ELON, N.C. – Elon senior wide receiver Aaron Mellette picked up his third All-America honor of the year as he was named to the 2012 Associated Press FCS All-America Team on Dec. 12.  Mellette has now earned AP All-America honors in three straight seasons, including first-team nods in both 2011 and 2012.

Mellette was a first-team All-Southern Conference selection by both the league's coaches and media members and placed eighth in the voting for the Walter Payton Award, which is presented annually to the top player in the Football Championship Subdivision.  The Sanford, N.C., native concluded the season with a league-leading 108 points and 18 receiving touchdowns.  The TD catches are tied for the second-most ever in a single season in SoCon history.  In his senior year, Mellette caught 97 passes for 1,398 yards.  He led the SoCon and ranked second nationally in both receptions per game (8.82) and receiving yards per game (127.09).  He eclipsed 100 receiving yards in eight of Elon's 11 contests, including matching career-highs with 237 yards and three touchdowns against Appalachian State on Oct. 6.  Mellette posted a six-game span in which he caught at least two touchdowns.  He will participate in the upcoming Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala. on Jan. 26.

For his career in the maroon and gold, Mellette posted 4,254 receiving yards, 304 receptions, 44 touchdown catches and 23 100-yard games.  All of those numbers rank second in both Elon and Southern Conference history.

Mellette has also earned All-America distinction from the American Football Coaches Association and The Sports Network.

2012 AP FCS All-America First Team
Offense
QB - Taylor Heinicke, Old Dominion
RB - Miguel Maysonet, Stony Brook
RB - Eric Breitenstein, Wofford
WR - Erik Lora, Eastern Illinois
WR - Aaron Mellette, Elon
TE - Kyle Juszczyk, Harvard
OL - Will Post, Eastern Washington
OL - Mike Sellers, The Citadel
OL - Billy Turner, North Dakota State
OL - Earl Watford, James Madison
OL - Roger Gaines, Tennessee State
AP - Walter Powell, Murray State
PK - Patrick Murray, Fordham

Defense
DL - Caleb Schreibeis, Montana State
DL - Colton Underwood, Illinois State
DL - Brandon Thurmond, Arkansas-Pine Bluff
DL - Brent Russell, Georgia Southern
LB - Matt Evans, New Hampshire
LB - Robert McCabe, Georgetown
LB - Jody Owens, Montana State
DB - Jaquiski Tartt, Samford
DB - Cooper Taylor, Richmond
DB - Darnell Taylor, Sam Houston State
DB - Marcus Williams, North Dakota State
P - Sam Martin, Appalachian State