University of Massachusets Athletics
Five Named To A-10 Preseason Teams
August 04, 2004 | Football
Aug. 4, 2004
RICHMOND, Va. -- Five members of the University of Massachusetts football team have been selected to the 2004 preseason All-Atlantic 10 Conference teams, it was announced this morning at Atlantic 10 Football Media Day. Junior tailback Steve Baylark (Apopka, Fla.), junior free safety Shannon James (Stratford, Conn.), senior offensive tackle Rob Kane (Londonderry, N.H.) and senior wide receiver Jason Peebler (Modesto, Calif.) were selected to the first team in voting by the conference's coaches and media, while senior cornerback Steve Costello (Kingston, N.Y.) earned second team honors. As a team, UMass was predicted to finish in third place of the North Division in the 2004 Atlantic 10 preseason poll, also voted on by the league's coaches and media. Maine placed first in the poll and collected 12 first place votes, with Northeastern coming in second with seven first place votes. Following the Minutemen, New Hampshire placed fourth (two first place votes), Rhode Island was ranked fifth and Hofstra came in sixth. Villanova was picked to win the South Division with 13 first place votes, followed by Delaware (second, 11 first place votes), William & Mary (third), James Madison (fourth), Richmond (fifth) and Towson (sixth). Baylark was named second team All-Atlantic 10 last season, in addition to earning second team All-East honors from Don Hansen's National Weekly Football Gazette. He led the team with 1,177 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns on 268 carries, placing fourth on the UMass single season list for carries for 10th for rushing yards. Baylark also caught 22 passed for 166 yards, and totaled a team-best 1,343 all-purpose yards on the year. A two time Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week selection in 2003, Baylark rushed for over 100 yards in a game on six occasions, including a career-high 144 yards against Richmond. James was a second team All-Atlantic 10 selection last year, while also being named second team All-East by Don Hansen's National Weekly Football Gazette. He ranked fourth on the team with 100 total tackles, including 80 solo stops and four tackles for loss. James also totaled four interceptions , five pass breakups and a fumble recovery over the course of the season. He was named National Defensive Player of the Week following UMass' 2003 victory at Villanova, when he scored the game winning touchdown on a 39-yard fumble return, in addition to posting nine tackles and an interception. Over the course of his UMass career, James has now totaled 211 tackles, eight interceptions and 15 pass breakups. Kane earned second team All-Atlantic 10 honors in 2003, and was named third team All-East Region by Don Hansen's National Weekly Football Gazette. Last year, he led an offensive line which allowed UMass to rush for 148.8 yards per game, while supplying pass protection to let the Minutemen throw for 231.6 yards per contest. Kane is entering his fourth year as a starter on the UMass offensive line, having played in 36 career games with 34 total starts. Peebler earned second team All-America honors from College Sports Television last year, in addition to being named first team All-New England and second team All-Atlantic 10. He caught a team-best 50 passes for 1,003 yards and 13 touchdowns on the season, while totaling 1,187 all-purpose yards. Peebler set a new school single season record by averaging 20.1 yards per catch, while placing second on the single season list for receiving touchdowns, third for receiving yards and 10th for receptions. Over the course of his UMass career, Peebler has now recorded 75 catches for 1,419 yards and 17 scores, in addition to totaling 2,089 all-purpose yards. Costello led the Atlantic 10 and ranked fourth in the nation with six interceptions last year, despite missing three games due to injury. He also totaled 53 tackles on the season, including 43 solo stops and five tackles for loss, while posting five pass breakups, two forced fumbles, a fumble recovery and a sack. Costello also had a fine year in 2002, totaling four interceptions, seven pass breakups, 39 tackles and two forced fumbles. Over the course of his UMass career, he has now recorded 96 total tackles and 10 interceptions. The Minutemen will open the 2004 season on Saturday, Sept. 4, when they travel to Delaware State for a 1:00 p.m. game.
