TERRE
HAUTE, IND. -- Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology sophomore
Grant DePalma (Mount Prospect, Ill./Prospect) has
been named the NCAA Division III Football National Defensive Player
of the Week for his efforts in Saturday's Homecoming win over
Manchester.
NCAA.com declared DePalma as the National Player of the Week after his performance that included 20 tackles and 18 solo efforts. He became just the fifth player in Rose-Hulman history to compile 20 tackles in a game and also recorded four sacks and six tackles-for-loss.
In addition, DePalma was named to the Beyond College Sports Network National Team of the Week, the d3football.com National Team of the Week, and he was also named the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Week for his performance.
DePalma's total of 20 tackles ranks as the third most in an NCAA Division III football game this season. His four sacks ranks second on the season's national single game list, and his 18 solo tackles are the most in any NCAA Division III game this season.
The civil engineering major narrowly missed Rose-Hulman's single-game school records of 4.5 sacks and 22 tackles in the performance. He currently leads the HCAC with 30 solo tackles and stands as the conference leader with 4.5 sacks.
With the score 28-26 in the game's final two minutes, the Fightin' Engineer defense stopped a Manchester two-point play that could have forced overtime.
Rose-Hulman improved to 2-0 in Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference play and 2-2 on the season. The Fightin' Engineers travel to Hanover College on Saturday.