Jan. 14, 2008

Cape Cod, MA - Wagner Cornerback/Return Specialist Al Phillips (Hialeah, FL/ American) was named to the ECAC 2007 Football Championship Subdivision All-Star Team, following a senior season where he was fifth in the nation in interceptions (seven) and ranked 11th in the nation in kickoff return yardage (27.69).

Phillips, who was named to the ECAC All-Star team as both a defensive back and as a kick returner, played an integral role in the Seahawks fashioning a 7-4 record in 2007, including a 3-3 mark in the competitive Northeast Conference.

A first-team All-Northeast Conference choice as both a CB and a return specialist, Phillips capped his outstanding collegiate career by snaring an interception in helping to lead the North to a 35-7 win over the South in the East Coast Bowl, an all-star game that features the top 75 Division I-FCS, II, III and NAIA athletes.

His seven INTs are tied for fourth on the Wagner single-season list and his 17 career picks place him third all-time. The 5-11, 195-pound Phillips finished the season fourth in the nation in passes defended at 1.64/game. He was also fifth in the nation in interceptions at 0.64/game.

Phillips returned 16 kicks for 443 yard on the season, none more important than the one he brought back to the house on Oct. 8 at Robert Morris which changed the entire momentum of the game in a matter of seconds. With his 2007 team trailing 10-0 and in vital need of a spark, Phillips returned a second-quarter kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown. The preseason all-NEC cornerback became the first Seahawk to accomplish such a feat since Jason Butler scored on a kickoff return against Stony Brook on Nov. 11, 2006. For his efforts against Robert Morris, where he also made five solo tackles, Phillips was named NEC Special Teams Player of the Week.

The ECAC will honor the players and rookies of the year in each division and region on February 19, 2008 at the annual Eastern College Football Awards Banquet presented by FieldTurf Tarkett, an event held in the Pegasus Restaurant at the Meadowlands Sports Complex in East Rutherford, N.J.

The Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) is the nation's largest athletic conference and only multi-divisional conferences, with 322 member institutions and over 122,000 student-athletes ranging across 16 states from Maine to North Carolina and westerly to Illinois. Established in 1938 with 58 charter members, the ECAC has since emerged as the nationwide leader in service. The ECAC honors more than 3,000 student-athletes during the academic year through its all-star and player of the week programs. Each week, the conference has recognized 12 football athletes, including offensive and defensive, in the Football Championship Subdivision (IAA), Division II, and Division III (Northeast, Northwest, Southeast, and Southwest Regions).