season for 285 yards and collecting four touchdowns during the regular season. Larson recorded four kick returns this season, returning the ball 94 yards while also making ten punt returns for 100 yards. The Cumberland, Rhode Island, native also rushed the ball 12 times this season for 92 yards while throwing an eight-yard touchdown pass in the team's CCC opener against Endicott College.

All-CCC Defense First Team

The Western New England defense also earned six spots on the All-CCC list, with four first-teamers and two second-teamers. Senior captain Joe Shea was named to the defensive line All-CCC first team, picking up his second All-CCC recognition of his career. Shea recorded 56 tackles for the Golden Bears this season, including 22 solo tackles and 34 assisted tackles. The senior led Western New England through the regular season with 11.5 tackle for loss for a loss of 36 yards while recording three total sacks on the season. Shea got to the quarterback three times, recording three QB hits and forcing one fumble on the season.

Jake Chiasson has been the anchor of the Western New England defense all season long, recording a team-high 106 tackles during the regular season, becoming the first Golden Bear since 2019 to account for over 100 tackles during the season. Chiasson notched 39 solo tackles and 67 assisted tackles on the year, totaling 11 tackles for loss for a loss of 40 yards. The Chelmsford, Massachusetts, native led WNE with 4.5 sacks on the season, recording an interception, three breakup passes, two quarterback hits, and one forced fumble during the regular season. Chaisson earns back-to-back All-CCC recognition at the linebacker position.

Brandon Myers has recorded nine solo tackles and 39 assisted tackles this season, good for 48 total tackles on the season, earning the junior All-CCC first team at the linebacker position. Myers recorded six tackles for loss during the regular season while forcing and recovering a fumble. Myers had a career game in a win on home field against St. Lawrence University, recording six tackles while grabbing 0.5 tackle for loss while getting to the quarterback three times for three QB hits.

Defensive Back Omari Lewis recorded 28 solo tackles during the season, third most on WNE and tops amongst defensive backs this season. Lewis recorded 10 pass breakups during the season, a career high and team best, while grabbing an interception on the season. The junior recorded two tackles while hauling in his one interception and notched four breakup passes in the win over Nichols College in CCC play this season.

All-CCC Defense Second Team

Joe McNamara earned his first All-CCC honors this season after helping the WNE defensive line record 17 total sacks this season. The senior recorded 17 total tackles this season while taking opponents behind the line of scrimmage 2.5 times this season for 11 yards lost. McNamara recorded a season-best six tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss in a win over Husson University.

Jason Shumilla, who was also awarded the Hal Chalmers Scholar-Athlete of the Year, earned a spot on the All-CCC Second Team. Shumilla recorded 31 solo tackles during the regular season, second best for Western New England, while totaling 55 total tackles this season. Shumilla grabbed 3.5 tackles for loss while recording two interceptions for a 32-yard gain while grabbing seven pass breakups and blocking one punt in the win over Husson University.

All-CCC Special Teams Second Team

Senior kicker Andrew Havens picked up his first All-CCC team honors, being named to the All-CCC special teams second team. Havens recorded three field goals this season for Western New England while recording 27 punts on the year. Havens averaged just over 37 yards per punt, with a long of 59 yards at Endicott. Havens notched two touchbacks, ten fair catches, four punts inside the 20-yard line, and three boots over 50 yards. Havens also recorded 57 kickoffs during the regular season, totaling 3,283 yards, averaging over 57 yards per kick.

All-purpose senior Nick Ciaglia was named to the All-CCC second team as a specialist for the first time after helping the Golden Bears as the long snapper while also helping WNE in the special team's game. Ciagli recorded ten tackles during the season—five solo tackles and five assisted tackles.
 
The Western New England football team recorded a 7-3 record during the regular season, winning their final four games of the season while notching a 4-1 CCC record during the season. WNE competed in the New England Bowl last Saturday afternoon, taking down UMass-Dartmouth 37-7. Jake Chiasson was named Bowl Game MVP in the win.