Rob Sturgis, of Holden

NORTHFIELD, VT. – Norwich University head football coach Mark Murnyack and his staff honored a record-setting 2011 gridiron campaign at the program’s end-of-the-year awards banquet Feb. 4, with a senior offensive lineman Rob Sturgis of Holden receiving the Mike Yesalonia Most Valuable Player Award.

Among the many highlights celebrated by a large group inside Plumley Armory was the school’s second Eastern Collegiate Football Conference (ECFC) title and a first-ever berth in the NCAA Division III playoffs.  Murnyack also noted some strong final rankings on the NCAA Division III statistics charts including being among the top 10 in rushing (sixth – 303.73 ypg) and fewest sacks allowed (third - .45 pg).

Along with recognizing the successful 2011 squad with individual recognitions, Murnyack and his staff presented team awards. They were given to senior offensive lineman Jayson Brooks (Grafton, Mass.) (Most Improved); senior linebacker Joe Gumbrewicz (Oxford, Conn.) (Barry Mynter Award for Desire, Dedication and Commitment); senior place-kicker/punter Long Ding (Qing Dao, China) (Shawn McIntyre Special Teams Award); and senior offensive lineman Rob Sturgis (Holden, Mass.) (Mike Yesalonia Most Valuable Player Award).

A former Wachusett Mountaineer and Norwich University senior, Sturgis has received a series of accolades for his work on the football field.

The MVP award adds to the Holden native's title of ECFC Offensive Lineman of the Year, and his selection as one of two members of the record-setting 2011 football team recently named to the New England Football Writers’ Association’s Division II/III All-New England squad.

As starting center, Sturgis anchors an offensive line that blocks for a rushing offense ranking No. 6 in Division III, and leads ECFC in yards per game. Sturgis leads a front line unit that has surrendered only four sacks in 10 games ranking second in Division III for fewest allowed.

Additionally, Sturgis was named DIII All-East Region, Second Team Offense, essentially putting him among one of the top eight centers in the country.

His teammate, Ding, who ended the season ranked No. 19 in NCAA Division III in field goals per game (1.18), also gave the Maroon and Gold faithful something to cheer about over the weekend. He connected on four field goal attempts, three of which were over 40 yards long, in five tries for the South team during the Players’ All-Star Classic game in Little Rock, Arkansas Feb. 4.

It was the standout special teams’ player’s second postseason game appearance, as he was on the roster for the D3 All-Star Classic this past December, too.