Nate Palkovic - Kicker/Punter - Monmouth
Senior - Peoria, Ill./Woodruff
Palkovic was solid in Monmouth’s 35-7 season-opening loss against No. 25 Wartburg at home on Saturday. The senior punted 12 times for an impressive 44.7 yard average and had two kickoffs travel an average of 64.5 yards. He also booted a PAT in his only place-kick attempt. Palkovic’s 536 punting yards shattered the single-game school record, and his 12 attempts also tied the school mark.

Pete Jennings - Quarterback - Illinois College
Senior - Neillsville, Wis./Neillsville
Jennings was nearly perfect in the Blueboys’ 41-0 win at Knox, as the senior quarterback completed 23-of-30 passes for 307 yards and four touchdowns. Jennings TD throws covered nine, 36, 22 and 13 yards, respectively. Jennings became Illinois College’s career leader in touchdown passes (56) during the contest.

Jimmy Hoover - Defensive Back - Lake Forest College
Junior - Lake St. Louis, Mo./Wentzville Holt
Hoover’s play on special teams helped keep Lake Forest in the game during a 34-27 loss to Ripon on Saturday. The junior defensive back registered three special teams tackles, including one for a two-yard loss on a punt return in the opening quarter. Hoover’s more dramatic exploits occurred in the fourth quarter when he recovered back-to-back onside kicks, the first on the Forester 43-yard line and the second at the Ripon 36-yard line.

Kurt Roeder - Punter - Ripon College
Freshman - Beaver Dam, Wis./Beaver Dam
Roeder helped the Red Hawks win the field position battle in Saturday’s 28-10 home victory over Knox. The freshman punter averaged 37.2 yards per kick on five punts, with a long of 62 yards and a pair of punts inside the 20-yard line. He also added a tackle and broke up a pass as a defensive back.

Nate Palkovic - Kicker/Punter - Monmouth
Senior - Peoria, Ill./Woodruff
One week after setting the Monmouth career scoring record, Palkovic was the hero in a 6-3 win over Carroll. The senior kicker gave Monmouth a 3-0 lead with a 36-yard kick in the second quarter (2:49), before splitting the uprights on the game-winner from 25 yards out with 4:28 left in the contest. Palkovic also averaged 35.2 yards per kick on six punts, booted a long punt of 50 yards and placed two balls inside the Carroll 20-yard-line.

Josh Kraemer - Cornerback - Ripon College
Junior - Waukesha, Wis./Waukesha West
Kraemer became the first player in the MWC this season to return a kickoff for a touchdown when the junior cornerback took a second quarter kick back 84 yards for a touchdown and a 13-7 Ripon lead during a 28-26 loss to Carroll. Kraemer finished with game with five kick returns for 162 yards and also returned one punt 13 yards. On defense, he intercepted a pass, made three tackles and one tackle for loss.

Jack Dippold - Kicker - Knox College
Junior - Peoria, Ill./Notre Dame
Dippold was perfect in Knox’s 38-7 home victory over Grinnell on Saturday, converting all six of his attempts on the afternoon. Dippold was 5-for-5 on extra point attempts and split the uprights on a 28-yard field goal attempt in the fourth quarter. The junior kicker has made 14-of-15 extra point attempts and 3-of-4 field goals this season.

Sam Laes - Safety - Lawrence University
Sophomore - Green Bay, Wis./Ashwaubenon
Laes made several big plays during Lawrence’s 51-20 victory over Knox at home on Saturday. The sophomore safety, who finished with six tackles in the game, recorded an interception and recovered a fumble in Knox territory that resulted in Lawrence touchdowns on the ensuing possessions. He also recorded his first career touchdown on a fake punt when he caught a pass from Eric Aspenson, broke several tackles and cut back across the field for a 42-yard score.

Josh Kraemer - Cornerback - Ripon College
Junior - Waukesha, Wis./Waukesha West
Kraemer made a variety of special teams plays during the Red Hawks’ 27-20 win over Monmouth that put Ripon in sole possession of second place in the MWC. The junior defensive back, who ranks first in the league in kickoff returns and second in punt returns, averaged 27.3 and 16.0 yards per return on kickoffs and punts in the game, respectively. Three of Ripon’s four scoring drives in the game occurred after Kraemer returned the ball (2 punts, 1 kickoff) into Monmouth territory. Kraemer, who also handled Ripon’s kickoff duties, blocked a third quarter field goal that would have given Monmouth the lead and made three tackles in the game.

