Washington, D.C.  –  The Georgetown University football team honored its graduating seniors and team award winners at the team’s annual banquet, held this past weekend on the Hilltop.

Assistant Head Coach Rob Sgarlata (’94) welcomed the attendees and the Rev. Alvara Ribeiro provided the invocation before Head Coach Kevin Kelly handled the presentation of awards.

Senior kicker Eric Bjonerud ( Potomac , Md. / Georgetown Prep) was the recipient of the special teams’ award.  He finished the season with a team-leading 38 points, kicking seven field goals and connecting on 17-of-18 extra points.  Bjonerud, who has handled the kicking duties for the team the last two years, helped the Hoyas to a 19-16 win over Bucknell with a field goal in overtime.

Senior quarterback Matt Bassuener (Port Edwards, Wis. /Port Edwards) was named the team’s recipient of the John L. Hagerty Award for Outstanding Back.  Bassuener finished his career completing 355 passes for 3,223 yards and 23 touchdown passes.  The senior co-captain finished 18th in the country in completions per game this season (19.18) and his 211 completions during the 2007 season were the most in a single season at GU, while his 1,874 yards passing is the seventh-best mark.

Senior defensive end Nnamdi Obiako (Bladensburg, Md./Bladensburg) was named the recipient of the George A. Murtagh Award for an Outstanding Lineman.  Obiako, who led the team with 4.5 tackles-for-loss in 2007 and had 11 for his career, finished among the top 10 on the team in tackles the last two years, including this season, when he finished seventh with 44 stops. 

Senior linebacker Mike Greene ( Rockville , Md. / St. John’s College ), who was offered a full-time job before the start of the season, was the recipient of the Mush Dubofsky Award for the Outstanding Student-Athlete.  Greene, a finance and marketing major, has a cumulative 3.42 grade-point average and will start a position with the Royal Bank of Scotland following the school year.

A four-year contributor after walking on as a freshman, senior defensive back Darren Craft (Jupiter, Fla. /The Benjamin School ) was named the recipient of the John D. Burke Award for Outstanding Courage and Spirit.

Senior defensive back Kevin Cherepski (Carteret, N.J./Carteret) and running back Emir Davis ( Trenton , N.J. /Hun) were co-recipients of the Jeremiah Minihan Coaches Award.  Cherepski was a starter at defensive back the last two seasons and finished third on the team in 2007 with 70 tackles, which ranked 13th in the Patriot League.  Davis, a key contributor on the offensive side throughout his four years, finished his Georgetown career with 228 carries for 666 yards and five touchdowns.

Senior fullback Kyle Van Fleet ( Williamsport , Pa. /Loyalsock), a second team All-Patriot League selection, was the recipient of the Al Blozis Award as the team’s Most Valuable Player.  Van Fleet, a management and finance major, who was also named the Patriot League’s Scholar-Athlete of the Year, was a semifinalist for the Draddy Trophy (also know as football’s “Academic Heisman”) and was named to the ESPN the Magazine Academic All-District first team.  He had a team-high 44 receptions for 478 yards and four touchdowns this season, while carrying the ball 54 times for 198 yards and another score.

The highlight of the evening has been the presentation of the #35 jersey to a rising player on the team.  The #35 jersey has been presented annually to a member of the team in honor of former player Joe Eacobacci, who was killed on September 11, 2001.   During the 2008 season, the #35 jersey will be worn by rising senior Nicholas Umar (Belle Mead, N.J./Montgomery), a starter the last two years at defensive end.  The jersey was worn this year by senior linebacker Stephen Smith (Upper Marlboro, Md. /Eleanor Roosevelt).