BAY CITY, Mich. - Saginaw Valley State University senior safety Matt McKoy was named the 2016 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Defensive Back of the Year after postseason all-league balloting conducted by the league's head coaches. He was named to the All-GLIAC First Team as well, and was joined by junior linebacker Bryan Jones, who earned Second Team All-GLIAC plaudits.
Six Cardinal student-athletes were also named to the All-GLIAC Honorable Mention team, as senior linebacker Joe Craven, senior running back David Nay, junior wide receiver Alfonso Vultaggio, sophomore safety Dillon Dixon, sophomore kicker Alex Kenrick and freshman cornerback Marvin White were all named to the honorable mention squad.
McKoy becomes the second-ever GLIAC Defensive Back of the Year after his stellar season to round-out his career in a Cardinal uniform. McKoy led the GLIAC with five interceptions, taking one back for a score and returning another fumble for a touchdown. He totaled 76 tackles from the defensive backfield, averaging 8.4 per contest in his nine games played.
Jones led the league with 11.1 tackles per game, totaling 111 for the 2016 season in his 10 games played at the linebacker position. He added a pair of sacks, a fumble recovery and a forced fumble. He blocked two extra points, had five pass break-ups and had 7.5 total tackles for loss on the season as well. This marks the second straight season Jones has been named to the All-GLIAC Second Team.
Craven was fourth on the team with 63 tackles, averaging 6.3 per contest. He posted 2.5 sacks with eight tackles for loss and a forced fumble.
Nay led the Cardinals with 635 yards on the ground, rushing for six scores in his final season.
Vultaggio was second on the team in receiving, hauling-in 38 catches for 507 yards and three scores.
Dixon led the nation with with five fumble recoveries and added four forced fumbles to his credit with one returned for a score. He added three interceptions with a trio of pass break-ups and was third on the team with 75 tackles.
Kenrick was solid in the kicking game all season for the Cardinals, making 9-of-12 field goal tries and 30 of his 31 extra-point attempts for a total of 57 points.
White emerged as a top defensive back and threat in the return game in his first season, He averaged 27.9 yards on his nine kick-off returns, including a 100-yard return for a game-winning score. He added 26 tackles with a pair of interceptions and eight pass break-ups in 2016, returning one pick for a touchdown.
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