MC’s Wright catches conference honor
November 4, 2008

MONMOUTH, Ill. — Monmouth College’s Nick Wright (Canton, Ill./Canton) had arguably the best day of his career in the Fighting Scots’ 78-17 win over Illinois College was rewarded with the Midwest Conference Offensive Performer of the Week award.

Wright pulled down seven passes for 177 yards, including an 89-yard touchdown reception. The junior wide receiver’s touchdown catch was part of a 50-point onslaught in the first half by the Fighting Scots, who led 50-17 at the break. He leads the Scots with 666 receiving yards, averaging 74 yards per game.

Monmouth clinched an automatic berth in the NCAA Division III playoffs and at least a share of the conference title.

MC’s Artozqui earns weekly conference honor
October 21, 2008

MONMOUTH, Ill. — Monmouth College linebacker Marc Artozqui (Peoria, Ill./Richwoods) helped the Fighting Scots grab sole possession of first place in the Midwest Conference and was named the MWC’s Defensive Performer of the Week.

Artozqui recorded 17 tackles in the Scots’ 38-35 come-from-behind win over Ripon Saturday to keep Monmouth unbeaten on the year. The senior’s performance was just three tackles shy of Tim Hinson’s school record set in 1990. The Scots defense held Ripon’s run-oriented option attack to just 170 rushing yards – their second lowest total of the season.

Averaging 10 tackles per game, Artozqui leads the Scots with 70 stops. He is third in the MWC.

Monmouth’s Reschke honored by conference
October 14, 2008

MONMOUTH, Ill. — Monmouth College freshman punter Shane Reschke (Geneseo, Ill./Geneseo) was rewarded with the Midwest Conference Special Teams Performer of the Week honor after his role in the Fighting Scots’ 31-22 win over defending league champion St. Norbert last Saturday.

Reschke averaged 41 yards on his five punts and landed four inside the 20 as the Scots ended the Green Knights’ 29-game conference win streak. His 62-yard punt near the end of the third quarter pinned St. Norbert at their own five yard line as the Scots maintained a share of first place in the MWC and remained unbeaten on the year with a 6-0 record.

Monmouth’s Tanney earns award with record performance
September 30, 2008

Monmouth College quarterback Alex Tanney (Lexington, Ill./Lexington) tied the school record for touchdown passes last weekend and earned the Midwest Conference Offensive Performer of the Week honor.

Tanney’s six touchdown passes in the Fighting Scots’ 41-20 win over Carroll tied him with his older brother Mitch for the most TD tosses in a single game. The sophomore signal-caller found a different receiver for each of his scoring throws. Tanney, who leads the conference with 16 touchdown passes in four games, completed 28 of his 39 attempts for 317 yards and hit 10 different receivers en route to the record-tying day as Monmouth stayed unbeaten and improved to 4-0.

Mitch had set the standard for TD passes against arch-rival Knox in 2004.

Scots’ Shepherd returns for Performer of the Week
September 24, 2008

Monmouth College return specialist Matt Shepherd (Leesburg, Fla./Leesburg) nearly tied a school record Saturday and was rewarded with the Midwest Conference Special Team’s Performer of the Week honor.

Shepherd returned the opening kick 99 yards en route to the Fighting Scots’ 51-3 win over Beloit last Saturday. The sophomore’s long return is second in Monmouth history only to Ray Brooks’ 100-yard scamper against Carleton in 1951. The talented returner/receiver netted 140 return yards on three kickoff returns and added another 23 yards on four pass receptions.

Through three games Shepherd is averaging more than 32 yards on kickoff returns and more than 15 yards on punt returns for the Scots.

Tanney earns MWC Performer of the Week honor
Sept. 15, 2008

The home opener for the Monmouth College football team may have been soggy, but quarterback Alex Tanney (Lexington, Ill./Lexington) found a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow and earned the Midwest Conference Offensive Performer of the Week honor.

Tanney didn’t let a little thing like more than five inches of rain in 24 hours deter him from passing for 244 yards and three touchdowns in the Fighting Scots’ 47-2 win over Lawrence Saturday. Playing on the rain-soaked grass field, the sophomore signal caller completed 24-of-36 passes to nine different players, including a 24-yard scoring strike in the final minute of the first half to propel the Scots to a 27-2 lead at intermission. His 195.5 passing yards per game ranks him third in the conference.