MANSFIELD, Mass. (Nov. 17, 2016) - On Thursday, LIU Post football senior quarterback Jeff Kidd (Salem, Ore.) and red-shirt junior defensive back Jared Chester (Mount Vernon, N.Y.) were named the Northeast-10 Conference Most Valuable Player and Defensive Player of the Year, respectively.

Kidd is the second Pioneer in the last three years to be selected as the NE-10 Most Valuable Player. Former standout Steven Laurino received the same honor in the 2014 season.

Through nine starts, Kidd has averaged a league-best 246.3 passing yards per game on a .653 (198-of-303) completion rate. Furthermore, he has thrown for the second-most touchdowns (23) in the NE-10 and ran for four scores.

Meanwhile, Chester has started all 11 contests in 2016 at weak safety for the Pioneers. He has made a team-best 64 tackles, including 34 solo stops, and is tied for the league-lead in interceptions with six.

Head Coach Bryan Collins earned NE-10 Coach of the Year recognition. Collins has guided LIU Post to its first unbeaten season since 2002 and ninth conference title in his 19-year tenure at the helm of the program.

Senior running back David White (Bronx, N.Y.) and red-shirt senior wide receiver Shane Hubbard (St. Albans, N.Y.) joined Kidd on the All-NE-10 First Team offensive unit. White has rushed for a league-high 893 yards this season and averaged 5.5 yards per carry. He has seven touchdowns to his credit, as well.

Hubbard paces the Pioneer receiving corps with a team-leading 76 catches for 812 yards and eight touchdowns. He has also broken all three career receiving records (yards, receptions and touchdowns) at LIU Post in his final year with the green and gold.

The defensive line boasted three All-NE-10 first-team selections. They were red-shirt senior Kenny Scotland (Port Jefferson Station, N.Y.), red-shirt junior Anthony DeNunzio (Seaford, N.Y.) and junior Kevin Petit-Frere (Amityville, N.Y.).

Scotland has provided 30 tackles (19 solo, 11 assist) in 2016, a team-high-tying 11.5 of which have gone for a loss. DeNunzio ranks second in the NE-10 in sacks (7) and has collected the third-most tackles (60) on the team. Petit-Frere has tallied 35 tackles (20 solo, 15 assist) on the season and added 2.5 sacks.

Meanwhile, the Pioneers' offensive line had three starters land spots on the All-NE-10 roster. Junior Joseph Lacey (Medford, N.Y.) and red-shirt sophomore James Louison (Hauppauge, N.Y.) were named first-team honorees. Red-shirt sophomore Chris Coles (Hackensack, N.J.) garnered second-team honors.

Coles, Lacey and Louison have battled in the trenches and opened up holes to assist an LIU Post offense that leads the NE-10 in rushing (2,160 yards), passing touchdowns (26), first downs (262) and third-down conversion percentage (.494).

Sophomore kicker/punter Joey Tolgyesi (Miami, Fla.) and red-shirt junior wide receiver Kyle Ward (Elizabeth, N.J.) accompanied Coles on the All-NE-10 Second Team. Tolgyesi has averaged 36.8 yards per punt this year for the Pioneers and pinned the opposition 14 times inside their own 20-yard line. Additionally, he has drilled four of nine his field goals in 2016 from 40 yards out or further.

Ward has spearheaded the green and gold's return game on special teams. He has taken back 15 kickoffs for 411 yards, including a long of 61 yards that led to a touchdown-scoring drive in a 22-7 win over American International on Oct. 22.

Three mainstays in the LIU Post secondary highlighted the Pioneers' second-team selections on defense -- senior Jhaleel Oswald (Rosedale, N.Y.), junior Richard Wright (Brooklyn, N.Y.) and freshman Joshua Flowers (Mount Laurel, N.J.).

Oswald has appeared in all 11 games at free safety, making 48 tackles. His 34 solo stops are tied with Chester for second-most on the team. Wright has recorded 33 tackles (29 solo, four assist) in 2016, to go along with three interceptions. Flowers, who was chosen to the NE-10 All-Rookie Team, is tied for the league lead in interceptions (6) and has amassed 50 tackles (37 solo, 13 assist) in the process.

Senior linebacker Nate Feliz (Bronx, N.Y.) and red-shirt junior defensive lineman Jess Agbotse (Hackensack, N.J.) rounded out the green and gold's All-NE-10 second-team honorees.

Despite playing in only nine contests, Feliz has totaled 52 tackles (31 solo, 21 assist) and two interceptions, with a pair of pass break-ups. Agbotse has contributed 54 tackles (24 solo, 30 assist) this season, while adding three pass break-ups, 2.5 sacks and a pair of forced fumbles.

Collins and his LIU Post squad are back in action Saturday (Nov. 19), when they face seventh-seeded Winston-Salem State University in the opening round of the 2016 NCAA Division II Championship at Bethpage Federal Credit Union Stadium in Brookville, N.Y. Kickoff is set for noon.