GREENVILLE, Pa. (Nov. 15) – Eight members of the Saint Vincent College football team have earned All-Presidents' Athletic Conference accolades for the 2022 season.
 
Per a vote of the league's coaches, junior Molayo Irefin (Bowie, Md./Archbishop Spalding) earned First Team All-PAC accolades as both an all-purpose back and kick/punt returner; senior cornerback Ahmad Shaw (Fairfax, Va./Hayfield) was named Second Team All-PAC; and junior center Nathan Bettwy (Duncansville, Pa./Hollidaysburg), senior quarterback Brady Walker (Monroeville, Pa./Gateway), sophomore running back D.J. Gray Jr. (Beachwood, Ohio/Beachwood), sophomore linebacker Joanes Polynice (Winter Garden, Fla./West Orange), sophomore safety/linebacker Jaden Edmonds (Marietta, Ga./Sprayberry) and freshman safety Ethan Facey (Gambrills, Md./Arundel) all earned Honorable Mention All-PAC accolades.
 
Additionally, graduate student Kyle Coombe (Daleville, Va./Lord Boutetourt) was named to the PAC Sportsmanship Team.
 
Offensively, Irefin ranked second in the PAC in receptions (62) and touchdown receptions (8) and third in receiving yards (732). He made at least five catches in eight different games, while posting three 100-plus yard efforts, highlighted by a 5-catch, 146-yard, 2-touchdown performance in SVC's season finale win over Bethany. Along with recording two rushing touchdowns on the season, Irefin finished the season as the PAC's top kick and punt returner. On kickoffs, he averaged a league-best 27.2 yards per return, with his 100-yard kick return touchdown in week nine over Geneva ranking as the longest play in program history. He also averaged a conference-high 15.9 yards on 10 punt returns and also recorded the longest punt return in program history with an 85-yard touchdown in week one against Stevenson. This marks Irefin's second career All-PAC honor, after picking up Second Team All-PAC last season.
 
Shaw was a lockdown corner during his senior season, tying for fourth in the PAC with four interceptions and fifth with nine total passes defended. He also added 29 tackles, including 21 solo stops and a half tackle for loss. Shaw's four interceptions are tied for second most in a season in program history, and the most since Devin Anderson made four picks in 2015. Shaw concludes his Saint Vincent career with seven interceptions, tied with Anderson for the third-most in the team's modern era (2007-present).
 
Bettwy earns All-PAC Honorable Mention laurels for the second straight season. The full-time starter at center, he anchored a line that helped propel the Bearcats to seven games with more than 300 yards of total offense, three with over 400 yards, and one 500-plus yard performance, recorded in the win over Bethany. The Bearcats also surrendered just 19 quarterback sacks, fifth fewest in the PAC and the lowest number allowed by an SVC team since 2014.
 
Walker continued to re-write the Saint Vincent record books during his senior year under center, completing 165 passes for 2,015 yards and a PAC-leading 21 touchdowns. The 21 TDs are the third most in a season for a Bearcat quarterback, while the 2,015 yards rank fourth all-time in program history. Walker threw for at least one touchdown in nine of 10 games this year, while topping 200 yards five times and 300 yards twice. His top performance of the year came in SVC's week seven win over Allegheny, when he completed 23 of 31 passes for 315 yards and five touchdowns, after which he was named PAC Offensive Player of the Week. Upon the completion of the 2022 season, Walker stands as the Saint Vincent record-holder in every career passing statistic, including completions (481), yards (6,215) and touchdowns (58). This marks his third career All-PAC accolade, after earning Second Team honors following the spring 2021 season and Honorable Mention plaudits in 2021.
 
In his first year with the Bearcats, Gray ran 158 times for 800 yards and four touchdowns, while also hauling in 11 receptions for 106 yards and two scores. The 800 yards are the most for a Bearcat rusher since the team's all-time leading rusher, Mike Stasko, gained 912 in 2019. Gray topped 70 rushing yards in six different games, including a 118-yard effort in a win over Thiel, a 105-yard performance in a victory over Waynesburg and a career-high 140 yards in the season finale against Bethany.
 
After a stellar rookie season, Polynice continued to be a big playmaker from the middle linebacker spot. In nine starts, he racked up 48 tackles (30 solo/18 assists), including a team-high 6.0 tackles for loss. He also forced one fumble and recovered two, while scoring a pair of defensive touchdowns. After pouncing on a Geneva fumble in their own end zone for a touchdown in week six, Polynice stripped the quarterback and recovered the fumble for a 76-yard touchdown in a week nine win over Waynesburg. This marks the second consecutive season in which Polynice was named Honorable Mention All-PAC.
 
Edmonds was also a top defensive performer for the Bearcats from a hybrid safety/outside linebacker position. He finished second on the team with 51 tackles (33 solo/18 assists), while recording 2.0 quarterback sacks, 5.0 tackles for loss, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery and two pass break-ups. He finished with seven or more tackles in six of the night games in which he started.
 
Facey finished his rookie campaign as Saint Vincent's leading tackler with 55 (37 solo/18 assists), while also intercepting two passes, breaking up six passes and forcing and recovering two fumbles. He totaled six or more tackles in six different games. Facey earned PAC Rookie of the Week honors after totaling three tackles, an interception, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery in the Bearcats' week seven victory over Allegheny.
 
Coombe, a two-year co-captain, recorded 30 tackles (14 solo/16 assists), including 2.0 tackles for loss and a sack, during his graduate season at the safety position. A three-time PAC Academic Honor Roll selection and 2021 CoSIDA Academic All-District honoree, the Virginian closed his career with 127 tackles, 6.0 tackles for loss, 3.0 sacks and two interceptions.
 
Westminster College saw two if its players earn major PAC postseason awards, with graduate defensive lineman Brayden Thimons named PAC Defensive Player of the Year and senior running back Ryan Gomes the conference Offensive Player of the Year. Grove City freshman linebacker Ben Bladel was awarded PAC Newcomer of the Year, while Ryan Larsen earned PAC Coach of the Year after leading Carnegie Mellon to its second consecutive PAC championship.
 
The Bearcats finished the 2022 season with a 5-5 overall record and 5-3 mark in conference play. The five PAC wins tie the 2011 squad for the most conference victories in a season in program history.