BRIDGEWATER, N.J. - Seven members of the Long Island University football team were named all-conference selections, the NEC announced on Wednesday. Jalen Bell, Scoop Gardner, Jr., Norman Massey, and Trey Watkins were named First-Team All-NEC on defense, while Will Lynch earned a first-team nod on special teams. Grayson Lewis was named a second-team all-conference selection on offense and DQ Watkins earned second-team honors on defense.

Bell, a sophomore defensive back from Kissimmee, Florida, led LIU and finished 10^th in the NEC with 72.0 total tackles (38 solo, 34 assisted). He also recorded seven tackles for loss, two interceptions, four pass breakups, and one forced fumble.

Gardner, a sophomore defensive tackle from Philadelphia, led the NEC with seven solo sacks this season. He registered 52.0 total tackles (30 solo, 22 assisted), 14.5 tackles for loss, one forced fumble, and one blocked field goal attempt.

Massey, a senior defensive back from Wichita, Kansas, led the Sharks with five pass breakups. He also tied Gardner with 52.0 total tackles (32 solo, 20 assisted) for the second-best mark on the team, including 1.5 sacks and 6.5 tackles for loss.

Trey Watkins, a redshirt junior defensive back from Rahway, New Jersey who was twice named NEC Defensive Player of the Week, led the NEC and is tied for second in the FCS with five interceptions. He also tallied 51.0 total tackles (36 solo, 15 assisted), one tackle for loss, two pass breakups, and a forced fumble.

Lynch, a senior punter from Queensland, Australia, finished top three in the NEC in all major statistical categories. On 63 attempts, Lynch averaged 41.8 yards per punt (3^rd NEC), with a long of 69 yards (T-2^nd), nine punts of more than 50 yards (2^nd), 18 punts downed inside the 20 (3^rd), and no touchbacks during the season (T-1^st).

Lewis, a graduate student offensive lineman from Harrisburg, North Carolina, started 11 games at center missing just one game due to injury. Lewis anchored a Sharks offensive line that allowed just 15 sacks all season, tying for the best mark in the NEC and ranking in a tie for 16^th nationally in the FCS. Lewis and the offensive line also paved way for an LIU rushing attack the racked up the second-most yards per game in the NEC this season (170.2).

DQ Watkins, a graduate student defensive end from Oxford, Mississippi, finished the season with 2.0 sacks, 6.5 tackles for loss, and 26.0 total tackles (18 solo, 8 assisted). He added one pass break up and one blocked kick. Watkins earned a spot on the NEC's all-conference team for the second season in a row.

The Sharks finished the season on a three-game winning streak, with wins in five of their last six games. At 6-6 overall, LIU posted its best record in its seven-year Division I history, highlighted by a 28-23 victory over Eastern Michigan University on Sept. 6, the program's first-ever win over a Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) opponent. The Sharks also posted a 4-1 mark at home this season.