12 Golden Bears named 2023 All-PSAC East

The Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference champion Kutztown University football team captured three major awards and placed 12 players on the 2023 All-PSAC Eastern Division teams, the league office announced Wednesday afternoon.

Head coach Jim Clements was voted East Coach of the Year for third time in his career. Quarterback Judd Novak (Manheim, Pa./Manheim Central) took East Freshman of the Year honors and linebacker Tyler Whary (Hereford, Pa./Upper Perkiomen) was named East Defensive Athlete of the Year.

First Team representatives from the Golden Bears included running back Darryl Davis-McNeil (Roslyn, Pa./Abington), wide receiver Kurtis Ravenel Jr. (Carlisle, Pa./Carlisle), guard Adam Kase (Wernersville, Pa./Conrad Weiser), defensive lineman Nigel Wilson (Bound Brook, N.J./Bound Brook), defensive back Justin Harris (Deptford, N.J./Salem), punter Nate Millard (Birdsboro, Pa./Daniel Boone) and Whary. The five Second Team players from Kutztown include Novak, guard Billy Everitt (Abington, Pa./Abington), place kicker Dawson Evitts (Auburn, Pa./Schuylkill Haven), defensive lineman Earl Volz (Philadelphia, Pa./Father Judge) and linebacker Kam Wolfe (Reading, Pa./Governor Mifflin).

This marks the ninth consecutive season with 10 or more all-conference selections for Kutztown. The Bears' 12 selections were second most in the East and third most in the PSAC overall behind Shepherd and Slippery Rock, which each had 13.

Clements, KU's all-time winningest coach, led the Golden Bears to their third unbeaten run through the PSAC East in the last four seasons with a 7-0 mark this fall. Kutztown is riding a nine-game winning streak and can reach 10 victories in a season for the third time since 2019 and fifth time in program history with a victory over Virginia Union in the first round of the NCAA Division II Championship tournament Saturday. Now in his ninth season at KU, the three-time PSAC East Coach of the Year (2019, 2021, 2023) owns a 76-27 record (.738) and 53-11 mark (.828) against PSAC East opponents.

Davis-McNeil and Whary earned their third all-conference honors after being chosen to the 2021 and 2022 teams.

Kutztown will open postseason play on Saturday at noon when it hosts CIAA champion and 13th-ranked Virginia Union in a NCAA Division II First Round game at Andre Reed Stadium.

2023 KUTZTOWN ALL-PSAC EAST SELECTIONS
Listed alphabetically

#26 DARRYL DAVIS-MCNEIL | RUNNING BACK | FIRST TEAM OFFENSE
Davis-McNeil is having another outstanding season leading the Golden Bears' backfield. The Roslyn, Pa., native has totaled 668 yards on 138 attempts and seven touchdowns in nine games. He's averaging 4.8 yards per carry and 74.2 yards per game. Davis-McNeil, who earned All-PSAC East First Team accolades in 2022, is coming off a 26-carry, 146-yard, 2 TD performance in the PSAC Championship game against Slippery Rock. During his career, Davis-McNeil has 459 carries for 2,500 yards (sixth most in team history) and 28 TDs (tied for fourth most in team history).

#64 BILLY EVERITT | LEFT GUARD | SECOND TEAM OFFENSE
Everitt is anchoring the left side of the offensive line, starting all 11 games at left guard. The redshirt sophomore has contributed to Kutztown's success in the run game, where the Bears rank fourth in the league at 160.5 yards per game, and pass protection (third fewest sacks allowed at 1.55 per game). The Abington, Pa., native is setting himself up to have a distinguished career with the Maroon and Gold.

#99 DAWSON EVITTS | KICKER | SECOND TEAM OFFENSE
Evitts, from Auburn, Pa., is having one of the best seasons by a kicker in program history. The senior has converted 11-of-15 attempts and ranks third in the PSAC in both field goals made and field goal percentage (.733). Evitts is just the third KU kicker to make 10 or more field goals in a season, joining Matt Dineen (17 in 2009, 13 in 2008) and Alec Rosenfeld (12 in 2014). Evitts has a long field goal of 38 yards this season.

