FARMINGTON, Utah — With the regular season over, the postseason awards are beginning to roll in for Eastern Washington football. The Big Sky Conference announced its postseason awards today, with Eastern earning 11 all-conference selections.

Efton Chism III, Wyatt Hansen and Michael Wortham (All-Purpose) all earn the first team honors after helping lead a prolific offense in 2024. 

Austin York, Matthew Brown and Derek Ganter Jr. landed on the second team, with Wortham joining at the kick returner spot. 

Jett Carpenter, Jack Seelye, Luke Dahlgren and DaJean Wells pick up honorable mentions.

The Eagles ranked second in the Big Sky and eighth in the FCS with 35.8 points per game, while ranking third in the conference and eighth in the nation with 444.3 yards of total offense.

Eastern converted third downs 56.4 percent of the time to lead the nation. They scored on 91.1 percent of their redzone opportunities, placing them eighth among FCS teams and second on the Big Sky leaderboard. 

EWU's offensive line allowed 1.17 sacks per game, good for fourth in the Big Sky and 16th in the FCS. 

Efton Chism III | Wide Receiver | Senior

For his final year in Cheney, Chism grabbed 120 passes to break Cooper Kupp's single-season record (117) from 2016. Chism's total receptions led the FCS, averaging 10.0 receptions per game, second-most in program history behind Kupp's 10.63 average in 2015. Chism had 1311 receiving yards to lead the nation and 13 receiving touchdowns that led the Big Sky, while ranking third in the nation. His yards rank 10th on Eastern's all-time single season lists, while his touchdowns tied for 10th. Chism posted six 100-yard games and six 10-plus reception games. This past week against Northern Arizona (11/23), Chism broke the FCS record with 53 games with a catch, passing Kupp (52). Chism earned the record with a career-long, 67-yard touchdown reception.

Chism started 2024 with a career-best 173 yards on 12 catches and matched his career-best with three touchdowns against Monmouth (8/29). He earned Big Sky offensive player of the week for his opening statement game. Later in the season Chism recorded a career-best 15 catches against UC Davis (10/19). The Monroe, Wash. native finished his career with 346 catches, 3852 yards and 37 touchdowns, averaging 6.53 receptions per game. He ranks second all-time in receptions and receptions per game, while ranking third and fourth in yards and touchdowns respectively.

This is Chism's fourth-straight all-conference honor and second-straight season placing on the first team. He was a third team selection in the 2022 and 2021 seasons. Chism added another honor earlier this week as a Walter Payton Award finalist, representing the top offensive player in the FCS.

Wyatt Hansen | Offensive Lineman | Senior

Hansen started all 12 games for Eastern this season, helping the offensive line to rank 16th in the FCS for sacks allowed. Along with protecting the quarterback, EWU averaged 229.3 rushing yards per game, ranking second in the Big Sky and fifth in the FCS. The Kent, Wash. native started all 52 games he played in during his Eastern career. Hansen's first team selection is his second all-conference honor after earning an honorable mention for the 2022 season. 

Michael Wortham | All-Purpose/Kick Returner | Senior

Wortham was the definition of all-purpose this year, racking up 1615 yards of total offense this season. He averaged 134.6 per game to rank second in the Big Sky and 11th in the nation.

Kickoff returns were Wortham's most productive position, accumulating 1093 yards, breaking the program record for a single season and leading the conference. Against Idaho, Wortham broke free for his first career kickoff return touchdown, going 100-plus yards. He had 38 total returns this season, averaging 28.8 per return.

Including the return score, Wortham scored seven total touchdowns, adding five rushing and one receiving. 

Wortham rushed for 313 yards on 36 attempts - 8.7 per carry. He had a career-best 109 yards on five carries, with two touchdowns against Idaho State (11/16). At receiver, Wortham was second on the team with 25 catches for 209 yards. Wortham also lined up at quarterback regularly, completing 7-of-9(78%) passes for 88 yards and threw two touchdown passes. 

With two all-conference awards in 2024, Wortham ends walks away with three all-conference selections in his career. He earned a second team special teams' all-conference selection last season. This is his first all-conference first team selection. 

Austin York | Fullback/Tight End | Senior

York started in 10 of the team's 12 games this season and was key to the Eagles run-blocking effort this season. Eastern posted 2944 rushing yards on 528 attempts, averaging 5.2 per attempt. Providing production on offense, York caught nine passes for 79 yards. He had a career-long 41 yard reception against Montana(9/28), finishing the game with three catches for 53 yards, a career-best. Against Idaho State, York had his first career kickoff return, going for 22 yards. 

