Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell's Conover, Ross Earn Patriot League Preseason Football Honors
8/2/2005 8:00:00 AM | Football
Aug. 2, 2005
LEWISBURG, Pa. - Bucknell seniors Sean Conover and Dante Ross were awarded preseason individual football honors on Tuesday at the Patriot League's annual Media Day event at Green Pond Country Club outside Easton, Pa.
Conover was named Patriot League Preseason Defensive Player of the Year, while Ross was cited as the PL Preseason Special Teams Player of the Year. Both players earned similar major awards following terrific 2004 campaigns and will be two of Bucknell's key players heading into the 2005 season.
Also at Media Day, the Patriot League announced its preseason poll, as selected by the conference's head coaches and sports information directors. Bucknell was selected fifth in the tightly contested poll. Lehigh picked up eight first-place votes and 68 total points to edge defending league champion Lafayette (three first-place votes and 61 points) for the top spot. Colgate (49 points) and Fordham (41) picked up one and two first-place votes respectively, while Bucknell (40) was just one point behind the Rams in the predictions. Holy Cross (20) and Georgetown (15) rounded out the poll.
Conover was recently named a preseason All-American by The Sports Network, following up on his Second Team All-America honors he garnered following a stellar 2004 season. Conover tied for the league lead with 10.5 sacks and led the conference in forced fumbles with five. He recorded 18 tackles for loss and earned the George Rieu Award as Bucknell's top defensive lineman. Conover enters this season needing 11 sacks to equal the school's career record.
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One of the league's most electrifying performers, Ross starts at cornerback for the Bison and is also a record-setting punt and kickoff returner. A year ago he led the Patriot League in both kickoff (29.1) and punt (9.5) return average, and he became the first player in school and league history to return two kickoffs for touchdowns in the same game when he ran back kicks of 97 and 85 yards against Georgetown. Also an excellent cover man at corner, Ross had four interceptions last season, three coming in one game against Duquesne.
Lehigh quarterback Mark Borda was awarded the league's preseason offensive player of the year honor.
Bucknell opens preseason camp on Tuesday, Aug. 9, with the first practice slated for 3:15 p.m. The Bison open the 2005 season with a conference game, hosting Georgetown on Saturday, Sept. 3 at 6 p.m. at Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium.
