Dudek leads 8 Bulldogs on Ivy League first team

Seven Bulldogs also picked for first team

Yale freshman running back Zane Dudek was a unanimous selection for Ivy League Rookie of the Year after becoming the first freshman to lead the league in rushing. Dudek was also one of eight Bulldogs named to the Ivy League’s first team.

Columbia coach Al Bagnoli, an East Haven native, was named the Ivy League Coach of the Year after leading the Lions to an 8-2 record overall, 5-2 in Ivy League play. Columbia’s 6-0 start was part of a seven-game winning streak, the longest for the Lions since 1935.

Dudek rushed for 1,133 yards on 159 carries, averaging 7.1 yards per carry and 113.3 yards per game. He also led the league in overall touchdowns (16), rushing touchdowns (15) and all-purpose yards (1,345). In the FCS national statistics, Dudek is second in scoring, tied for second in rushing touchdowns, third in yards per carry and total touchdowns, and seventh in rushing yards and rushing yards per game.

He leads all freshmen in all of those categories. Dudek is the fourth Bulldog to be named Rookie of the Year and the first since Mike McLeod in 2005.

Dudek was also a unanimous choice for firstteam All-Ivy, the first rookie named first team offense since Princeton’s Chuck Dibilio in 2011 and the first-ever unanimous selection.

Yale teammates joining Dudek on the first team were senior offensive linemen Jon Bezney and Karl Marback, and senior tight end Jaeden Graham on offense.

On defense, senior linebacker Matthew Oplinger was also a unanimous selection. He was joined by senior defensive lineman John Herubin and senior defensive backs Hayden Carlson and Spencer Rymiszewski.

Second-team selections from Yale were: senior offensive lineman Anders Huizenga, sophomore offensive lineman Sterling Strother, senior wide receiver Chris Williams-Lopez, sophomore defensive end Charles Callender, junior defensive end Kyle Mullen, senior linebacker Foyesade Oluokun and junior punter Alex Galland.

Sophomore offensive lineman Dieter Eiselen, sophomore quarterback Kurt Rawlings, senior running back Deshawn Salter, sophomore defensive back Malcolm Dixon and senior defensive back Jason Alessi were all honorable mention selections for Yale.