The Chico, Calif. native finishes his Eastern career with 22 catches for 154 yards and one touchdown. In the preseason, York was named one of the Eagle's eight captains. York ended his career earning his first all-conference second team selection.

Matthew Brown | Defensive Tackle| Senior

Brown made the most of his last season as an Eagle, recording 42 tackles - 17 solo - with two sacks and five total tackles for loss in 12 games played. His best game was against Montana State (11/2), as Brown recorded 10 tackles for the second time in his career. In his final game, Brown broke through the NAU offensive line and tackled 'Jacks quarterback Ty Pennington for a safety. It was the first safety by an Eagle defender since 2021 against Southern Utah.

During his career at Eastern, Brown had 125 career tackles, with nine sacks and 20 tackles for loss, forcing two fumbles. He played in 45 total games, making 32 starts. Brown's second team selection is his first all-conference selection at EWU. 

Derek Ganter Jr. | Safety | Redshirt-Freshman

Ganter Jr. played like a veteran in the secondary this season, leading Eastern with 95 tackles, 55 of them solo. He ranked fifth in the Big Sky in total tackles and third in solo tackles. Ganter Jr. averaged 7.9 tackles per game that ranked seventh in the conference and 52nd in the FCS. 

The Pasadena, Calif. native posted a career-best 15 tackles against Idaho (10/26), part of a stretch of three-straight games with double-digit tackles. Ganter Jr. earned his first career sack against UC Davis, highlighting an 11-tackle effort, along with forcing his first career fumble in the game. He tallied 11 tackles against Montana State. Ganter Jr. was also third on the Eagles with four pass breakups.

Ganter Jr. earned national recognition earlier this week after being named as a finalist for the Jerry Rice Award, honoring the top freshman in the FCS. The second team selection is Ganter Jr.'s first all-conference award of his career. 

Jett Carpenter | Tight End | Redshirt-Junior

Carpenter was a staple for the Eagles this season, starting in 10 games and playing in 11. The Medford, Ore. native caught eight passes for 60 yards and scored a touchdown. His touchdown came in the team's final game against NAU. Carpenter had a career-best 24 yards on two receptions against Montana For his career, Carpenter has 13 catches for 74 yards and two touchdowns., with 23 games played. He earned his first career postseason award with the honorable mention honor this season. 

Jack Seelye | Center | Senior

Seelye started all 12 games at center for the Eagles in 2024. He ended his career with 23 total starts in 23 appearances. During the season, EWU lost only three fumbles to lead the Big Sky and rank seventh in the FCS. Seelye made an impact to limit opponents to 1.17 sacks per game and the offense to average 444.3 yards of total offense. The Eagle offensive line allowed 14 sacks in 348 drop backs by the team's quarterbacks. The honorable mention is Seelye's first career postseason award.

Luke Dahlgren | Offensive Lineman | Senior

Dahlgren was another steady presence for the Eagles' offensive line this season, starting all 12 games. With Dahlgren's help, EWU averaged 229.3 rush yards per game - 5.2 yards per attempt. Eastern rushed for a program-record 479 yards against Idaho State and had over 200 yards of rushing in 8-of-12 games. The team was third in the Big Sky with 32 rushing touchdowns. Dahlgren gets his first career postseason award with an honorable mention in his final season in Cheney. 

DaJean Wells | Cornerback | Redshirt-Junior

Wells developed into a stand-out corner this season, leading the Big Sky with 12 pass breakups. The Seattle, Wash. native made 10 starts for the Eagles and averaged 1.2 breakups per game to rank 13th in the FCS. Wells was tied for eighth on the team with 32 total tackles, making 22 of them solo. He had 0.5 tackle for loss during the season. Against Montana, Wells had a season-best six tackles - five solo - with three pass breakups. Wells posted four pass breakups to begin the season against Monmouth. 

As an Eagle, Wells has 55 tackles, one interception, one sack and one blocked kick. He has 2.5 total tackles for loss. Wells earns an honorable mention this season for his first all-conference honor of his career. 
 

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ABOUT EASTERN WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS
Eastern Washington University Athletics sponsors 14 intercollegiate sports, six for men and eight for women, both as learning opportunities for its most athletically talented students and as an enhancement to student and community life. Eastern is affiliated with Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and is a member of the Big Sky Conference, an association of 10 regional schools with comparable enrollments and academic goals.

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