Oct. 26, 2006

Contact: Josh Rattray

CLEVELAND, Ohio - Cleveland State freshmen George Kephart, Marco DiFranco and Josh Williams each earned all-league honors, the league office announced on Thursday (Oct. 26). Kephart earned a spot on both the All-Newcomer team and the All-League second team, while DiFranco and Williams each received All-Newcomer honors.

Kephart, a forward from Parma, Ohio, has been a force on offense all season. Heading into the league tournament, he is second on the team in points (11), coming on five goals and an assist. He netted game-winning goals in overtime in matches against Butler and Wright State and leads the team in shots (41) and shots on goal (19).

"George is a very hard worker and a great offensive player," head coach Ali Kazemaini said. "Toward the end of the season a lot of people have been noticing him and how hard he works on the field."

DiFranco, a midfielder from Chesterland, Ohio, has seven points on two goals and three assists. DiFranco has played in all 17 of the team's contests, including 12 starts.

"In the next couple of years, we will be looking for Marco to be our go-to guy," Kazemaini said. "He plays with a high level of energy.

Williams, a midfielder from Copley, Ohio, has started all 17 matches this season, scoring his first career goal in a 2-0 win against Detroit on Oct. 20.

"Josh's play this season has been a pleasant surprise," Kazemaini said. "He is a really smart player and a lot of success has to do with how he plays in the middle to stop the other team's transition game."

UIC's Tonci Skroce and John Trask captured the league's player and coach of the year awards, respectively.

The three freshmen helped Cleveland State (6-9-2) to more wins this season than the last two seasons combined. CSU, seeded fifth in the Horizon League tournament, heads to Chicago this weekend for a match with fourth-seeded Loyola on Saturday (Oct. 26) at 2:00 p.m.