BRIDGEPORT, W.Va. -- The Mountain East Conference today announced its all-conference teams and top individual award winners for the 2021 football season with Charleston's Tyreik McAllister earning Offensive Player of the Year honors, and Frostburg State's Carl Igweh and Notre Dame's Guam Lee sharing Defensive Player of the Year recognition. Fairmont State's Mike Floria was selected as the league's Offensive Freshman of the Year, while teammate Brocton Blair was tabbed as the Defensive Freshman of the Year. Frostburg State head coach DeLane Fitzgerald was recognized as the Coach of the Year.
 
Igweh and Lee shared Defensive Player of the Year honors after impressive seasons. Igweh, a defensive lineman from Taneytown, Md., led the country in sacks this season with 16.0. He also ranked among the NCAA leaders in tackles for a loss with 21.0, averaging 1.9 TFL per game. He set a MEC single-game record with six sacks in a game this season against Wheeling.
 
Said head coach Fitzgerald on Igweh: "Carl has developed into one of the top pass rushers and run stoppers in the country. He has worked so hard to get where he is now, both on and off the field. Carl is a great leader and has a fantastic character."
 
Fitzgerald is the MEC Coach of the Year for the first time after leading Frostburg State to a 10-1 record and a share of the Mountain East Conference title in its third and final year of reclassifying to NCAA Division II. The Bobcats earned their first national ranking in Division II this season and finished the regular season at No. 15 in the AFCA poll, its highest NCAA Division II ranking. He led an FSU squad that was second in the conference in scoring (39.8) and third in scoring defense (16.4), both of which rank among the top 25 in the country.
 
Coach Fitzgerald had this to say about winning the award: "We have the best coaching staff in the country, as well as a university with a great administration, faculty, and staff. In our football team's success, there are a lot of people to thank and several people who have helped along the way. This truly is a group award."