Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology

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updated 11/02/2009

Rose-Hulman Student-Athletes Earn Three HCAC Player of the Week Awards

Eli Baca -- HCAC Women's Soccer Player of the Week

TERRE HAUTE, IND. -- Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology student-athletes combined for three Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference Player of the Week awards in results released today.

Senior football quarterback Derek Eitel (Marshall, Ill.), football junior Reed Eason (St. Louis, Mo./Parkway North) and junior women's soccer player Eli Baca (Santa Fe, N.M.) were honored for their accomplishments last weekend.

Eitel completed 27-45 passes for 422 yards and three touchdowns to lead the offensive effort in a 34-21 victory over Franklin.

The effort marked just the second 400-yard passing game in school history and the second most passing yards in a game at Rose-Hulman.

Eitel also engineered an overall offensive attack that gained a school record 589 yards of total offense.

Reed Eason - HCAC Special Teams Player of the Week

Eason hauled in 15 receptions for a school record 225 yards and two touchdowns to emerge as Eitel's favorite target on the afternoon.

The performance ranked second in school history in terms of receptions in a game and was the first 200-yard receiving performance in more than 100 years of Rose-Hulman football history.

Eason also booted six punts at a 34.7 yard average per kick with three kicks inside the Franklin 20-yard line to earn the Special Teams Player of the Week honor.

Baca helped lead Rose-Hulman to a critical women's soccer victory that allowed the Fightin' Engineers to earn the top seed for this week's HCAC Tournament.

With the Engineers trailing 2-0 to Mount St. Joseph in the second half, Baca scored twice to force an overtime session.

Derek Eitel - HCAC Offensive Player of the Week

Eight minutes later, Baca blasted home the game winner to lead Rose-Hulman to its seventh conference win in eight matches and hosting rights for this week's semifinal match.

The Fightin' Engineer women's soccer team hosts Transylvania University on Wednesday at 2 p.m. in the HCAC semifinal match, while the football team heads to Anderson University to close the regular season on Saturday.