DANBURY, CT - The ECAC announced their annual Division III Football All-ECAC awards on December 19th, listing their picks for the top Division III Football talent in the nation. Among the roster of chosen players for the All-ECAC Awards, with programs from all across the eastern seaboard getting recognition, Junior Defensive Back Eli Douglas (Ausable Forks, NY/Ausable Valley) was one of the 13 players chosen for the All-ECAC Division III First Team Defense. 

Douglas had an outstanding season in coverage for the Pioneers, setting the Utica Football single-season record for both interception return yards and interception return TD's. Douglas' 125 interception return yards put him into a tie with former Pioneer standout Lazarus Morgan at the top of that category, Morgan first set that record back in 2007. Douglas also stood alone at the top of the single-season interception return touchdown category by year's end, with his three pick-6's giving him the record for most interception house calls, a single touchdown more than Eli Belle's two pick-6 season in 2019. In addition to these records, Douglas also finished tied for 6th in single season Pioneer history with four total interceptions. Three players in Pioneer history have five picks, while two players stand at the top of the list with six and seven interceptions respectively. All-in-all, Douglas ended 2024 with one of the premier single-season defensive performances in school history. 

Douglas was also featured heavily in the Empire 8 conference leaderboards after the completion of the 2024 season, finishing first in interception return touchdowns and finishing tied for first in total interceptions. Douglas' three pick 6's were two more than the next closest player in conference, while his interception total was tied by Elijah Grooms of Brockport and Nazair Jean-Lubin of Cortland. Each player had four interceptions on the season. The Ausable Forks native also landed in a two-way tie for second in the passes defended column, totaling 10 defenses off four interceptions and six breakups. The six pass breakups saw Douglas end up in a massive logjam for third in the conference. 

All this is to say that Douglas had a historic outing in 2024, receiving his All-ECAC First Team nod amongst standout players from other major factors in this year's Division III NCAA Football Tournament including Springfield, Salisbury, and Hobart. The Junior will look for an even more meteoric jump as he enters his Senior year for the Pioneers.