Joe Reed - Quarterback - Illinois College
Senior - Camp Point, Ill./Carthage
With Illinois College’s top two quarterbacks out with injuries, the school’s all-time leading receiver filled in under center in Saturday’s 49-21 win over Grinnell. Reed, who had attempted nine collegiate passes prior to Saturday, made his start memorable by throwing for 282 yards and four touchdowns (39, 58, 11, 2) on 19-of-31 passing. The senior also scored on an 18-yard run as time expired in the first half.

Matt Casper - Defensive End - Carroll College
Freshman - Dousman, Wis./Kettle Moraine
Casper highlighted a solid all-around performance with his first career touchdown during Saturday’s 51-21 win at Knox. The freshman defensive end made four tackles in the game, including a half sack and tackle for loss, but his biggest impact came on a pair of fumble recoveries. On Knox’s second play from scrimmage, Casper fell on a fumble at the Prairie Fire 20-yard line that led to the Pioneers first touchdown of the game. His second recovery punctuated a 31-point second quarter, as the 6-3, 240 pounder rumbled 48 yards to the endzone with four seconds remaining in the first half.

Matt Shepherd - Wide Receiver - Monmouth College
Freshman - Leesburg, Fla./Leesburg
Entering the third quarter of its game at Lake Forest leading 13-7, Shepherd sparked the Fighting Scots to a 41-19 victory by returning the second half kickoff 86 yards for a touchdown. The freshman wide receiver also added three punt returns of 40, 27 and 16 yards. His 190 yards of kick returns is good for second on Monmouth’s all-time single-game list. As a receiver, Shepherd caught two passes for 78 yards, including a 54-yard touchdown.

Cole Norman - Cornerback - Monmouth College
Junior - Peoria, Ill./Richwoods
Norman had a hand in three turnovers during Monmouth’s 26-23 overtime victory over Illinois College on Saturday. With 39 seconds remaining in regulation, Norman intercepted a Blueboy pass at the one-yard line to preserve a 20-20 tie and force overtime. The junior cornerback also added another interception, forced a fumble that was recovered by the Scots and made a tackle in the contest.

Brett Grant - Punter - Illinois College
Freshman - Cottage Hills, Ill. (Civic Memorial
Making his first career start, Grant helped the Blueboys in the field position battle, as Illinois College nearly upset Monmouth during a 26-23 overtime loss on Saturday. The freshman punter averaged 42.8 yards per punt on six kicks in the contest, including three punts of 50 yards or more (54, 52, 51) and a pair of kicks inside the Monmouth 20-yard line.

Ben Hackbart - Defensive Back - St. Norbert College
Sophomore - Sussex, Wis./Hartland Arrowhead
Hackbart finished with a game-high 15 tackles and provided the game-changing play in St. Norbert’s 31-24 come-from-behind win at Illinois College on Saturday. With the game tied at 17-17 in the third quarter, the sophomore defensive back stepped in front of a Blueboy pass and returned it 50 yards for a touchdown to give the Green Knights the lead for good. He also recorded 1.5 tackles for loss, as St. Norbert improved to 23-0 under Jim Purtill when scoring a defensive touchdown.

Rob Berger - Punter - St. Norbert College
Freshman - Rice Lake, Wis./Rice Lake
Berger punted five times for 237 yards, a 47.4 yards per punt average, proving to be pivotal in the Green Knights’ 31-24 win over Illinois College. The freshman punter placed three punts inside the Blueboys’ 20-yard line, as Illinois College’s average starting field position in the game was its own 25-yard line. A pair of Berger’s punts were also downed at the Blueboy one-yard line in the second half.

Craig Ebert - Running Back - Lawrence University
Junior - New London, Wis./New London
Ebert recorded team season-highs for carries and yards in Lawrence’s 37-30 loss at Macalester on Saturday. The junior running back carried 26 times for 150 yards, a 5.8-yard per carry average, and scored a touchdown on a five-yard run. He also caught two passes for seven yards. Ebert’s day is the biggest for a Lawrence running back since the final game of the 2004 season, when Adrell Bullock ran 19 times for 173 yards in a win against Macalester.

Kevin Penza - Linebacker - Lawrence University
Sophomore - Green Bay, Wis./Ashwaubenon
Penza registered his fifth double-digit tackle day of season in Lawrence’s 37-30 loss at Macalester on Saturday. The sophomore linebacker finished with 11 tackles, two shy of his high for the season, had one tackle for a loss, forced a fumble and recovered a fumble. Penza finished the season with a team-high 90 tackles, including 12 tackles for losses.

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