December 20, 2006

Evan Hoffman

Dominick Ancona

Andy Purdie

GENEVA, N.Y.—Three Hobart College football players recently were named to the ECAC Northwest All-Star team. Senior defensive end Andy Purdie (Victor/Farmington, N.Y.), senior linebacker Evan Hoffman (Fairfield Prep/Fairfield, Conn.), and junior punter Dominick Ancona (Chaminade/Garden City, N.Y.) represented the Statesmen.

A two-time All-Liberty League selection, Purdie capped a stellar four-year career with his strongest performance. He posted a career-high 49 tackles this season, including a team best 7.5 sacks. Purdie was second on the team with 10.5 tackles for a loss. He ranked fourth in the Liberty League in sacks and forced fumbles, and sixth in tackles for a loss.

The D3football.com All-East pick registered a season-high eight tackles, including a career-high 3.5 sacks, during a 30-19 win at Merchant Marine. The effort earned him a spot on the D3football.com Team of the Week. Purdie finished his career with 133 tackles, 22.5 for a loss, and 15 sacks.

In his first season as a starter, Hoffman led the Statesmen in tackles, tackles for a loss, and forced fumbles. The first-team All-Liberty League selection ranked sixth in the conference with 70 tackles, fourth in tackles for a loss with 12, and seventh in sacks with six. Hoffman produced 10 or more tackles in a game four times this season, including a career-high 14 stops in a 31-21 win over Rochester. He earned five weekly awards during the campaign, highlighted by a spot on the D3football.com Team of the Week following a three-sack performance at Merchant Marine.

Hoffman finished second in the nation in forced fumbles, averaging 0.6 per game. In 37 games, he posted 125 career tackles (76 solo), 14.5 tackles for a loss, 7.5 sacks, six forced fumbles, and three fumble recoveries.

Named to the D3football.com All-America teams earlier this week, Ancona led the Liberty League and ranked fifth in the nation with a Hobart season record 41.3 yards per punt. The first-team All-Liberty League pick pinned the opposition inside its own 20-yard line 14 times this season and boomed nine punts that traveled 50 yards or more. He posted a career-long 65-yard punt against Union.

Ancona’s 37.84 career yards per punt average is nearly two yards beyond Bob Tretter’s ’82, who holds the Hobart record (35.91).

The Statesmen finished their 113th season with an 8-2 overall record, including a 5-1 mark in the Liberty League. It’s the 10th straight winning season for Hobart, the longest string of sustained success in the program’s history. The Statesmen earned a share of the conference championship and made its third consecutive appearance in the NCAA playoffs.