Center Valley, PA -- (Sports Network) - For the first time in Patriot League history, both the Offensive and Defensive Player of the Year honors in football are repeat selections. Holy Cross senior quarterback Dominic Randolph (Amelia, Ohio/St. Xavier) earns the Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year award for the second year in a row, while Lafayette senior linebacker Andy Romans (Allendale, N.J./St. Joseph Regional) won his second straight Patriot League Defensive Player of the Year award, it was announced on Tuesday.

The remaining major award winners both come from Patriot League champion Colgate, as Head Coach Dick Biddle tied a League record with his fourth Coach of the Year honor and freshman Nate Eachus (Drums, Pa/Hazleton) became the fifth consecutive running back to win the League's Rookie of the Year honor.

Colgate also led the way in both overall and First-Team All-League selections. The Raiders had 12 student-athletes selected to the All-League team, including eight First-Team honorees. Holy Cross followed the Raiders with 11 All-League selections, including five First-Team picks that all came on the offensive side of the ball. Lafayette had 10 student-athletes earn All-League status, while Lehigh had seven of its nine selections named to the First Team. Fordham had five All-League selections, Bucknell had four and Georgetown had two as every team was represented on the squad.

Randolph becomes just the second Patriot League student-athlete to win two Offensive Player of the Year honors, and the first to do it since Lafayette's Erik Marsh claimed the award in 1992 and 1993. A finalist for the Walter Payton Award given to the Most Outstanding Player in the Football Championship Subdivision, Randolph led Holy Cross to a 7-4 overall and 5-1 Patriot League record with an outstanding season where he set numerous single-season and career League records. Randolph completed 340-of-520 passes for 3,838 yards with 34 touchdowns and 17 interceptions. The 340 completions set a Patriot League single-season record, and Randolph also set a League mark with eight 300-yard passing performances, which came in Holy Cross' final eight games. His 34 touchdown passes tied a Patriot League record.

Romans becomes the second Patriot League student-athlete to earn two overall and consecutive Patriot League Defensive Player of the Year honors, following Colgate's Tem Lukabu who received the award in 2002 and 2003. A finalist for the Buck Buchanan Award given to the Top Defensive Player in the FCS, Romans made 96 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, two fumble recoveries and one blocked kick for the Leopards, who finished 7-4 overall and 3-3 in Patriot League play. He led a Lafayette defense that placed first in the Patriot League and in the top 20 nationally in rushing, total and scoring defense. Romans earned Patriot League Defensive Player of the Week honors three times in 2008, coming in consecutive weeks from Oct. 6-20. He received both the Defensive and Special Teams Player of the Week honors on Oct. 20, as he recorded 12 tackles and a blocked punt that he returned for a touchdown in Lafayette's 35-21 win at No. 14 Liberty on Oct. 18.

Biddle earns his fourth Coach of the Year honor after leading Colgate to its sixth Patriot League title in his 13-year tenure, and the first for the Raiders since 2005. The four Coach of the Year honors tie Holy Cross' Mark Duffner for the most in Patriot League history, as Biddle previously won the award in 1996, 2003 and 2005. He led the Raiders to a record of 9-2 overall and 5-0 in the Patriot League, completing the first undefeated campaign for any League team since leading Colgate to a 7-0 record in 2003. The Raiders won their final eight games of the season, a streak that trails only No. 1 James Madison and No. 2 Appalachian State heading into Colgate's first-round game in the NCAA Division I Football Championship on Saturday at Villanova.

Eachus is the fifth consecutive running back to earn the Patriot League Rookie of the Year Award, and the first for Colgate since his backfield mate, senior Jordan Scott, received the honor in 2005. Eachus came on late in the season when Scott went down with an injury, and excelled with 162 carries for 872 yards and 10 touchdowns. He also played linebacker at times throughout the year, and finished with 10 tackles and a sack. Eachus won the Patriot League Rookie of the Week award after each of the final five games that Colgate played, receiving the honor four times consecutively from Oct. 20-Nov. 10 and again on Monday after rushing for 118 yards and touchdown to help lead the Raiders to the Patriot League Championship with a 28-27 win over Holy Cross on Saturday. Eachus had his breakout performance on Oct. 18 against Cornell, as he came in at running back in the second quarter and carried 37 times for 241 yards and three touchdowns in the Raiders' 38-22 victory.

2008 All-Patriot League Football Team

First-Team Offense: QB - Dominic Randolph, Holy Cross, Sr.; RB - Nate Eachus, Colgate, Fr.; RB - Jordan Scott, Colgate, Sr.; FB/HB - Joe Russo, Lafayette, Sr.; WR - Jon Brock, Holy Cross, Sr.; WR - Pat Simonds, Colgate, Jr.; TE - Ryan McGuire, Holy Cross, Sr.; OL - Nick Hennessey, Colgate, Sr.; OL - Steve Jonas, Colgate, Sr.; OL - Aaron Jones, Holy Cross, Jr.; OL - Will Rackley, Lehigh, So.; OL - Rich Rosabella, Colgate, Sr.; RS - A.J. Kizekai, Bucknell, Jr.; K - Matt Partain, Holy Cross, Sr.

First-Team Defense: DL - BJ Benning, Lehigh, Jr.; DL - Greg DeMarco, Fordham, Sr.; DL - Brian Jackson, Lehigh, Sr.; DL - Jason Mills, Lafayette, Sr.; LB - Matt Cohen, Lehigh, Jr.; LB - Tim Diamond, Lehigh, Sr.; LB - Mark Leggiero, Lafayette, Jr.; LB - Andy Romans, Lafayette, Sr.; DB - Quadir Carter, Lehigh, Sr.; DB - Chris Ekpo, Colgate, Sr.; DB - Matt Loucks, Fordham, Sr.; DB - Wayne Moten, Colgate, Jr.; P - Jason Leo, Lehigh, Sr.

(Courtesy of Patriot League Media Relations)