Trio of Panthers earn D3football All-Region honors

ORANGE, Calif. – Three members of the Chapman University football team were named to the d3football.com All-West Region Third Team this Tuesday. Seniors Ricky Bautista and Jacob Isabel were selected to the offensive team, while fellow senior Austin Pyka was named to the defensive team.

Bautista is the first Chapman quarterback to ever receive All-Region honors. He also led the Chapman awards this year, earning SCIAC Offensive Player of the Year in his final season as a Panther, carving his name in the Chapman record books after an explosive season. The QB posted a career passing efficiency of 171.9 over his two-year career at Chapman, setting a new school record. He also demolished the previous school records for yards per game in a single season and a career with 265.1 yards per game – over 10 yards greater than the previous record.

The Irvine, Calif. native led the SCIAC with 24 touchdowns, beating the record for most touchdowns in a single season set by Stanley Villanueva in 1999. To cap off a record-setting season and career, Bautista tallied his second career 400-yard game, becoming the first QB in Chapman history to record more than one 400-yard game.

Isabel, who earned First Team All-SCIAC honors, also etched his name in the Chapman record books in his final season. Only the second wide receiver to receive All-Region honors in school history, he set the school record for most yards in a single season with 1,050 receiving yards in the 2017 season. He is just the third Panther to record a 1,000 yard season. The Pleasanton, Calif. native also destroyed the previous single season and career average yards per game records, leading the conference with 137.7 yards per game in SCIAC games. His nine TDs in conference games also led the conference.

Isabel averaged 99.1 yards per game in his two-year career as a Panther, breaking a previous school record set by Marvin Qualls from 1999-2001, and was the first receiver in Chapman history to haul in 10 TDs in a single season. He caps off a historic career with 11 career 100-yard games – the most of any player in Chapman history.

Pyka is only the second defensive lineman to receive All-Region honors and the first since the 1994 season. He is no stranger to conference awards, earning his second All-SCIAC selection in his second and final year as a Panther. The DL entered the Chapman history book as the first player to be awarded the SCIAC Defensive Player of the Year after earning First Team honors in the 2016 season. Pyka ranked third on the Chapman squad with 45 total tackles and 5.6 tackles per game, helping the Panthers clog up the middle and deny the run game.

His presence in the middle helped Chapman's 3-4 defense be one of the best in the SCIAC as the Panthers led the conference in sacks and rush yards allowed. The Anaheim Hills, Calif. native also tallied 4.5 tackles for a loss of nine yards, including one half-sack.

Full release: http://www.d3football.com/awards/all-region/2017/d3football-all-west-region-2017

by Katie Bell
Sports Information Assistant

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