Eastern Illinois Erik Lora has been named the Ohio Valley Conference Male Athlete of the Year for 2012-13.
Lora is a junior wide receiver for the Panthers and the OVC Offensive Player of the Year
Lora will receive the award at the League’s annual Honors Brunch on May 31st in Nashville.
Eastern Illinois officials say Lora had one of the greatest seasons of any wide receiver in the history of the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS).
They say the junior caught 136 passes, setting a new FCS all-time record in breaking the old mark of 123.
The 136 receptions were 44 more than the previous OVC record which was set in 2003.
Lora also set the Eastern Illinois and OVC record for receiving yards in a season (1,664) which was the fourth-best single-season output in FCS history.
He earned National Player of the Week honors on September 24th after breaking a 43-year old OVC record with 21 receptions in a game (the fourth-most in a game in FCS history).
Lora was also one of four OVC players who were finalists for the Walter Payton Award, which is given to the top offensive player in the FCS.