Aug. 22, 2008
Complete Release in PDF Format 
Center Valley, Pa. - The Patriot League placed five student-athletes on The Sports Network NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision Preseason All-America team released on Friday.
Holy Cross senior quarterback Dominic Randolph and Lafayette senior linebacker Andy Romans were both selected to the second team after earning Preseason Offensive and Defensive Player of the Year honors, respectively, in the Patriot League. Colgate senior offensive tackle Nick Hennessey and Lehigh senior defensive tackle Brian Jackson also earned Second-Team All-America honors, while the Mountain Hawks were the only Patriot League team with two players on the list as senior linebacker Tim Diamond received a Third-Team distinction.
Randolph is one of six players on the list that finished the 2007 campaign as a Walter Payton finalist. In addition to his Patriot League Preseason Offensive Player of the Year honor, he was selected as the No. 3 quarterbacks in the nation by The Sports Network and earned second-team All-America recognition from Consensus Draft Services in the preseason. He enters the 2008 season as the all-time Patriot League leader in per game passing yards and total offense, and is the active career FCS leader in both categories. He received Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year honors in 2007 after completing 297-of-482 passes for 3,604 yards with 30 touchdowns and eight interceptions while leading Holy Cross to records of 7-4 overall and 4-2 in the League.
Romans earns his first preseason All-America honor to go with the Preseason Defensive Player of the Year award. He led a Lafayette defense that finished in the top 10 nationally in scoring, rushing and total defense. He received First-Team All-Patriot League honors in addition to Patriot League Defensive Player of the Year recognition after recording 113 tackles, 12.5 tackles for loss, three sacks, three forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries in 2007.
Hennessey previously earned a Second-Team preseason All-America honor from Phil Steele's 2008 College Football Preview. He was a Second-Team All-League selection in 2007 when he helped a Colgate offense that led the Patriot League with 195.64 rushing yards per game.
Jackson notched 63 tackles, nine tackles for a loss and 5.5 sacks for the Mountain Hawks in 2007, helping him earn Second-Team All-America honors from The Sports Network. He had already received preseason All-America recognition from The Sporting News, and was an honorable mention selection on the Consensus Draft Services squad.
Diamond earned First-Team All-Patriot League honors while posting a team-best 107 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks and one interception for the Mountain Hawks in 2007.
The Patriot League football season opens on Aug. 30, with Colgate in action at Stony Brook. All seven teams will hit the field the following week, with the League opener set for Sept. 13 as Georgetown visits Lafayette.
