NAPERVILLE, Ill. - A pair of College Conference of Illinois& Wisconsin linebackers were named to D3football.com’s Team of the Week. Illinois Wesleyan University linebacker Joey DeMaio and North Central College linebacker Matt Janiak earned the national honor following key defensive performances in Week 2.
The Team of the Week is D3football.com's weekly honor roll, in its 28th season of recognizing the top performance at each position from the previous week.
DeMaio earned the first national weekly honor of his career after helping Illinois Wesleyan to a 45-35 win over Trine University. The senior totaled a team-high 11 tackles, including eight solo stops, while adding a game-high two sacks for a loss of 30 yards. DeMaio also recorded the first interception of his career in the fourth quarter with the Titans holding a 31-29 lead. DeMaio also earned CCIW Defensive Student-Athlete of the Week honors on Monday.
Janiak also collected the first national weekly honor of his career following North Central’s 26-20 road win over then-No. 9 Wartburg College. The junior linebacker recorded five solo tackles and came up with a game-sealing interception late in the fourth quarter, returning the pick to the Wartburg 13-yard line. Three plays later, the Cardinals found the end zone to build a two-score advantage and help secure the victory.
Both teams open CCIW play this Saturday, Sept. 20. DeMaio and Illinois Wesleyan travel to Augustana College for a 1 p.m. kickoff, while Janiak and North Central visit North Park University at 1 p.m. at the Holmgren Athletic Complex in Chicago.
Fans can stream all CCIW action live and free on the CCIW Network.
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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.).