DANBURY, CT - Nate Palmer (Verona, NY/Vernon Verona Sherrill) of the Utica University football team has been named the Eastern College Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Year as well as to the first team. Defensive end Jimmie Warren (Suffern, NY/Suffern) and quarterback Braeden Zenelovic (Ontario Center, NY/Wayne Central) were also named to All-ECAC Teams. 
 
The honors add to an already decorated offseason for Palmer who finished his Pioneer career first with 411 punt returns yards, second all-time with 2,695 receiving yards, 26 receiving touchdowns and 30 total touchdowns, third averaging 16.04 yards per catch, fourth with 3,192 all-purpose yards and 182 points scored, fifth with 168 receptions, and eighth with 3.91 receptions per game. 
 
The Verona, NY native also became the first three-time All-American in program history with American Football Coaches Association Division III Coaches' All-America First Team honors, Associated Press All-America Second Team honors and D3football.com All-America Fourth Team honors. 
 
Prior to All-American honors, Palmer was named to the D3football.com All-Region II First Team while collecting All-Empire 8 honors in the Empire 8 Offensive Player of the Year, Empire 8 First Team wide receiver and all-purpose player, and the Empire 8 Second Team as a return specialist. 
 
He was also selected to participate in the NFL Scouted FCS Bowl in Daytona Beach, Florida on December 11 which gave the top FCS/DII/DIII players a direct path to play in a top FBS game. Palmer was also one of 15 semifinalists for the Gagliardi Trophy which is awarded to the best player in NCAA Division III. 
 
This season he recorded 75 catches and set single-season program records with 1,291 receiving yards and 18 receiving touchdowns. Palmer's 120 points recorded this season also rank first all-time in a single-season in program history. His 75 receptions rank third all-time in a single-season and he finished fifth all-time for total touchdowns in a season with 20. 
 
Warren, a Cliff Harris Award semifinalist for the nation's top small college defensive player, earned All-ECAC First Team Defense honors at defensive end. Warren capped off his 2022 season as the Empire 8 leader with 11 sacks, tied for the E8 lead with 17.5 tackles for loss and ranked fourth in the league with 98 total tackles. His 11 sacks this season finished third all-time in a single-season in program history while his tackles for loss ranked fourth in a single-season in program history. The 75 yards opponents lost on his tackles for loss, however, were the most in a single-season in program history. 
 
He was previously named Empire 8 Co-Defensive Player of the Year as well as to the D3football.com All-Region II Second Team at defensive end. 
 
Zenelovic was named to the All-ECAC Second Team Offense at quarterback after a record-setting first season under center for the Pioneers. The senior set single-season program records with 3,207 passing yards, a 159.1 passer efficiency and 8.5 yards per completion while tying the single-season record for touchdown passes with 31. 
 
Zenelovic was also previously named to the All-Empire 8 Second Team at quarterback. 

For more information regarding the All-ECAC Teams, please visit https://ecacsports.com/news/2022/12/20/ecac-announces-2022-division-iii-football-all-ecac-and-major-awards.aspx.