January 11, 2006

Rick Eicheldinger

Doug Blakowski

GENEVA, N.Y.—Two Hobart College football players were named to the 2005 Don Hansen’s Football Gazette All-East teams. Senior defensive tackle Rick Eicheldinger (Lancaster/Lancaster, N.Y.) and junior running back Doug Blakowski (Iroquois/Elma, N.Y.) both garnered second-team honors.

A two-year starter, Eicheldinger was a dominant force for Hobart’s Liberty League-leading run defense (111.9 yds/g). He finished the season with 48 tackles, sixth on the team. Eicheldinger paced the Statesmen with 10.5 tackles for a loss and shared the team lead with five sacks. He recorded a career-high seven tackles and forced a fumble in the NCAA regional semifinals against Delaware Valley.

Eicheldinger received first-team honors from the Liberty League and the ECAC Northwest, while earning a spot on the D3football.com All-East third team. In 22 career games, he registered 82 tackles, 15.5 tackles for a loss, and seven sacks.

Eicheldinger is a history major.

Blakowski excelled in his first season as a starter. He rushed for 1,364 yards and 17 touchdowns, averaging a Liberty League best 5.8 yards per carry. Blakowski’s ground gain is the third highest single season total by a Statesman. He tied the Hobart record for most 100-yard rushing games in a season, posting nine such efforts, including a career-high 198 yards on just 19 carries at Coast Guard. Blakowski also caught 11 passes for 171 yards and a touchdown.

Widely recognized as one of the top running backs in the nation, Blakowski has collected a flood of postseason awards. The D3football.com honorable mention All-American was named to the All-Liberty League and All-ECAC Northwest first teams.
Blakowski is an economics major.

Hobart completed the 2005 campaign with a 9-2 overall mark, tying the program’s record for most wins in a season (1896 9-3, 2004 9-2). For the second consecutive season, the Statesmen advanced to the regional semifinals in the NCAA tournament, the team’s fifth postseason appearance since 2000.