Wilkes University football players Corey Gilroy (Dunmore, Pa./Dunmore), Sean Madden (Dunmore, Pa./Bishop O'hara) and Gennaro Zangardi (Pittston Township, Pa./Pittston) have been invited to participate in the EAST PREPS Pro Football Combine on Feb. 26 in Cherry Hill, N.J. 

EAST PREPS Pro Football Combine is an invite only combine that selects only the best college players from all divisions to attend. 

The company is sponsored by Hitz Sports who will select up to 25 players to manage and represent to place in the NFL, AFL, UFL, CFL, & CDFL. Players who attend will receive an East Preps combine DVD of their performance as well as a combine profile on the eastpreps.com website that will be sent to over 200 pro contacts, including all NFL, AFL as well as Player Personnel. 

Ironically, all three players represented Wilkes in the NCAA Division III Football Senior Classic back on Dec. 5 which featured 90 of the nation's top players from across the country in their division. 

This past season, Gilroy had three interceptions, including an 88-yard pick for a touchdown against Montclair State. He followed that up with a 45-yard interception return for a touchdown against Christopher Newport the following week. He finished the year with 54 tackles, 33 of which were unassisted, forced one fumble and broke up four other passes. 

Madden, after playing two years on the offensive side of the ball, moved to defense in his final collegiate season and made an immediate impact. He was second on the team with 78 tackles, recording at least 10 takedowns in three games this season. He picked up a career-high 11 against Montclair State, while tallying 10 against Albright and Lebanon Valley. He picked off two passes, recovered a fumble and broke up two passes for the Colonel defense in 2009.

On the offensive side of the ball, Zangardi had a knack for catching the long-ball as he grabbed 32 balls for 547 yards, averaging 17.1 a catch. He scored five touchdowns on the year which was second-most on the team and also caught an 81-yarder in the final game of the season against Franklin & Marshall, which was the longest pass play of the season for Wilkes.