LANCASTER, Pa. – Franklin & Marshall had a program-record five players named to the D3football.com All-Region II team. Gary Lewis (wide receiver), Aidan Toomey (center), and Will Galligan (long snapper) were each second-team honorees, while Kyle Checchio (linebacker) and Ivan Harlamov (punter) where named third-team selections. All five selections were first time recipients of all-region honors.
Honored as the Centennial Conference Offensive Player of the Year and currently a semifinalist for the Gagliardi Trophy, Gary Lewis finished his senior season with 59 receptions for 1,055 yards and 18 touchdowns. He also had one rushing touchdown. His 18 touchdown receptions, 19 total touchdowns, and 114 points scored were all single-season records as he had multiple touchdowns in seven of the team's 11 games and found the end zone in all but one contest. Lewis' biggest individual game came when he had 221 yards receiving for the fourth-highest single game total in program history, while finding the end zone four times against the Cardinals.
Aidan Toomey earned the first all-region honors of his career following first-team All-Centennial Conference recognition earlier this fall. Named a member of the Division III Team of the Week during the regular season as a member of the offensive line, Toomey started all 11 games at center this season and has appeared in all 32 games during his first three seasons with the Diplomats. Toomey graded out at a 92 out of 100 this season and allowed just two sacks all year long.
Will Galligan forever owns the distinction of being the first player in Centennial Conference history to earn first-team honors at the long snapper position as that award was introduced for the first time this season. Galligan added second-team all-region accolades to his resume as he handled all the short and long snapping duties for the year. His precision helped lead one of the top special team's unit in the conference which featured the first-team All-CC place kicker and punter.
Kyle Checchio had a very strong rookie campaign that included first-team All-Centennial Conference accolades. He and teammate Oscar Marx were the only first-years to make first-team all-conference among the eight member schools. Chechhio led the team with 73 tackles, including a team-best 14 tackles for loss. The first-year also had three sacks and one fumble recovery. Checchio made a season-high 10 tackles against both Gettysburg and Carnegie Mellon, adding nine more stops against Johns Hopkins for the Centennial Conference Championship and matching that total in the NCAA Tournament versus Eastern.
Ivan Harlamov was a first-team All-Centennial Conference selection at punter while also handling kickoff duties for the Diplomats. Harlamov averaged over 39 yards per punt attempt this season and pinned the opposition inside its own 20 on 19 of his 49 attempts. He additionally had five punts of over 50 yards and forced 13 fair catches. The junior also averaged 53.9 yards on kickoff attempts with 10 touchbacks.
Football's previous high of three all-region selections came during the 2009 and 2013 seasons. In 2025, Franklin & Marshall made its first-ever appearance in the NCAA Tournament after an undefeated Centennial Conference schedule that was capped by a thrilling 29-28 overtime win at home against Johns Hopkins. The Diplomats earned the No. 9 national seed and a had a bye to the second round of the tournament where they fell to Eastern by a 28-24 score.
