Sports 15 April 2023

University of Dayton football announces team captains

By
University of Dayton, Press Release

University of Dayton football coach Trevor Andrews has named linebacker Nathan Arthur, safety Matt Lenti, offensive tackle David Tkatch and wideout Derek Willits the Flyer team captains for the 2023 season. The results of the team vote were announced after the team’s spring game.

All four are seniors, and all four were starters last season (Lenti was injured in the second game and missed the rest of the season).

Arthur is a linebacker from Cincinnati St. Xavier High School. He was second on the team in tackles (73) and tackles for a loss (8.5), and led UD in fumbles forced (3) in 2022. He was named Second-Team All-Pioneer Football League. He is a finance major.

Lenti is a graduate of Mount Carmel High School near Chicago. The LaGrange Park, Ill. native started the first two games of the year before suffering a season-ending injury in 2022. In essentially a game and a quarter, he had nine tackles, one TFL and one pass broken up. He broke his clavicle on the second play of the game at Youngstown State, and played 12 more plays before coming out. A sport management major, he is a three-time member of the PFL Academic Honor Roll.

Offensive tackle David Tkatch is a two-year starter from Seneca Valley High School in Harmony, Pa. He is a two-time All-PFL selection, including First-Team All-PFL last season. A finance major, he was First-Team Academic All-PFL in both 2021 and 2022.

Willits is a local product from Centerville and a graduate of Alter High School. He was third among Flyer wideouts last year with 17 catches for 210 yards (12.4 avg.) and was Honorable Mention All-PFL. He was also UD's special teams captain last season. A biochemistry major with plans to attend med school, he is currently the Vice-President of UD's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.

The Flyer spring game was a controlled offense vs. defense scrimmage. An evenly played contest, the offense drove to scores on the first two series (one with Dante Casciola at QB, and the other with Cole Dow), and then later on the defense came up with a couple of turnovers.

Dayton opens the 2023 season on Saturday, Sept. 2 at Illinois State.

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