SPARTANBURG, S.C. -- The Southern Conference Sports Media Association has selected three members of the Elon Phoenix football program to its annual all-conference teams.

Earning first-team All-SoCon distinction were senior linebacker Joshua Jones and junior wide receiver Aaron Mellette.  Second-team honors were bestowed upon senior offensive lineman Ned Cuthbertson.

Jones ended his career in the maroon and gold as the program's fifth-leading tackler all-time with 343 stops.  In his final season, Jones tallied a team-leading and career-best 112 tackles, including 64 solo stops.  The Tampa, Fla., native notched 17.0 tackles for a loss including four sacks.  He also intercepted one pass, returning it 40 yards for a score in a win over 17th-ranked Furman.  Jones had seven outings in which he recorded at least 11 tackles and posted a personal-best 13 takedowns in three contests (Georgia Southern, Wofford and Furman).  He earned one SoCon Defensive Player of the Week award during the year.  Jones was a second-team all-league pick by the SoCon's coaches this season.

Mellette, a finalist for the Walter Payton Award which is presented to the top player at the FCS level, was a two-time SoCon Offensive Player of the Week.  His 1,639 receiving yards established a new Elon and league record.  He ended the regular season as the national leader in receptions per game (10.27) and receiving yards per game (149.0).  The Sanford, N.C., native had nine 100-yard receiving games and twice went over 200 yards receiving.  Mellette began the year with an 11-catch, 180-yard performance at Vanderbilt.  In a win at North Carolina Central Mellette caught 16 passes for a career-high 237 yards.  In the season finale against Appalachian State, Mellette hauled in 14 balls for 236 yards.  He caught a SoCon-best 12 touchdown passes during his junior campaign.  He has now been a first-team honoree each of the last two seasons by both the media and the league's coaches.

Cuthbertson, of Forest City, N.C., started all 11 games at left tackle for the Phoenix in 2011 and started each of the final 22 games of his collegiate career.  Cuthbertson helped to anchor an offensive line that allowed quarterback Thomas Wilson to throw for a league-leading 3,057 yards and 23 touchdowns.  He served as a team captain in 2011.  Cuthbertson was a first-team All-SoCon pick by the league's coaches this year.