Four Earn First Team All-MAC Honors

MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. – Four Central Michigan football players were named to the All-Mid-American Conference First Team as the league released its all-conference honorees on Wednesday.

All four Chippewas to earn first-team honors come from the defensive side of the ball. They are linebacker Malik Fountain, a senior; lineman Michael Danna, a junior; and cornerbacks Sean Bunting and Xavier Crawford, both juniors.

The Chippewas had the third-most first-team selections among the 12 league members. East Division-champion Buffalo and Ohio both had six first-teamers.

CMU placekicker Ryan Tice, a junior, was named to the second-team offense, and lineman Nate Brisson-Fast earned a spot on the third-team defense.

It marks the third time that Fountain has earned All-MAC honors in a career that saw him start 51 consecutive games, tying for the second-most in program history. He was named to the All-MAC First Team defense as a sophomore in 2016, and in 2017, earned a spot on the second team.

Fountain was credited with a MAC-best 155 tackles in the 2018 season. It ranks as the second-highest total for a single season in CMU history and his 12.9 tackles-per-game average is second in the nation. He ranks seventh in program history with 401 career stops.

Danna tied for 13^th nationally and was second in the MAC with 9.5 sacks among 15 tackles-for-loss. He led the Chippewas in both categories, and ranked tied for third in the MAC in TFLs. He also had a team-high seven quarterback hurries.

Crawford, a corner his first season at CMU after transferring from Oregon State, shared the MAC lead with 13 passes defended while Bunting, who starts at the opposite corner, finished the season with five passes defended, two interceptions, two forced fumbles, and one blocked kick.

Tice, in his first season at CMU after transferring from Michigan, made 10 of his 12 field goal attempts. He was 6-for-7 from 40-49 yards and his 53-yarder against Ball State ranks as the third-longest field goal in Chippewa history.

Brisson-Fast, whose season was cut short by injury, made 31 tackles including 2.5 sacks among six tackles-for-loss. He also forced two fumbles and was credited with two quarterback hurries.

Players Mentioned

Sean Bunting

Xavier Crawford

Malik Fountain

Ryan Tice

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