Ty Godinho

Alex Bell

Walt Bennett

Chris Purtell

April 30, 2004

GENEVA, N.Y.—Hobart College Head Football Coach Mike Cragg. has announced that junior offensive lineman Alex Bell (Wallkill/Modena, N.Y.), junior defensive tackle Walt Bennett (Waterloo/Waterloo, N.Y.), junior running back Ty Godinho (Lancaster/Lancaster, N.Y.), and junior defensive end Chris Purtell (Pioneer/Sardinia, N.Y.) will serve as the captains for the 2004 season.

Selected to a pair of All-America teams, Bell helped the Statesmen average 343.5 yards of offense per game, a 12 percent increase over the three seasons prior to his arrival. The Statesmen ran the majority of their plays behind the blocking of the three-year starter, averaging 156.6 yards rushing and 186.2 yards passing per game. Bell did not give up a sack all season.

An All-UCAA first-team selection, Bennett was a part of a run defense that did not allow a 100-yard rusher all season. He finished the year ranked fifth on the team in tackles, including 10 ½ for a loss of 38 yards. Named to the ECAC Northwest Football All-Stars first-team, he recorded 2.5 sacks, broke up four passes, and registered seven quarterback hurries.

Godinho led the UCAA in rushing for the second consecutive season, racking up 1,077 yards on the ground, the first Statesmen to break the 1,000-yard mark since 1998. He closed out the 2003 season in style, burning Norwich for a career-high 203 yards to earn MVP honors in the North Atlantic Bowl. He produced five 100-yard rushing games during the year to raise his career total to 16.

Purtell, who also served as captain last fall, earned All-UCAA second-team honors despite missing the final four games of the season. In six contests, he registered 33 tackles and recovered four fumbles. Selected to the CoSIDA Academic All-District team, Purtell produced a career-high 10 tackles, recorded a sack, and recovered a fumble at St. Lawrence.

Hobart opens up the 2004 season on Sept. 11, hosting Dickinson at 1 p.m. The Statesmen also will host Worcester Polytechnic Institute (Oct. 2), Coast Guard (Oct. 9), Union (Nov. 6), and Rochester (Nov. 13). For the complete schedule visit: http://www.hws.edu/statesmen.

The Statesmen finished the 2003 season with a 6-4 record, including a 3-1 mark in the UCAA. League champion for the second straight season, Hobart won its first ECAC bowl this year, after earning an NCAA Tournament berth in two of the previous three seasons.