Four members of the York University Lions football team were named to the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) all-rookie team on Tuesday (Nov. 10).
 
Running back Jesse Amankwaa, linebacker Jakob Butler and receivers Colton Hunchak and Nathaniel Pinto were all recognized as top first-year players by the conference. It marks the first time since the OUA all-rookie list was introduced in 2013 that the Lions have had more than one representative on the team, and York is one of only two teams with four players selected this year.
 
Amankwaa, a 6-foot-0, 217-pound rusher from Etobicoke, Ont., was a force for the Lions on offence. He earned the starting running back job in Week 4 and carried the load for the team with 137 total rushes, tied for second most in the OUA. He was also sixth in the conference with 689 total yards and put up four touchdowns, two each against Waterloo and Queen's. He averaged 86.1 yards per game, good for sixth in the OUA, and 5.0 yards per carry, which was the 13^th best mark in the conference.
 
Butler, a 6-foot-1, 210-pound linebacker from Sherwood Park, Alta., was dominant on defence despite missing two games because of injury. In the six he did play, Butler twice recorded more than 10 tackles and overall had 41.5 on the season, good for 13^th in the OUA. His 6.9 tackles per game ranked him third in the conference, and he also had three tackles for loss and three pass break-ups.
 
Receivers Pinto, 5-foot-6 and 170 pounds from Toronto, and Hunchak, 6-foot-2 and 193 pounds from Calgary, both asserted themselves as go-to pass catchers for the Lions despite being new to the team. Pinto finished 15^th in the OUA with 63.4 yards per game and scored a pair of touchdowns, while Hunchak was 26^th with 44 yards per game and had a tremendous 13 catches for 135 yards in York's near-upset of No. 10 Queen's in the season finale.
 
One of the 24 players on the OUA all-rookie team will be named the OUA rookie of the year and presented with the Norm Marshall Award. The winner will be announced on Thursday morning (Nov. 12) at the 2015 OUA Football Major Awards and Yates Cup press conference in Burlington, Ont.
 
OUA All-rookie Team – Offence
QB – Liam Putt, Windsor
RB – Jesse Amankwaa, York
RB – Cedric Joseph, Western
RB – Jordan Lyons, McMaster
REC – Kurleigh Gittens Jr., Laurier
REC – Colton Hunchak, York
REC – Phil Iloki, Carleton
REC – Chris Osei-Kusi, Queen's
REC – Nathaniel Pinto, York
OL – Cole Beacock, Ottawa
OL – Kyle Boismier, Waterloo
OL – Drew Desjarlais, Windsor
OL – Jesse Gibbon, Waterloo
 
OUA All-rookie Team – Defence
DL – Trevaughan James, Laurier
LB – Jakob Butler, York
LB – Job Reinhart, Guelph
LB – Matthew Renaud, Toronto
LB – Matt Williams, Laurier
DB – Guillaume Caron, Carleton
DB – Cody Cranston, Ottawa
DB – Scott Hutter, Laurier
DB – Adam Poole, McMaster
DB – Spencer Trinier, Windsor
DB – Elijah Walker, Guelph