UNIVERSITY CENTER, Mich. – Saginaw Valley State University had three student-athletes claim major Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) awards on Thursday when the league office announced the 2024 postseason honors. In addition, 15 student-athletes received All-GLIAC nods that afternoon.
Defensive lineman Leonard Henry IV was named the GLIAC Defensive Lineman of the Year, linebacker Micah Cretsinger was awarded the Defensive Back of the Year, and quarterback Mason McKenzie earned the Freshman of the Year distinction.
This is the second season that the Cardinals have had the Freshman of the Year award winner and the first time SVSU football has claimed three individual awards. The Cardinals also had two more athletes chosen for All-GLIAC teams than a season ago, with five first-team All-GLIAC selections, five second-team, and five honorable mention winners on the list.
Offensive lineman Connor Cracchiolo-Evans was the lone SVSU player on the First-Team Offense at the tackle position. Defensive End Leonard Henry IV, linebackers Micah Cretsinger and Alfred Dailey Jr., and safety Eli Gordon made the First-Team Defense after stellar performances this season.
The Second-Team offense featured running back Terrence Brown Jr., receiver Joseph Walker, and offensive lineman Joe Botello. The second unit defense consisted of linebacker Brandon Rawls and specialist Jaquon Howard.
Quarterback Mason McKenzie, receiver Eric Craft, and defensive linemen Harold Irby III, Carson Berenyi, and Adom LeDuc made the honorable mention list.
Henry IV was a force for the Cardinal pass rush this season, totaling a GLIAC-leading 10.5 sacks. He led the nation in sacks for much of the season and finished in the top five with .95 sacks per game. Henry's 50 tackles ranked sixth-best on the SVSU defense and he held a team-high 16 tackles for loss and 13 quarterback hurries.
Cretsinger led the SVSU defense in tackles for the second consecutive season after compiling 82 stops with 11 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, seven hurries, five pass breakups, two forced fumbles, one recovery, and one interception. The senior from Jackson, Michigan finished the season strong with back-to-back 12 tackle games in the last two weeks of the season. Cretsinger reached double-digit tackles three times during the 2024 season all in the final four weeks of play.
McKenzie completed his first full season as the SVSU signal caller as the team's rush and pass leader. He completed 147-of-267 pass attempts for 2,054 yards and 14 touchdowns along with 117 carries and 662 yards with six scores on the ground for a total output of 2,716 yards and 20 touchdowns. McKenzie finished the 2024 season by setting career-high marks in passing yards (268) and passing touchdowns (3).
Cracchiolo-Evans started all 11 games for the Cardinals at right tackle. The senior from Richmond, Michigan helped anchor an SVSU offensive line that helped Saginaw Valley finish third in the league in total offense and fourth in both rushing and passing.
Dailey Jr. finished the season with 63 tackles for the third-most on the team. Recorded a season-high 11 tackles in the last game of the season against Michigan Tech. That mark was his only time reaching double-digit stops during 2024.
Gordon had a team-high four interceptions which placed him second in the league in that category. He recorded 70 tackles which was second-most for the Cardinal defense. The junior safety registered six pass breakups and blocked two kicks on special teams while forcing and recovering a fumble.
Brown finished the season with 530 yards rushing. He tied McKenzie with six rushing touchdowns. He is the third-leading receiver with 21 touches for 337 and four touchdowns (also tied for the most on the team). The 2023 GLIAC Freshman of the Year was the Cardinals' leader in all-purpose yards and scored a touchdown on a punt return to lead the team in points scored with 66 in 2024.
Walker had a strong debut season as he moved his way to the top of the receiving stats to finish with a team-best 32 catches for 514 yards and four touchdowns. His best performance came in week six at Roosevelt where he had seven receptions for 117 yards. Walker caught three or more passes in seven games for the Cardinals this season.
Botello got the start in all 11 games for SVSU on the offensive line. Botello joined Cracchiolo-Evans as another anchor on the Cardinal offensive line in the guard spot.
Rawls completed the season with the fourth-most tackles at 55. It is the second consecutive season that the junior has recorded 50+ stops in a season. He also added 3.5 sacks, 6.5 tackles for loss, a forced fumble, two recoveries, and two interceptions. His first interception of the year sealed the 28-24 win on the road at Indianapolis in week four.
Howard was the SVSU kick return specialist this season. He totaled 441 yards on kick returns that included a 98-yard return for a touchdown against Roosevelt in the sixth game of the season. Howard also recorded a 117-yard rushing total with two scores in the Cardinals' dominant win over Northern Michigan in the Superior Dome.
Craft had a total of 27 catches for 428 yards and two touchdowns to finish second in the receiving category for SVSU. He scored the first touchdown of the season for Saginaw Valley with an 88-yard touchdown catch in the 38-14 win over Winona State in week one. Craft had at least two catches in all 10 of his appearances in 2024. His season-high was a five-catch performance at UIndy.
Irby finished the year with 28 tackles, 4.5 sacks, one forced fumble, one breakup, and one blocked kick on the season. The senior from St. Clair Shores, Michigan recorded at least one sack in three of the final four games this season.
Berenyi registered 40 tackles with four sacks, and six tackles for loss this season. He recorded at least five tackles in the final two games this year and also had the only safety for the SVSU defense against Grand Valley State.
LeDuc tallied the second-most sacks on the team with five this season. He added 46 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, two pass breakups, and one forced fumble. LeDuc collected a season-high six tackles in three games this season, and he registered no less than two stops per game.