Lycoming Football: Warriors Needhammer, Umpleby earn all-region accolades

Junior wide receiver Ryan Umpleby
(Forest Hill, Md./Fallston)

WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. – Senior running back Craig Needhammer (Lansdale, Pa./North Penn) repeated on the D3football.com All-East Region team, earning second-team honors after a record-breaking season, while junior wide receiver Ryan Umpleby (Forest Hill, Md./Fallston) picked up third-team accolades for the Lycoming College football team, as the website announced its all-region teams on Monday afternoon, Dec. 8.

Needhammer, a physics major that was named a Second Team Capital One Academic All-American last week, is only the fifth Warrior to earn repeat all-region honors since the D3football.com program began in 2005. Needhammer finished third in the MAC with 1,242 rushing yards and second with 13 touchdowns. His 186.7 all-purpose yards per game led the conference and are sixth nationally.
He posted the first two 300-all-purpose-yard games in program history as a senior, earning USA College Football Offensive Player of the Week honors after his effort against Misericordia and then earning D3football.com Team of the Week accolades and USA College Football Running Back of the Week accolades after his 339-yard effort against FDU-Florham. The team captain rushed for a school-record 299 yards in his last game at FDU-Florham, breaking Josh Kleinfelter's record of 3,664 career rushing yards with his final rush – that 50-yard touchdown that made it 45-27 with 2:47 remaining – giving him 3,713 career yards.

Senior running back Craig Needhammer
(Lansdale, Pa./North Penn)

Needhammer also finished his career with a school-record 42 touchdowns, 39 rushing touchdowns and 5,291 all-purpose yards. He set single-season records for rushing touchdowns (13), all-purpose yards (1,867) and kick return yards (482). He also set the single-game all-purpose yardage record of 339 yards.

Umpleby, a business administration major that earned MAC Academic Honor Roll accolades last week, enjoyed a breakout year as a junior en route to First Team All-MAC and all-region honors. He finished second in the MAC and 24th nationally with 1,022 yards. He was third with 66 receptions and 10 touchdowns. He became the first Warrior in school history to post two 200-yard receiving games in a career, as he notched 203 against Widener and a school-record 228 against Lebanon Valley. He is the first Warrior wide receiver to earn D3football.com All-Region accolades. Tim Dumas was the last all-region wideout, earning the honors from the Don Hansen Football Gazette in 1999.

The Warriors finished 8-2 and in third place in the Middle Atlantic Conference under seventh-year head coach Mike Clark.