PITMAN, N.J. – TCNJ freshman tight end Lucas Spitzer was named the NJAC Offensive Rookie of the Year, and the Lions earned eight spots on the All-NJAC football teams, announced by the conference on Friday morning. Spitzer was one of the eight selections, earning an All-NJAC Second Team nod. Senior defensive lineman Nick Celli was named All-NJAC First Team.
 
Spitzer is a three-time NJAC Offensive Rookie of the Week, taking the award in three consecutive weeks in October. He led the team with 24 receptions and finished third with 280 receiving yards.
 
Spitzer's best stretch of the season came in a four-game stretch in October while winning those three straight NJAC weekly awards. Against Kean on Oct. 16, Spitzer had a season-high six catches for 66 yards. He also scored his first career touchdown on an 18-yard pass from Trevor Bopp in the third quarter.
 
Spitzer had a season-high 70 receiving yards with a season-long reception of 34 yards in the following week's game against Christopher Newport. His NJAC Rookie of the Week streak ended, though, when Bopp won it following the game against the Captains.
 
Spitzer joins Dave Jachera in 2018 as the most recent TCNJ winners of the NJAC Offensive Rookie of the Year award.
 
Celli's performance in the defensive front warranted his First Team selection. He finished tied for the conference lead in forced fumbles, and he also was fourth in the NJAC with his 12 tackles for loss. He finished fifth in the conference with 4.5 sacks.
 
Celli had a stretch of five games where he accumulated all 4.5 of those sacks, including compiling 1.5 sacks and two tackles for loss in a big road win at Montclair State. The following week, Celli had a season-high seven tackles and 2.5 tackles for loss.
 
Joining Spitzer as All-NJAC Second Team selections are running back Nicholas Chambers, offensive lineman Duro Ajayi, defensive lineman Jared Lyles and safety Cole Groschel.
 
Chambers averaged 4.1 yards per carry, good for fourth best in the NJAC. He also rushed for 516 yards, fourth-most in the conference. He had two 100-yard games on the season, setting a season-high with 152 yards and two touchdowns at Nichols and rushing for 100 yards and a touchdown at Montclair State.

Lyles was third in the NJAC and tied for 27^th nationally with two fumble recoveries, and he also finished just behind Celli in the NJAC in sacks with four. Lyles had a season-high nine tackles with two quarterback hurries in the team's season finale against Rowan.
 
Groschel finished second on the team in tackles with 44 out of his defensive back position. He had a game-high 12 tackles against William Paterson, and he followed that with an interception the next week at Montclair State.
 
Ajayi was one of two TCNJ offensive lineman to earn All-NJAC honors. Junior Zac Wiles earned All-NJAC Honorable Mention. The line anchored an offensive attack that featured Spitzer, Chambers and four different starting quarterbacks throughout the season. The offensive front helped TCNJ to the fourth-best rushing attack in the conference while also helping the team to the fewest penalty yards in the league. As a team, TCNJ had the 12^th fewest penalty yards in NCAA Division III.
 
Linebacker Gavin Liepe was also named All-NJAC Honorable Mention. Liepe was TCNJ's leading tackler with 51 on the season. He also had eight tackles for loss and two forced fumbles. Liepe had a season-high nine tackles against Kean, and he had six tackles with a sack and a forced fumble against Cortland.