Smithfield, RI -- A week after being named to Northeast Conference First Team, junior wide receiver Jordan Harris (Lincoln University, Pa.) and sophomore defensive end Jeff Covitz (Reading, Mass.) have been named to the Division I FCS 2012 New England Football Writers (NEFW) All-New England Team.
The honor is the first for both athletes and gives the Bulldogs five over the past two seasons. Bryant's duo joins 26 other players from FCS-playing teams in New England, and represent two of the three selected from the NEC. Harvard led the way with six honorees, while New Hampshire and Brown placed five and four, respectively, on the team. The players will be honored at the NEFW Captains and Awards Banquet on Thursday, December 6 at the Montvale Plaza in Stoneham, Mass.
The top receiver in the NEC and all of New England, Harris continues to add to his trophy collection this season. A year after setting a program record with 959 yards, Harris erupted in 2012, catching 61 passes for 1,243 yards and 15 touchdowns on his way to NEC Offensive Player of the Year honors. Harris averaged 124.3 yards per game and over 20 yards per catch on the season, collecting seven 100-yard games and two 200-yard games. He finished third in the country in yards per game, third in touchdown receptions and was one of only four players to average over 20 yards per catch. In accumulating the first 1,000-yard receiving in program history, Harris also became the first receiver to do so in the NEC since former Monmouth great Miles Austin accomplished the feat in 2005.
A key member of Bryant's defensive line over the past two seasons, Covitz emerged as one of the premier defensive ends in the NEC in 2012. The Reading, Mass., native started every game and played nearly every snap for the Black and Gold this season, finishing with 58 tackles, 17 tackles for a loss and eight sacks. His 17 tackles for a loss led the NEC, while his eight sacks were a close second, and both were in the top five all-time in single-season program history. In fact, his tackle for a loss total was the most by a defensive player in New England and the 11th-most in the FCS.
Bryant finished 2012 with a 4-7 overall record and a 4-4 record in the NEC. It marked the fourth consecutive season that the Bulldogs have finished .500 or above in league play. The Black and Gold will honor this year's team at the annual Football Awards Banquet on Saturday, Dec. 8 in the Multipurpose Athletic Center (MAC).