WILKES-BARRE, Pa. – December 13, 2002 - Daniel Pincelli, a six-foot, 190-pound senior quarterback at Hartwick College, Oneonta, N.Y. is the 2002 recipient of the Melberger Award, presented by the Downtown Wilkes-Barre Touchdown Club to the outstanding Division III football player of the year. Pincelli, a tri-captain, is a four-year starter as the quarterback of the Hartwick football team, which recently finished the 2002 season with an 8-2 record. Pincelli was 198-for-361 in pass attempts for 3,208 yards this fall. He threw 36 touchdown passes and has a 154.65 efficiency rating. He averaged 320.8 passing yards per game. Pincelli was named to the Empire 8 All-Conference first team and was named Eastern College Athletic Conference Northwest Offensive Player of the Week four times. He also earned the Empire 8 Conference Offensive Player of the Week honors four times during the season. Pincelli is a three-time recipient of the Philip S. Wilder Jr. Award for Academic Distinction at Hartwick, which is awarded to student-athletes who maintain a GPA of 3.5 or higher while playing a sport. An English major from Rochester, N.Y. with a 3.671 overall GPA, Pincelli has made the Dean’s List six times in his collegiate career. He was named to the 2001 Verizon Academic All-District I Team. Pincelli is the tenth recipient of the award which was instituted by the Touchdown Club in 1993. Members of Division III football conferences, as well as independents, nominate student-athletes for the award. A panel of media representatives from across the country cast their votes for the award recipient who is presented the trophy at an annual function hosted by the Touchdown Club. As the recipient of the Melberger Award, Pincelli receives a trophy designed as a replica of an old-style leather football helmet crafted out of anthracite coal and mounted on a solid coal base. The award’s sculptor is Frank Magdalinski of Anthracite Coal Craft in Plains, Pa. Additionally, Diversified Information Technologies presents the award-winner’s college with a scholarship in his name. In addition to Pincelli receiving the Melberger Award, the Touchdown Club also presented Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) awards. The MAC award presentations and recipients are: | ||
| Most Valuable Player | Steven Wilson | Kings College |
| Offensive Player of the Year | Mark Bartosic | Susquehanna University |
| Offensive Lineman of the Year | Bob Fehr | Kings College |
| Defensive Player of the Year | Steven Wilson | Kings College |
| Defensive Lineman of the Year | Steven Wilson | Kings College |
| Coach of the Year | Rich Mannelo | Kings College |
| Championship Trophy | Kings College | |
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The Downtown Wilkes-Barre Touchdown Club, based in northeastern Pennsylvania, was founded and incorporated in 1991
to promote and honor student-athletes and coaches of NCAA Division III College Football. The Club was formed to
foster good relationships among small colleges and universities in the Middle-Atlantic states. In 1993, the Club realized the need to recognize outstanding athletes and the coaches who contribute to their development as players and students on a national scope. Thus, the Melberger Award was created to honor the outstanding Division III player of the year. The award is named in honor of Clifford K. Melberger, a member of the board of directors of the Touchdown Club and chairman and CEO of Diversified Information Technologies. Sponsors for this years’ event include: Diversified Information Technologies; Elliott Reihner Siedzikowski & Egan, PC; Fortune Infotech, Vee Technologies, and the Times Leader. | ||
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