Swann, Kaskey and Di Leo Earn More All-America Honors

HANOVER, N.H. — Three days after being named to the STATS Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) All-America Teams, the Dartmouth trio of Isiah Swann, Matt Kaskey and Rocco Di Leo were selected for the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) FCS All-America Teams. Swann was listed on the first team to become a consensus All-American while Kaskey and Di Leo earned spots on the second team.

Only 16 FCS programs have had at least three players selected for the AFCA All-America teams in one season, as Dartmouth was joined by Colgate (3), Delaware (3) and North Dakota State (4) this year among those teams. While the Big Green have had three or more All-Americans in one season from any organization eight times in its 137-year history, this is the first instance since Dartmouth claimed the national championship in 1925, 93 years ago. And the three Big Green players were the only Ivy Leaguers among those selected for the AFCA teams this season.

Already an FCS first-team All-American as chosen by STATS, the Associated Press and the Walter Camp Football Foundation, Swann made it a clean sweep with the AFCA joining the fold. The native of Queen Creek, Arizona, enjoyed one of the finest seasons ever by a Dartmouth cornerback, setting a school record with nine interceptions to lead the nation. The 6-0, 190-pound junior also led the league and ranks third in the FCS with 18 passes defended while recording 39 tackles and recovering a fumble. Twice he was named Ivy League Defensive Player of the Week, including after his performance at Holy Cross where he picked off three passes to earn STATS FCS National Defensive Player of the Week honors. The Ivy League Defensive Player of the Year, a unanimous all-conference selection and Division I All-New England performer, Swann will start his final season in Hanover next fall tied for the Big Green career record for interceptions with 13.

Kaskey, a 6-7, 325-pound senior from Winnetka, Illinois, was a unanimous All-Ivy League pick, earned a spot on the Division I All-New England Team and was named to the STATS FCS All-America Second Team as well as the AP FCS Third Team. The Big Green offense flourished with the tri-captain starting every game at left tackle as Dartmouth ranked 11th among FCS teams in rushing (254.7 yards per game) and sixth in fewest sacks allowed (7). His blocking the blind side of quarterbacks Derek Kyler and Jared Gerbino was a big factor in the Big Green having the eighth-best team passing efficiency. Dartmouth also ranked in the top 20 nationally in scoring offense at 34 points per game, as well as third- and fourth-down conversion percentage.

A 6-3, 285-pound defensive end, Di Leo also hails from Illinois (Elmhurst), and — like Kaskey and Swann — was a unanimous All-Ivy League choice and a member of the Division I All-New England Team. The fifth-year senior, who also was listed on the STATS FCS All-America Third Team, led the Ivy league with 12.5 tackles for a loss and ranked second in the conference (and 15th nationally) with 8.5 sacks. He finished the season with 43 tackles and forced a fumble, plus batted down six passes at the line of scrimmage, the most by a defensive lineman in the Ancient Eight. His finest performance of the season came at Columbia where he registered three sacks among his seven tackles, leading to 25 yards lost.

The Big Green concluded the 2018 campaign with a 9-1 record and 6-1 mark in the Ivy League, finishing second to Princeton, which ended the year 10-0 thanks to a hard-fought 14-9 home victory over Dartmouth in week eight of the season.

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