#5 JUSTIN HARRIS | CORNERBACK | FIRST TEAM DEFENSE
All-PSAC honors have been a long time coming for Harris and he was rightfully recognized this season. The redshirt senior from Deptford, N.J., has 34 tackles, one interception and five passes defended. Harris and the defensive secondary have not been easy to solve for opposing offenses this season. Kutztown leads the PSAC in scoring defense, total defense and features the third-best passing defense (170.9 ypg).

#56 ADAM KASE | RIGHT GUARD | FIRST TEAM OFFENSE
Kase has been a constant up front for the Maroon and Gold, starting 20 games over the last two seasons, including all 11 games in 2023. The senior from Wernersville, Pa., is helping pave the way for KU's successful run game. The Golden Bears rank fourth in the PSAC at 160.5 rushing yards per game and have allowed the third fewest sacks in the conference at 1.55 per game.

#91 NATE MILLARD | PUNTER | FIRST TEAM DEFENSE
Specialists sometimes tend to fly under the radar, but make no mistake, Millard's role in Kutztown's success cannot be understated. Just a sophomore, he serves as the team's primary punter and kickoff specialist. Millard, a native of Birdsboro, Pa., leads the PSAC and ranks third in NCAA DII at 44.1 yards per punt and is the only punter in the conference with 10 or more 50+ yard punts (11). He's also placed 10 punts inside the opponent's 20-yard line, which ranks eighth.

#18 JUDD NOVAK | QUARTERBACK | SECOND TEAM OFFENSE (FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR)
Novak stepped into the starting quarterback role in week two and has provided the Bears a dual-threat option. He's completed 121-of-230 passes for 1,721 yards, 15 touchdowns and seven interceptions. His rushing prowess has been a difference maker. The redshirt freshman from Manheim, Pa., ranks second on the team with 399 yards and three TDs. Most importantly, he's helped the team to a 9-1 record when behind center.

#2 KURTIS RAVENEL JR. | WIDE RECEIVER | FIRST TEAM OFFENSE
Ravenel Jr. has shown traits of being a top receiver in the league but earned the opportunity to put those skills on full display this season. The Carlisle, Pa., native has already shattered his previous single-season career-highs of 17 catches and 211 yards with 41 for 659 yards and four TDs. Ravenel ranks third in the PSAC East and sixth overall in the PSAC in receiving yards. His 59.9 receiving yards per game are seventh beset in the league.

#50 EARL VOLZ | DEFENSIVE TACKLE | SECOND TEAM DEFENSE
Volz is a critical piece of Kutztown's defensive front, helping the team rank among the PSAC and national leaders in scoring defense, total defense and run defense. A veteran of 43 career games, the Philadelphian has produced a career-high 25 tackles, while chipping in two tackles for loss and a sack.

#33 TYLER WHARY | LINEBACKER | FIRST TEAM DEFENSE (DEFENSIVE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR)
After earning a spot on the All-PSAC East Second Team each of the last two seasons, Whary landed division Defensive Athlete of the Year and First Team honors in 2023. The veteran linebacker from Hereford, Pa., leads the PSAC's premier defense with 62 tackles (35 solo), 4.5 sacks, 8.0 tackles for loss, five pass breakups and eight quarterback hurries. Whary also has one interception and one forced fumble to his credit. Behind his leadership, Kutztown ranks first in the PSAC and top 10 in the country in scoring defense (14.0 ppg) and total defense (254.5 ypg), while the run defense ranks second in the league and 11th nationally at 83.5 ypg.

#9 NIGEL WILSON | DEFENSIVE END | FIRST TEAM DEFENSE
A terror on the defensive line, Wilson is having a breakout year in 2023. He leads the Golden Bears with 8.5 tackles for loss and shares the team lead with five sacks -both career-highs. Wilson, from Bound Brook, N.J., has also set new benchmarks in total tackles (35) and solo tackles (21), helping anchor KU's PSAC-leading defense.

#11 KAM WOLFE | LINEBACKER | SECOND TEAM DEFENSE
Another of the veteran leaders on a vaunted Kutztown defense, Wolfe has already set new career-highs in total tackles (58), tackles for loss (6.0) and interceptions (two). The Reading, Pa., native has 31 solo tackles on the year. He shares the team lead in interceptions and fumble recoveries (one), ranks tied for second in tackles and solo tackles, third in tackles for loss and tied for fifth in sacks (two).