From Carnegie Mellon University Athletics
Four members of the Carnegie Mellon University football team, senior center Andrew Garibaldi (Flemington N.J./Hunterdon Central), junior defensive end Brian Khoury (Davenport, Iowa/Bettendorf), sophomore running back Sam Benger (Hingham, Mass.) and sophomore safety Drew Fitzmorris (Omaha, Neb./Westside), were named 2015 D3football.com All-Americans when the team was announced prior to the 2015 Stagg Bowl in Salem, Virginia, Friday, December 18. All four landed a spot on the honorable mention team.
This is the 17th annual D3football.com All-America team, one of two recognized by the NCAA for inclusion in their record book (along with the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) All-America team). The four Tartans were the lone Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) honorees while the four were joined by three others from the University Athletic Association (UAA); two from Washington University and one from the University of Chicago.
This year's Tartan selections join former Carnegie Mellon punter Matt Young (2000), former defensive back Aaron Lewis (2005 and 2006) and former offensive lineman J.P. White (2006) as the only Tartans to be recognized on the D3football.com All-American teams.
Garibaldi, a first team All-PAC and All-UAA selection, fronted an offensive line that helped the Tartans reach the 500-yard mark of total offense in six games this season including two games that saw the Cardinal and Gray total more than 600 yards. He also played an instrumental part in blocking for the nation's leading rusher in Benger.
Benger, the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) and University Athletic Association (UAA) Offensive Player of the Year and recently named All-America by the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) and The Associated Press (AP), rushed for an NCAA Division III-best 2,092 yards this season to go along with 22 rushing touchdowns. He was named the Most Outstanding Player of the Legacy Bowl after scoring for touchdowns and rushing for 190 yards, which made him the 21st player in Division III history to reach the 2,000-yard plateau. Benger's 22 rushing touchdowns broke the school's single-season mark held by Brad Stanley in 2003 with 21. The sophomore set the school's single-game rushing mark with 303 yards against then nationally ranked Washington & Jefferson College earlier this season. Benger also became the Tartans' all-time single-season rushing leader after surpassing the mark of 1,326 yards held by Travis Sivek during the 2006 season.
Khoury, a first team All-PAC and UAA Player of the Year and recently named finalist for the 2015 Cliff Harris Award, led the PAC and UAA and ranked fourth nationally with 13.5 sacks for a loss of 95 yards. The junior set the school's single-game sack record with 4.0 against Bethany and then became the single-season Tartan leader following his 3.0 sacks at Thiel, passing the mark of 11.0 sacks held by Chris Balouris in 1989 and Anima Nwankwo in 1998. Khoury totaled 19.0 tackles for a loss of 109 yards which was also best in the PAC and UAA. He ended the season with 54 total tackles, 33 solo, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries.
Fitzmorris, a first team All-PAC and second team All-UAA honoree, led Carnegie Mellon with 87 tackles which ranked second in the UAA and eighth in the PAC. The junior led both the PAC and UAA with six interceptions.
All four were also named to the 2015 Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Division III South All-Star squad.