Six Panthers Selected to BSN Preseason All-GSC Team
By Ryan Jones, Athletic Director for Athletic Communications // July 28, 2014
2014 SEASON KICKS OFF Sept. 6 AT STETSON
LEESBURG, VIRGINIA – Florida Tech announced six football student-athletes were named to the Beyond Sports Network Preseason All-Gulf South Conference Team.
Earning recognition on the offensive side of the ball were tight end Gabe Hughes, wide receiver Xavier Milton and offensive lineman Ramsey Sellers.
Garnering recognition on the defensive team were linebackers Justin Arcune and Chris Stapleton along with defensive back Manny Abad.
Hughes and Milton were unanimous All-GSC First Team selections near the end of the Panthers’ inaugural season last November.
The remaining four players were named second team. Stapleton was also chosen GSC Co-Defensive Freshman of the Year.
Hughes, a rising junior, is entering his second year at FIT after transferring from Western Michigan.
He played in 11 of the team’s 12 games despite dealing with injuries most of the season. He finished with 19 catches, 186 yards and one touchdown.
Milton was electric as a junior from Laney College in Oakland, California. He led the GSC with an average of seven receptions per game and totaled 938 receiving yards. He hauled in 11 touchdowns, good for fourth most in the league.
Sellers, a junior captain with Arcune, was a staple on the offensive line. He helped running back Trevor Sand finish third in the GSC with 872 rushing yards and quarterback Bobby Vega came in second at 2,152 passing yards.
Arcune ranked among the top 10 players in the conference in three categories. He tied for the lead with three forced fumbles, finished fourth with five sacks and was seventh with 90 tackles.
Playing alongside Arcune was Stapleton, who put up big numbers as a redshirt freshman. He sat atop the league with 12 tackles for loss and was fourth with 97 tackles.
Abad often defended the opposition’s top wide receiver. The redshirt freshman from Fort Lauderdale, Florida tied for the league lead with three fumbles recovered and tied for ninth with eight passes defended.
FIT’s 5-7 inaugural season last fall was highlighted by a 32-20 win over fellow first-year program Alderson Broaddus in the first-ever Eastern College Athletic Conference Division II Futures Bowl.
The Panthers open their second season on the road at Stetson on Saturday, Sept. 6. Kickoff is at 7 p.m.
Tickets for the game will be available through the FIT Ticket Office at a discounted price of $20 per ticket starting on Wednesday, July 9 through Thursday, July 31.
Season tickets are also available through the ticket office for the Panthers’ home games at Palm Bay High School’s Pirate Stadium.
The season ticket prices are $65 for adults and $40 for seniors ages 65 and above, children ages 5-16 and FIT faculty and staff for all five home games.
Faculty and staff can purchase up to two adult season tickets at the discounted rate of $40.
During the summer, tickets can be purchased through the ticket office by phone Monday-Friday from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. The phone number is 321-674-6228. Questions can be e-mailed to AthleticsTickets@FIT.edu.
CLICK HERE TO SEE THE COMPLETE BSN PRESEASON ALL-GSC TEAM
