FERRUM, Va. -- The USA South Athletic Conference has announced its 2017 football All-Conference team and Ferrum College had nine players honored including sophomore Brian Mann and senior Montel Lee, who earned Offensive Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year, respectively. Both were repeat first team All-Conference pick, with earning the fourth straight such honor.

Huntingdon College also grabbed two major awards with Linell Tarver earning Defensive Rookie of the Year and Mike Turk Coach of the Year. Maryville College's Elijah Hairston earned Offensive Rookie of the Year.

Lee posted 14 sacks this season and ran his career total to 41 sacks. He owns school records for game, season and career sacks, and holds the top five single-game sack performances in school history during Ferrum's NCAA Div. III era. This is Lee's third major award from the USA South, having earned Defensive Player of the Year last season and Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2014.

Lee joins an elite group of four former Ferrum student-athletes to earn All-Conference first team honors four times, the most recent being Brooke Hewartson in women's lacrosse from 2010-13. Prior to that were Chris Silk (football 2003-06), Lalita Brim (women's cross-country, 2000-03) and Lora Hicks (volleyball, 1989-92).

Mann earned four straight Offensive Player of the Week honors this season after posting four consecutive 200-yard rushing performances. He closed the season with 1,556 rushing yards and a school record 17 touchdowns on 274 carries, averaging 5.7 yards per carry. Mann now owns eight school records, including game and season rushing yards, single game and season rushing touchdowns and career rushing attempts. He was the USA South Offensive Rookie of the Year last season as a freshman and is now a two-time All-Conference first team selection.

Joining Mann and Lee on the All-Conference first team were senior DL Al Matthews,junior DB Rod Smith and sophomore OL Jordan Patti,. Earning second team All-Conference were senior TE Josh Bare, senior LB Tyus Brown, junior WR Johnny White , junior DB KwaJay Witcher and sophomore OL Sam Powers. The USA South also recognized an All-Sportsmanship Team, consisting of one member from each competing school and Ferrum's CJ Kaashif was included.

Ferrum closed out the season with an 8-2 overall record and 5-2 USA South mark under second-year Head Coach Rob Grande. The Panthers won their final six games. Grande loses 14 players to graduation this May. Ferrum will compete in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference starting in the Fall of 2018.