NAPERVILLE, Ill. - Wheaton College junior linebacker Zeke Harris and Illinois Wesleyan University junior punter Matt Worthington represented the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin on the D3football.com Team of the Week, announced Tuesday.
Harris earned the honor at linebacker following a standout defensive performance in Wheaton’s 13-10 victory over then-No. 1 North Central College on Saturday.
The junior recorded a game-high 18 tackles, including eight solo stops, marking the most tackles by a Wheaton player since 2014. Harris also totaled 6.5 tackles for loss for 28 yards and 1.5 sacks.
His biggest play came in the final minutes, intercepting a pass at the North Central 40-yard line with 1:05 remaining. The turnover set up Caleb Ryan’s game-winning field goal with 5.9 seconds left, securing Wheaton’s road victory.
Worthington was selected as the Team of the Week punter after helping Illinois Wesleyan to a 44-7 conference victory at Carroll University.
Called upon twice in the win, Worthington averaged 66.5 yards per punt with kicks of 67 and 66 yards. The two punts are the longest and second-longest in the CCIW this season.
The Lake Zurich, Ill., native leads the conference with an average of 44.9 yards per punt this season. He also leads the CCIW with seven punts of at least 50 yards and ranks second with seven punts downed inside the 20-yard line.
The selection marks Worthington’s second career D3football.com Team of the Week honor and makes him the third Illinois Wesleyan player recognized this season, joining Joey DeMaio on Sept. 15 and Will Nazha on Oct. 6. Worthington is also the only punter in Illinois Wesleyan program history to earn the distinction.
Wheaton returns home Saturday to host Carroll at 1 p.m., while Illinois Wesleyan travels to Millikin University for a 6 p.m. kickoff at Frank M. Lindsay Field.
Past CCIW D3football.com Team of the Week Honorees:
Week One-
Special Teams: Sean Ryniec, K, North Central; Aiden Byrne, ST, Wheaton
Week Two-
Defense: Joey DeMaio, LB, Illinois Wesleyan; Matt Janiak, LB, North Central
Week Four-
Defense: August Johansen, DL, Carroll
Week 5-
Offense: Will Nazha, WR, Illinois Wesleyan
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The College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) was founded in 1946 and currently services nine member institutions including Augustana College (Rock Island, Ill.), Carroll University (Waukesha, Wis.), Carthage College (Kenosha, Wis.), Elmhurst University (Elmhurst, Ill.), Illinois Wesleyan University (Bloomington, Ill.), Millikin University (Decatur, Ill.), North Central College (Naperville, Ill.), North Park University (Chicago, Ill.) and Wheaton College (Wheaton, Ill.).