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Somerset, NJ – The defending Northeast Conference (NEC) Champion Wagner College Seahawks were picked No. 1 in the 2013 NEC Preseason Coaches Poll for the first time since the league was formed in 1996, and the Seahawks had five players selected to the 25-man 2013 Preseason All-NEC Team, the league office announced today.
 
The five Seahawks named to the All-NEC Team tied Robert Morris for the most in the conference and include redshirt junior cornerback Jarrett Dieudonne (Fort Lauderdale, FL/Dillard/Purdue), redshirt junior center David Fredrickson (Staten Island, NY/ Poly Prep), fifth-year senior kicker David Lopez (Plantation, FL/ American Heritage),  redshirt junior tight end Bryant Watts (Burlington, NJ/ Florence) and fifth-year senior running back Dominique Williams (Bridgeton, NJ/Bridgeton/Milford Academy).
 
In finishing atop the NEC preseason coaches' poll, the Green & White earned four of the seven first-place votes. The remaining three top nods went to Duquesne, which claimed the poll's runner-up spot for the third year in a row. Bryant took third place in the poll ahead of six-time champion Robert Morris, which came in fourth. Saint Francis took fifth ahead of Constitution State rivals Central Connecticut and Sacred Heart, who finished sixth and seventh, respectively.
 
"It's an honor to be picked first in the conference, no question," said 33rd-year head coach Walt Hameline, the 2012 NEC Coach of the Year who will bring a 213-127-2 (.626) recording into the 2013 campaign. "But, at the end of the day, it's obviously all about what you do on the field. Last year, we were picked seventh in the preseason poll and were fortunate to go out and win the title. So, you never know.
 
"As for our preseason all-conference players, I'm certainly proud of and happy for them and I think each one of them is very deserving," Hameline added.
 
Dieudonne is a returning First-Team All-NEC performer who contributed mightily to the Seahawks' 2013 NEC Championship. The multi-skilled 6-1, 190-pounder recorded multiple tackles in 12 of the Seahawks 13 games in 2012 and tied for first on the team with three interceptions. He tallied four or more tackles in seven games last season, highlighted by six-tackle contests against Monmouth (9/15) and Eastern Washington (12/1). A highlight of his season came in the stirring come-from-behind win over Holy Cross (11/10) when he recorded a 66-yard fumble recovery.
 
Fredrickson is a local product who earned the starting center spot in 2011 preseason camp and has gone on to start the next 24 games, including all 13 during Wagner's 2012 NEC Title run. Cerebral and physical, the left-handed Fredrickson has displayed both consistency and durability throughout his Seahawk career and is one of the unquestioned leaders of the Seahawk offense.
 
Lopez is one of the top kickers in Seahawk history and returns as a fifth-year season having converted 35-of-56 over his accomplished career. The 35 made field goals rank tied for second in Wagner history while his 100 made PAT's rank fifth. In helping lead Wagner to the 2012 NEC title, Lopez connected on 16-of-21 field goal attempts, a 76.2 percentage, with a long of 51. In field goal tries of 39 yards or less, Lopez was 11-of-12. He was also successful on 32-of-35 PATs. As a sophomore in 2010, Lopez earned Second-Team All-NEC honors.
 
Watts is a physically-gifted athlete and a huge target at 6-5, 250 who runs extremely well. In addition to being an effective receiver, Watts uses his strength and wide frame to gain leverage at the point of attack, which allows him to be an effective blocker. In 2012, he appeared in all 13 games, starting in eight, and caught six passes for 83 yards and two touchdowns. He recorded career highs with three receptions for 48 yards and a touchdown to key a 31-21 win over Bryant (9/29)
 
Williams has evolved into one of the household names in the NEC as well as on the national stage and enters the 2013 season with 3,308 career rushing yards, which ranks fourth in the Seahawk all-time annals. The strong, agile 5-9, 205-pounder rushed for 1,228 yards last season, placing him seventh on the school's all-time single-season list, just 10 yards behind the sixth-highest mark of 1,338 that he gained in 2011. A First-Team All-NEC choice in 2012, his 105.6 yards per game in 2012 rushing ranked third in the NEC through the end of the regular season, as did his 133.3 all-purpose yards per game.
 
The Seahawks' sprint to the 2012 Title was an historic one, featuring a nine-game winning streak and the first-ever FCS Playoff win by an NEC team, a 31-20 victory over Colgate (11/24). The superlatives for Wagner were many, including a final national Top-25 ranking in both major FCS Polls, and a pair of National Coach of the Year Honors for Head Coach Hameline, who will bring a 213-127-2 (.626) record into his 33^rd season as head of the Wagner program this season. In addition, Williams was named to the College Sports Journal (CSJ) All-America Team while defensive tackle Daevonte Barnet (Riviera Beach, FL/W.T. Dwyer) was tabbed a CSJ Freshman All-American.
 
For the fourth consecutive season in 2013, the NEC champion will gain entry into the FCS Championship Playoffs which this year expands from 20 teams to 24 teams.
 
The Wagner season opener, slated for Saturday, August 31 at 1:00 pm vs. Patriot League member Georgetown, kicks off an exciting 11-game slate that features road games at FBS member Syracue on September 14, followed by a September 21 title at traditional FCS power Delaware.

This Saturday, August 17, Seahawk fans will have a chance to glimpse the 2013 squad when Wagner holds its annual Green & White Scrimmage at Noon.

Follow Wagner Athletics on Twitter (@wagnerathletics) for all the latest news and updates on the athletic department.
 
2013 NEC Football
Preseason Coaches' Poll
 
1. Wagner (4)
2. Duquesne (3)
3. Bryant
4. Robert Morris
5. Saint Francis
6. Central Connecticut
7. Sacred Heart
 
First place votes in parentheses ().