Christopher Newport's Aaron McFarland Named NABC Middle Atlantic Player of the Year; York's Dalton Myers & Blayde Reich Also Honored
Christopher Newport senior Aaron McFarland was was selected the Middle Atlantic Region's Player of the Year and first team All-District Monday by the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC), highlighting a group of three CAC men's basketball players on the All-District squad. The York senior duo of Dalton Myers and Blayde Reich were also honored as All-District performers.
McFarland, the CAC Player of the Year, led the Captains in scoring this season and ranked second in the CAC in both scoring (17.9 points per game) and three-pointers (2.8 per game). He set a new program record for career three-point field goals (267) and games played (117) and also made 86 percent of his free throws including his last 29 attempts at the foul stripe this year. His 35-point performance against Mary Washington in the CAC semi-finals set a career high in scoring for the sharp-shooting standout. Also a first-team All-CAC pick, McFarland concluded his career with a trio of all-conference awards. He was a second-team all-star last season and a first-teamer in 2016. McFarland climbed into ninth place on the all-time scoring list.this year and finished with 1,552 career points including 502 points this year. He was a part of the most successful senior class in program history, recording a 99-20 record over four seasons and advancing to the Final Four, Sweet 16, and second round of the NCAA Tournament.
McFarland was joined on the first team All-District squad in the Middle Atlantic Region by the York forward tandem of Myers and Reich. Myers was selected to the All-District first team, while Reich earned second team accolades. The Spartan tandem helped lead the Green and White to one of the best seasons in school history. York finished the year 24-5 that included a CAC tournament championship. The Spartans also advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
Myers earned first-team Middle Atlantic honors as he averaged 17.6 points, 4.8 rebounds, 1.6 assists, and 0.8 blocked shots per game. Myers shot 54.7% from the floor, 39.6% from three and 76.3% from the free throw line. He earned first-team All-CAC honors for the second time in his career while he was also one of 10 finalists for the prestigious Jostens Trophy, the top award for Division III basketball. He finished his career with 1,499 points, good for ninth on the all-time scoring list. He also ranked in the top 15 in points per game, field goals made, field goals attempted, first goal percentage, free throws made, free throws attempted, total rebounds, blocked shots, blocked shots per game, games played, games started and minutes played.
Reich concluded a stellar senior year by earning second team All-Middle Atlantic honors. Reich ended the season averaging 16.4 points, 7.7 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 0.8 blocked shots per game. He shot 53.2% from the floor, 32.9% from three and 69.9% from the free throw line. Reich concluded his career with 1,143 points, good for 20th on the all-time York College scoring list. His name is also found in the top 15 of free throw attempts, total rebounds, rebounds per game, blocked shots, blocked shots per game, and games started. Reich also earned first-team All-CAC honors after being a second-teamer as a junior.
NABC MIDDLE ATLANTIC ALL-DISTRICT TEAM
First Team
Brandon Federici, Franklin and Marshall
Jay Howard, Catholic
Sam Light, Lebanon Valley
Aaron McFarland, Christopher Newport*
Dalton Myers, York
Dejuan Smith, Albright
Second Team
Kyle Doran, Johns Hopkins
Marcus Lee, Juniata
Andy Orr, Lebanon Valley
Blayde Reich, York
Cam Wiley, Swarthmore
Coach of the Year: Josh Loeffler, Johns Hopkins
* Player of the Year