Hanover
A defensive tackle, Simmer was one of three football players honored on Tuesday as inaugural winners of the Mayo Clinic Comeback Player of the Year Award. The honor, a combination effort of The Associated Press with the College Sports Information Directors of America, also was handed to Kent State’s Antwan Dixon and Carson-Newman’s Antonio Wimbush.
All three players, who were recognized for overcoming injury, illness or other challenges, will be recognized on the field during the Fiesta Bowl on New Year’s Day in suburban Phoenix.
Simmer was diagnosed with a brain tumor in the spring of his freshman year at Dartmouth, and the Powder Springs, Ga., native was initially told he wouldn’t play football again. A second opinion received from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., informed Simmer that, with surgery and a good recovering, he’d be able to rejoin the Big Green instead.
Simmer had his surgery nearly 18 months ago, at which time 90 percent of a tumor pressing against his hearing and balancing nerves was removed. The procedure ultimately required Simmer to learn to walk again and cost him hearing in his left ear.
After sitting out the 2017 campaign, Simmer returned to join a Dartmouth team that challenged Princeton for Ivy League honors all season and reached a high of No. 15 in the national polls. He contributed 11 tackles, including 1½ for loss, on the season. Simmer make an end-zone tackle for a safety in the 14-9 loss to the Tigers in November and recovered a fumble in the contest that ultimately decided the league champ.
“First, I would like to thank the Mayo Clinic and their wonderful staff for the exceptional care they provided during a time of need,” Simmer said in a news release. “The doctors at the Mayo Clinic believed in me and my recovery goals when others in the medical community did not, and for that I am grateful. I would like to thank everyone that supported me through this entire process, including my family, friends and the entire Dartmouth community. … Their constant support allowed me to push myself to the limit during my recovery and obtain my goals.”
Dixon, a Kent State wide receiver, received his comeback award for beating asplastic anemia, a rare blood disorder that ultimately required a life-saving bone marrow transplant from his father, before returning to his team after three years away from the game. He led the Golden Flashes this past season with 52 catches for 532 yards and two touchdowns.
Wimbush, a junior running back at Carson-Newman, tore a knee ligament in the second game of the 2017 season, but he employed an aggressive physical therapy plan that allowed him to return this past fall. He ran 151 times for 1,206 yards to lead the South Atlantic Conference, scoring seven touchdowns.
Three Big Green Stars on STATS All-America List
Hanover
Swann led the nation with nine interceptions and added 18 passes defended and 39 tackles for a Big Green defense that also ranked among the best in the country. Kaskey — like Swann an All-New England Division I performer — played left tackle for a Dartmouth offense that ranked 11th in rushing and sixth in fewest sacks allowed. Defensive end Di Leo made the all-Ivy League team with Swann and Kaskey, landing his STATS honor after finishing second in the Ivy League and 15th in the country with 8½ sacks.
Buffalo 75, Dartmouth 69
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Paula Lenart posted her second double-double of the year for Dartmouth, producing 14 points and 10 rebounds. Isalys Quinones had a game-high 19 points for the Big Green, and Anna Luce set career highs with 16 points and eight boards. The Big Green visits UNH on Friday morning.