Eight members of the Muhlenberg football team earned spots on the D3football.com All-South Region team and/or the ECAC Division III South All-Star team.
On the D3football.com squad, senior cornerback John Feaster made the first team, senior offensive tackle Willie Britt, senior linebacker Mike Luby and senior kick returner Nick Lamb were named to the second team, and senior quarterback Nick Palladino and junior running back Nick Savant were third-team picks. The six picks are a program record for the D3football.com all-region team, doubling the previous high of three set in 2007 and 2008.
On the ECAC team, Feaster, Britt, Lamb, Palladino, Savant and senior offensive lineman Domenick Mattia received first-team recognition, while Luby and senior nose tackle Michael Hogan made the second team.
Feaster, a three-time All-Centennial Conference first-team selection, tied for the team lead with five interceptions to go along with 57 total tackles (tied for second on the team), seven pass breakups (first), two fumble recoveries (tied for first) and a pair of blocked punts (tied for first). Feaster finished his career in the top five in program history in both interceptions (15) and pass breakups (22).
Britt, who also made the All-CC first team three times, helped pave the way for a potent offense that set school records for yards (5,159) and points (441) in a season. He started all 44 Muhlenberg games in his career and holds the school record for starting in the most wins (34).
Luby led the Mules with 18 tackles for loss, nine sacks, 73 total tackles and three forced fumbles, adding five pass breakups. He finished his career with 23½ career sacks, one short of the school record.
Lamb averaged 33.1 yards on kickoff returns, good for third in Division III, scoring touchdowns on returns of 90 or more yards against both Susquehanna and Dickinson. He also caught a school-record 77 passes for 1,015 yards and 10 touchdowns, finishing as the Mules' all-time leading receiver with 195 catches in only three years.
Palladino, the CC player of the year, threw for 2,786 yards and a school-record 27 touchdowns. During the season, he became the CC's all-time leader in total offense yards (11,722), total offense touchdowns (113), passing touchdowns (89) and completions (885). Palladino also holds Muhlenberg's career records for passing yards (10,250), rushing yards by a quarterback (1,472), completion percentage (.662) and passing efficiency (147.43).
Savant had a breakout junior season, rushing for 1,589 yards - fourth in Division III - and 18 touchdowns. He averaged 7.0 yards per carry and 16.0 yards per reception, adding four receiving touchdowns to his total. Savant rushed for at least 100 yards in nine consecutive games, setting a school record with 277 against Juniata.
Mattia started the first three games at center and the next two at guard before moving back to center for the final six games. He helped Muhlenberg lead the CC in rushing yards per game (201.6) and rushing yards per carry (4.9).
Hogan anchored the defensive line, recording 38 tackles, including three for loss. He also served as a team co-captain. The Mules led the CC in rushing defense, total defense, scoring defense and pass efficiency defense.
Muhlenberg finished the 2016 season with a record of 9-2 and earned its 13th postseason bid in the last 17 years. The Mules were ranked 19th in Division III in the most recent American Football Coaches Association poll.