Orlosky and Arndt Named Pastilong MVP Award Winners
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (January 18, 2017) – West Virginia University football coach Dana Holgorsen has announced that redshirt seniors Justin Arndt and Tyler Orlosky have been named the recipients of the Ed Pastilong MVP Award for the 2016 season.
The Ed Pastilong MVP Award is given annually to Mountaineer football players who exhibit outstanding work ethic, and on-field ability, along with character and academic accomplishment off the field and in the community.
Arndt, a former walk-on from Martinsburg, West Virginia, started all 13 games at linebacker in 2016. He led the Mountaineer defense in tackles with 84, including a season-high 56 solo stops. Arndt tied for the team lead in tackles for loss with 7.5 and tied for second on the team in sacks with three.
Arndt collected five more tackles in all but one game this past season and finished with a career-high 12 tackles, including 11 solo stops at Texas. He also had a sack in three different games and had a career high two tackles for loss against Missouri.
Arndt graduated with his bachelor’s degree in exercise physiology in December and was a regular on the Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll and WVU’s Garrett Ford Academic Honor Roll. He also was named one of the team’s permanent captains and was named to the Academic All-Big 12 First Team in 2013.
Orlosky, a two-time team captain from Cleveland, Ohio, played in 50 career games and started 42, including the last 39 straight. He was a Rimington Trophy finalist, signifying the top center in the nation, as well as being named a finalist for the Senior CLASS Award, WVU’s first football finalist. He was named to nine All-American teams, including second-team honors from Associated Press, Football Writers’ Association of America, USA Today, Phil Steele, CBSSports.com and SI.com.
The unanimous Big 12 first-team member helped pave the way for the offense to average 485.5 yards per game of total offense (No. 17 nationally), 228.4 yards rushing (No. 25 nationally) and 257.2 yards passing (No. 42) and was No. 2 in the Big 12 in fewest sacks allowed.
Orlosky graduated in August 2016 with a bachelor’s degree in sport and exercise psychology and is currently working on a master’s degree in corporate communications. He was awarded the WVU Alumni Association’s Louis D. Meisel Award for the highest senior grade point average on the team. Orlosky also was a three-time Academic All-Big 12 honoree and has been on the Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll and WVU’s Garrett Ford Academic Honor Roll.
West Virginia finished its 2016 campaign 10-3 and 7-2 in the Big 12, tying for second place and won 10 games for the ninth time in program history. The seven wins were the most as a league member. The Mountaineers were ranked in both major polls for most of the 2016 season, spending time in the Top 10, and finished No. 18 in the final Associated Press Poll and No. 17 in the Amway Coaches’ Poll.
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (January 18, 2017) – West Virginia University football coach Dana Holgorsen has announced that redshirt seniors Justin Arndt and Tyler Orlosky have been named the recipients of the Ed Pastilong MVP Award for the 2016 season.
The Ed Pastilong MVP Award is given annually to Mountaineer football players who exhibit outstanding work ethic, and on-field ability, along with character and academic accomplishment off the field and in the community.
Arndt, a former walk-on from Martinsburg, West Virginia, started all 13 games at linebacker in 2016. He led the Mountaineer defense in tackles with 84, including a season-high 56 solo stops. Arndt tied for the team lead in tackles for loss with 7.5 and tied for second on the team in sacks with three.
Arndt collected five more tackles in all but one game this past season and finished with a career-high 12 tackles, including 11 solo stops at Texas. He also had a sack in three different games and had a career high two tackles for loss against Missouri.
Arndt graduated with his bachelor’s degree in exercise physiology in December and was a regular on the Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll and WVU’s Garrett Ford Academic Honor Roll. He also was named one of the team’s permanent captains and was named to the Academic All-Big 12 First Team in 2013.
Orlosky, a two-time team captain from Cleveland, Ohio, played in 50 career games and started 42, including the last 39 straight. He was a Rimington Trophy finalist, signifying the top center in the nation, as well as being named a finalist for the Senior CLASS Award, WVU’s first football finalist. He was named to nine All-American teams, including second-team honors from Associated Press, Football Writers’ Association of America, USA Today, Phil Steele, CBSSports.com and SI.com.
The unanimous Big 12 first-team member helped pave the way for the offense to average 485.5 yards per game of total offense (No. 17 nationally), 228.4 yards rushing (No. 25 nationally) and 257.2 yards passing (No. 42) and was No. 2 in the Big 12 in fewest sacks allowed.
Orlosky graduated in August 2016 with a bachelor’s degree in sport and exercise psychology and is currently working on a master’s degree in corporate communications. He was awarded the WVU Alumni Association’s Louis D. Meisel Award for the highest senior grade point average on the team. Orlosky also was a three-time Academic All-Big 12 honoree and has been on the Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll and WVU’s Garrett Ford Academic Honor Roll.
West Virginia finished its 2016 campaign 10-3 and 7-2 in the Big 12, tying for second place and won 10 games for the ninth time in program history. The seven wins were the most as a league member. The Mountaineers were ranked in both major polls for most of the 2016 season, spending time in the Top 10, and finished No. 18 in the final Associated Press Poll and No. 17 in the Amway Coaches’ Poll.
