NORFOLK, Va. – Hampton University sophomore running back Antown Chisholm and senior defensive back Micah Pellerin were each named Preseason First Team All-MEAC at the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference's annual Football Press Luncheon on Friday at the Downtown Waterside Marriott.

 

Chisholm (Belle Glade, Fla.), last season's MEAC Rookie of the Year and a Second Team All-MEAC selection, rushed for a team-high 607 yards on 131 carries as a freshman, averaging 4.6 yards per carry. He was eighth in the MEAC with 60.7 rushing yards per game, and Chisholm found the end zone four times.

 

He rushed for at least 100 yards twice last season; he had a career-high 157 yards on 15 carries at Delaware State on Sept. 30, while also rushing 11 times for 114 yards against North Carolina A&T on Sept. 18.

 

Chisholm, a three-time MEAC Rookie of the Week last season, also ran for 98 yards and scored the game-winning touchdown in the Battle of the Bay against Norfolk State on Oct. 16.

 

Pellerin (New Orleans, La.) was seventh on the team in tackles last season with 41 – including 30 solo efforts. He had a career-high 13 tackles (11 solo, two assisted) against Old Dominion on Oct. 30, while adding eight tackles (four solo) in the Battle of the Real HU at Howard on Sept. 11.

 

He also intercepted two passes, second-most on the team, on the season. Pellerin led the MEAC with 16 defended passes in 2010, while also breaking up 14 passes.

 

Both players were also named Preseason First Team All-MEAC by Phil Steele.

 

The Pirates, who went 6-5 last season with a 5-3 MEAC record, were picked to finish fourth this season with 321 points in the preseason poll, voted on by the conference's head coaches and sports information directors, and one first-place vote.

 

South Carolina State, with six first-place votes and 468 points, was picked to be the preseason favorite to win the MEAC this season, while Bethune-Cookman gathered eight first-place votes in being picked to finish second.

 

Florida A&M, with five first-place votes, was picked to finish third. Norfolk State, picked to finish fifth, also tallied one first-place vote.

 

Three Pirates were also named Preseason Second Team All-MEAC, led by senior quarterback David Legree. Legree (Brooklyn, N.Y.) passed for 1,679 yards and nine touchdowns in 11 games last season, completing 47.9 percent of his passes. Legree's career-high in passing yards came at Florida A&M on Nov. 13, when he threw for 299 yards and a score.

 

Legree was named MEAC Co-Offensive Player of the Week last season after a 206-yard, four-touchdown performance against North Carolina A&T on Sept. 18.

 

Junior wide receiver Javaris Brown (Macon, Ga.) and junior offensive lineman David Luckett (Pomfret, Md.) also earned Preseason Second Team honors. Brown was Hampton's leading receiver last season, catching 40 balls for 639 yards and five touchdowns – an average of 16.0 yards per catch and 58.1 receiving yards per game.

 

He caught eight passes for 141 yards and a score at Florida A&M on Nov. 13, before adding 103 more yards on three catches in the season finale at Morgan State.

 

Luckett, a transfer from Winston-Salem State, played in all 11 games for the Pirates last season and performed on an offensive line that helped Hampton rush for 145.6 yards per game, fifth-most in the MEAC, and score 13 touchdowns on the ground.

 

Delaware State wide receiver Justin Wilson was named MEAC Preseason Offensive Player of the Year, while Bethune-Cookman linebacker Ryan Lewis earned Preseason Defensive Player of the Year honors.

 

The Pirates will open the 2011 season on Saturday, Sept. 3, when they take on Alabama A&M in the Chicago Football Classic at Soldier Field. For more information on Hampton University football, please call the Office of Sports Information at (757) 727-5811, or visit the official Pirates website at www.hamptonpirates.com.