Dartmouth players earn preseason honors
Five Dartmouth have been named to six spots on Phil Steele's 2010 Preseason All-Ivy League First and Second Teams.
Senior wide receiver Tanner Scott and junior running back Nick Schwieger were chosen for the First Team on offense. Junior Shawn Abuhoff made the First Team as a return specialist and the Second Team as a cornerback. Also selected to the Second Team were sophomore linebacker Garrett Wymore and junior placekicker Foley Schmidt.
- Scott (6-4, 190) is coming off a 2009 season in which he led the Big Green in receptions (45) and receiving yards (510) to earn All-Ivy honorable mention. Twice last year he accumulated 100 or more yards receiving with a career-high 126 coming on seven catches at Holy Cross. He equaled his season best of seven receptions at Harvard, going for 116 yards, as well as versus Princeton in the season finale. Scott, who walked on to the team in the spring of his freshman year, was also an Academic All-Ivy selection as well as a member of the FCS Athletics Directors Association Academic All-Star Team.
- Despite missing all but one play of the final three games, Schwieger (5-10, 200) was chosen to the All-Ivy first team a year ago for leading the league in rushing average at 78.3 yards per game. His 626 total yards rushing were second in the Ivy League -- only six behind the leader -- and Schwieger ran for a pair of touchdowns on the season as well. His biggest game came against Columbia as he broke the Dartmouth single-game rushing record with 242 yards on 29 carries to earn conference, regional and national player of the week honors.
- Abuhoff (5-11, 180) was one of the league's top defenders in one-on-one coverage as a sophomore, tying for the league lead with 14 passes defended, including three interceptions. The cornerback amassed 41 tackles, all but six of which were solo, with four tackles for a loss and one sack while forcing a pair of fumbles. On special teams he was nothing short of special, blocking a field goal in a 28-6 win over Columbia, returning a defensive extra point in the season opener versus Colgate, and averaging 25.2 yards per kickoff return (second in the league) and 8.6 yards on punt returns.
- As a rookie, Wymore (6-2, 215) played in all 10 games, starting the final seven, and finished the year second on the Big Green squad with 63 tackles (one behind the leader). Three times he posted double digits in tackles, collecting a season-high 12 at Harvard and 10 more in the 20-17 double-overtime triumph over Cornell. It was his stop on third and 9 in the second overtime period that forced the Big Red to attempt an ill-fated field goal, which gave Dartmouth the victory.
- Schmidt (5-9, 195) has led Dartmouth in scoring each of his first two seasons with the Big Green, tallying 37 points in 2009 while earning honorable mention All-Ivy status. He connected on 6-of-9 field goals last year and is 15-of-22 for his career with a long of 42 yards. On PATs, Schmidt converted 19-of-20 and is 31-of-33 in his two seasons. It was his 40-yard field goal in the second overtime against Cornell that turned out to be the game-winner as he earned the Ivy League Special Teams Player of the Week award.
Dartmouth opens its season at Bucknell on Sept. 18 at 1 p.m. The Big Green has won the Ivy League championship 17 times, the most among the eight conference members.
