Beavers Land Six on Athlon Freshman Team

CORVALLIS, Ore. – Postseason awards continue to for the Oregon State football team as six Beavers were included on the Athlon Pac-12 All-Freshman team, with cornerback Xavier Crawford and offensive lineman Gus Lavaka earning spots on the national team. Crawford and Lavaka earlier this month were selected to several national Freshman All-American Teams.

Joining Crawford, a public health major, and Lavaka, who is yet to declare an academic concentration, on the conference freshman team is running back Artavis Pierce, offensive lineman Blake Brandel, defensive lineman Elu Aydon, and linebacker Andrzej Hughes-Murray.

Pierce, part of OSU's Florida connection, rushed for 523 yards and four touchdowns. The Lake Alfred, Fla., native who has yet to select a major, also caught 21 passes for the season and overall ranked third on the Beavers for all-purpose yards with 717.

44295

Brandel started all 12 games as a redshirt freshman and helped the Beavers achieve a school record for rushing yards per carry at 5.2. The Milwaukie, Ore., native is a business major.

44296

Aydon, an undeclared major, is one of the premier defensive tackles in the league already after just one season. The redshirt freshman from American Samoa started four games last season making 21 tackles.

44297

True freshman Hughes-Murray played in six games, starting four. The Federal Way, Wash., native who has yet to select a major, made 24 tackles with three tackles-for-loss last season.

44298

Lavaka, a native of Kearns, Utah, started seven games at left guard and helped the Beavers set a school record for single season rushing yards per carry at 5.2. The undeclared major garnered Pac-12 Honorable Mention honors as selected by the league's coaches last month.

44299

Crawford, a public health major, had a Beaver team-high 50 unassisted tackles and overall was fourth on the team with 70 tackles. The redshirt cornerback from Pittsburg, Calif., co-led the team with Treston Decoud for pass breakups with 10 and was the top freshman defender for the category in the Pac-12 following the regular season.

Oregon State returns to the practice field in preparation for the 2017 season in February with the annual Spring Game March 18 at Reser Stadium. Season tickets are available now for a team that returns 58 lettermen at BeaverTickets.com or by calling 541-737-2050.

OREGON STATE ATHLETICS' EVERYDAY CHAMPIONS CULTURE
Through the power of sport, we help people discover and pursue their passions, talents and purpose in order to live a life of balance and positive contribution.

Related News

Players Mentioned

Elu Aydon

Blake Brandel

Xavier Crawford

Treston Decoud

Andrzej Hughes-Murray

Gus Lavaka

Artavis Pierce

Related Videos