Dec. 15, 1999
COLLEGE PARK, Md. - Two Maryland seniors and two juniors were named on Tuesday to the
Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) All-Star Team. Junior running back LaMont Jordan (Forestville,
Md.), the nation's fifth-leading rusher in 1999 and the country's best through the season's final six weeks,
highlighed the cast of Terrapins which also includes cornerback Lewis Sanders (Staten Island, N.Y.), offensive
tackle Brad Messina (Bogota, N.J.) and nose tackle Delbert Cowsette (Cleveland, Ohio).
Overall, Jordan is the most heralded of the group, already having earned selection on three different
All-America teams and mention as a semifinalist for the Doak Walker national running back award. He finished
with a school-record 1,632 yards as a junior which was the third-best ever in the ACC and the most by an ACC
junior. He is just 91 yards from breaking the Maryland career rushing record and just 1,376 from establishing a
new career mark in the ACC. He enters his senior season with 3,227 yards and is within reach of becoming
one of the top ten rushers in NCAA history.
Sanders, like Jordan, returns to the Terrapins in 2000. Sanders boasted six interceptions early in his
junior campaign and for a brief stretch, led the country in both interceptions and kickoff returns. He averaged
26.8 yards to finish 12th in the country in kickoff returns, and recorded nine takeaways on defense including
three fumble recoveries. His nine takeaways led the country.
Messina, a senior, helped anchor the much-improved Maryland running game. Since the Terrapins
ranked 106th in the country in rushing in 1997, Messina started every game of his junior and senior seasons to
help the Terps to a No. 50 rushing ranking in 1998 and a hold on the No. 12 spot in 1999.
Cowsette, also a senior, ended his college career with 33 consecutive starts and was named the
Terps' defensive MVP. He led the team with six sacks, and was second in tackles for loss. Cowsette registered
280 stops during a four-year career in which he played in every game.
