WALTHAM, Mass. – Bentley University freshman wide receiver Austin Ryan (Foxborough/ Foxborough HS), who is tied for the most touchdown catches in Division II, was a triple-honoree when the Northeast-10 Conference handed out its postseason awards Tuesday.

Ryan was selected as the NE10 Rookie of the Year, becoming the first Falcon to earn the honor since Jeff Molesso in 2002, and was also voted to both the All-Northeast-10 first team and the conference's All-Rookie team.

Ryan was one of three Bentley players to gain first-team honors with junior safety Nick Athy (Holliston/Holliston HS) and senior linebacker Brandon Brown (Oxon Hill, Md./Suitland HS) joining him.

Bentley's list of All-Conference honorees also included sophomore cornerback Peter Thorbahn (Norwell/Xaverian Brothers HS) and senior offensive lineman Connor Peck (Sherborn/Catholic Memorial HS). Both were voted All-NE10 second team.

Coach Bill Kavanaugh's team also placed a conference-high four players on the All-Rookie team with Ryan joined by freshman quarterback Stephen Sturm (Collegeville, Pa./Perkiomen Valley HS) and freshmen offensive linemen Sean Mitchell (Park Ridge, N.J./Saint Joseph Reg. HS) and Tim Leonard (Rumson, N.J./Rumson-Fair Haven HS).

Ryan, who closed out his season with a school-record 284 yards and four TDs in a 35-31 win over previously-unbeaten Assumption, finished his first collegiate season with 16 TD catches and 1,242 receiving yards. He reached the end zone on nearly a third of his receptions, and in addition to being tied for the most TD catches nationally, is tied for third in yards per reception (a Northeast-10 record 25.2) and is fifth in receiving yards per game (124.2).

Athy, who previously was selected for CoSIDA Academic All-District honors, was one of only two NE10 players with at least seven takeaways and is tied for second in Division II in fumbles recovered with four. He led Bentley with 79 tackles after reaching double figures in each of his last three games.

Brown, one of the Falcons' captains, was one of four Bentley linebackers who finished with between 59 and 61 tackles. He led the team in both tackles for loss (8.5) and yards lost (32), and was third in solo stops with 35. His season included a career-high 12 tackles at Stonehill, 11 against ninth-ranked LIU Post and four tackles for loss at West Chester.

Thorbahn received second-team honors for the second straight season after matching Athy's team-high three interceptions. He was one of only five NE10 players to make at least 50 tackles – finishing with 52, second among Bentley's defensive backs – and at least three interceptions. Against American International, Thorbahn returned an interception 34 yards for his second career TD.

Peck, who also was a team captain, shifted to guard this season after two years as Bentley's starting center. During his career, he appeared in 38 games, including 26 as a starter.

Sturm started the final four games for the Falcons and in that role, threw for 1,211 yards and 11 touchdowns. He accounted for four TDs in three of the four contests, with four TD passes against both Stonehill and Assumption, and two scoring strikes, along with two rushing scores, against Southern Connecticut. His 189.31 passing efficiency would have ranked second in Division II if he had played in one more game, and he finished the season with a .731 completion percentage, 12 TDs and only two interceptions in 130 pass attempts.

Mitchell started all ten games at center for the Falcons, and Leonard started the final six at left tackle with Peck in between the two first-year players.

Bentley finished the season with a 6-4 record and a two-game winning streak.