SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (November 20, 2024) – The Western New England football team saw 11 of their own named to respective Conference of New England (CNE) All-Conference Teams, as announced by the head office on Thursday afternoon.

Senior De'Andre Harris was named to the All-Conference First Team at the wide receiver position for the Golden Bears this season. Harris led the Western New England receiving corps with 37 catches for 699 yards while catching seven touchdown passes. The 699 yards and seven touchdowns are a team-high this season as well as a career best for the Weymouth, Massachusetts native. Harris averaged just under 70 yards per game, playing in all ten games this year. Harris collected three games of over 100 yards receiving, including a seven-catch, 135-yard afternoon in conference play over Curry College in a victory for the Golden Bears. This is the second time Harris has been named to the All-CNE teams after picking up CNE honors on the Second Team during his sophomore season.

Senior offensive tackle Zachary Smith helped guide the Western New England offensive line this season, being named to the All-CNE First Team for the second straight season. Smith appeared in all ten games for WNE, making all ten starts. The Golden Bears' offensive line allowed the WNE offense to gain nearly 2,000 total yards on the ground while throwing for 2,727 yards on the season. The Golden Bears were tackled for a loss just 43 times this season.

Defensively, Western New England's leading tackler Jason Shumilla was named to the All-Conference First Team as a defensive back. Shumilla collected 66 total tackles on the season, 34 solos and 32 assisted tackles. The graduate student also picked up 5.5 tackles for loss on the year, putting opponents back ten yards while recording two interceptions, three pass breakups, and one fumble recovery. Shumilla played in all ten games for WNE. The 66 tackles and 5.5 tackles for loss were both career highs this season. This is the second straight season Shumilla has been named to the All-Conference teams after being named to the Second Team a season ago.

Offensive guard Eddie Cobos II joins Smith on the All-Conference team, being named to the All-CNE Second Team this season. Like Smith, Cobos played a big part in the successful offense for the Golden Bears that collected 2,000 yards of rushing while throwing for 2,727 yards on the season. Cobos is named to the All-Conference team for the first time in his career after playing in eight games for the Golden Bears this season, playing in and making starts in all five conference games on the year.

Senior quarterback Brady Lafferty lands on the All-Conference Second Team for the Golden Bears this season after breaking multiple single-season QB records in the program. Lafferty threw 187 completions on 314 attempts during the year, both single-season records in WNE football history. The senior also broke the single-season passing yards record with 2,471 on the year. That number ranks first in the Conference of New England and 30th overall out of 200 ranked in NCAA Division III. Lafferty tossed 26 touchdown passes for WNE, also a single-season career high. Lafferty tossed a career-high 29 completions on 49 attempts, throwing four touchdown passes and totaling 464 yards in a CNE game at Husson University, all career highs. Lafferty threw at least one touchdown pass in all ten games this season while throwing two or more in eight of those ten games.

Graduate student Ryan Carlson was named to the All-CNE Second Team as a running back after carrying the Golden Bears for over 800 yards on the ground this season, part of WNE's over 2,000 combined rushing yards on the season. Carlson rushed 161 times on the year for the Golden Bears, picking up 838 total yards while rushing home four touchdowns, tied for a career high. The graduate student also caught six passes for 48 total yards this season. Carlson, a native of Tolland, Connecticut, averaged just under 84 yards of rushing per game this season. He was sparked by three 100+ rushing yard outings, coming in three WNE wins over Salve Regina University, Curry College, and the University of New England, all on home field.

Defensive lineman Joe McNamara picks up All-Conference recognition on the Second Team this season after putting together multiple career highs on the defensive end of the football. McNamara played in all ten games for Western New England in the 2024 season, collecting a career-high 16 solo tackles, a career-high 19 assisted tackles, and a career-high 35 total tackles. Seven and a half of McNamara's 35 tackles on the season came for loss, forcing his opponents back 26 yards, a team-high. The Newport, Rhode Island native came away with one sack on the season, coming in a win over Salve Regina University. This is the second time McNamara earned honors from the CNE after also being named to the Second Team last season.

Fellow Rhode Island native Rogan Wotherspoon joins McNamara on the All-Conference Second Team at the defensive line position. Wotherspoon played in all ten games for Western New England football this season, making starts in all ten of those games. Wotherspoon recorded a career-high nine solo tackles as well as a career-high 19 assisted tackles, good for 28 total on the year. The WNE senior picked up five tackles for loss on his 28 total tackles for a loss of 22 total yards. The Wyoming, R.I. native picked up a career-high seven tackles in the season opener at Springfield College while collecting at least one tackle in nine of ten games this season.

WNE senior captain Thomas Gasbarro lands on the All-Conference Second Team as a linebacker this season, earning postseason conference honors for the first time in his career. Gasbarro collected 60 total tackles on the year, a career high, 26 coming as solo wrap-ups while accounting for 34 assisted tackles on the year. The Franklin, Massachusetts native came around with six tackles for loss on the season for a loss of ten yards in total. Gasbarro also had a career-high four interceptions this year, which led the team, while coming away with nine pass deflections, also a team best.

First-year DJ Gordon made a big splash for the Golden Bears this season, earning All-Conference honors as a defensive back. Gordon totaled 25 tackles for Western New England this season while coming away with two interceptions, a quarterback hit, and four pass breakups. Gordon recorded five tackles in each of his first two games with the Golden Bears while recording at least one tackle in eight of ten games on the year.

Senior Bryan Kane was named to the Conference of New England Community Service Team, becoming the first from WNE football to earn the award. The CNE Community Service Award highlights one student-athlete per institution who demonstrates a commitment to their community. Each winner was picked and nominated by each program's head coach.

The Western New England football team picked up a 6-4 record overall on the season, going 3-2 in CNE play.