Football wide receiver and junior Josh Dieter has the potential to become a role model and leader heading into the 2018-2019 season.

Dieter finished his junior season by starting all 10 regular season games and earning an impressive stat line of 26 catches for 328 yards and six touchdowns. In addition, Dieter returned 12 punts for 117 yards and tied the school’s single-game record for touchdown receptions–three–against both Merchant Marine Academy and King’s College. In the 2016-2017 sophomore season campaign, Dieter recorded nine game appearances with 11 catches for 115 yards and a touchdown. Dieter is a part of a very talented receiving trio, involving sophomore Isaiah Williams and junior Sam Gillison, along with the veterans seniors Isiah Solomon and Klayton Kelly.

Despite having the young talent, injuries limited the Cougar’s receiving core from showing it off in the 2017-2018 season. Injuries, which sidelined Solomon, Kelly and Gillison for the entire season, left the load for Dieter and Williams. The Cougar’s passing attack put up nearly 2,000 yards of offense for the season and helped the Cougars average 22.0 points per game. However, the Cougars recorded only one win during the season, making a 1-9 record. The Cougars picked up a win after crushing rival Wilkes University during the fourth week of the season. Eventually they lost six straight games and ended the season with a heartbreaking loss to Farleigh Dickinson University,  another year when Cougar’s football has failed to get more than one win in a season.

“Obviously last year was a disappointment, but I felt like we are headed in the right direction as a program and there is a lot to be happy about and to look forward to moving forward. As a team, we just need to learn how to finish games and compete consistently,” said Dieter.

The football team has already gone back into action by starting offseason workouts. It will mark Dieter’s final year for the program. Lifting four out of seven days of the week, and preparing for Spring Ball right around the corner, Dieter is looking forward to getting back to work and having fun doing so.

“This upcoming season I’m looking forward to going out and competing with this team. This team is going to be special. There is a lot of talent. This offseason, I’m just looking forward to continuing to grow as team and as a family and putting in the work with my teammates. I’m 100% ready for the offseason,” Dieter said.

Even though the last six years since the inaugural season for the football team hasn’t been what the players from the past and now expected, history is meant to be made in the future for this program. Dieter and the rest of the team hope to make that history next fall.

“I can’t wait,” Dieter said.