September 5
Andy Pfieffer - Punter - Illinois College
Freshman - Winchester, Ill./Winchester
Pfieffer kept the Millikin offense pinned deep in its own territory throughout most of his first collegiate contest. Pfieffer averaged 36.7 yards per punt in seven attempts, including a long punt of 47 yards. The freshman punter managed to stick four of his kicks inside the Millikin 20. The Blueboys led the contests 14-10 at halftime, but fell 24-20 after a pair of fourth quarter Millikin touchdowns.
September 11
Bob Forstrom - Kicker/Punter - St. Norbert College
Senior - Quinnesec, Mich./Kingsford
Forstrom was 9-for-9 on extra points and punted three times for a 32.7 yard average in Saturday’s 63-13 win over Grinnell. The senior kicker/punter, who has also seen time at wide receiver this season, pinned one punt inside the Grinnell 20-yard line. On 10 kickoffs, Forstrom averaged 61.8 yards per kick and had four touchbacks to give him seven total on the year. He also completed a 27-yard pass on a fake punt against Grinnell and owns the league’s second longest field goal after booting a 43-yarder in week one.
September 18
Josh Kraemer - Punt Returner/DB - Ripon College
Sophomore - Waukesha, Wis.
Kraemer sparked the Red Hawks special teams during Ripon’s 35-14 road victory over Knox on Saturday. The sophomore safety returned three punts for 102 yards (34.0), including a 56-yard return to the Knox nine-yard line that led to a touchdown two plays later. Kraemer also returned an interception 40 yards, recorded a sack and registered eight tackles in the contest.
September 25
Derek Micke - Punt Returner/DB - Lawrence Uni.
Sophomore - Kaukauna, Wis./Kaukauna
Micke had a pair of big punt returns that sparked Lawrence to a 35-point first quarter and an eventual 45-18 win over Grinnell on Saturday. Micke became the first Lawrence player since 2002 to return a punt for a score when he put Lawrence up 14-0 with a 70-yard touchdown return. The sophomore defensive back added a 45-yard punt return to the Grinnell 42-yard line in his only other return of the day, which set up the Vikings final touchdown of the first quarter. On the season, Micke is averaging 21.4 yards on seven punt returns.
October 2
A.J. Phillips - Punt/Kick Returner/RB - St. Norbert
Sophomore - Green Bay, Wis./Ashwaubenon
Phillips posted a career-high 245 all-purpose yards in the Green Knights 42-27 road victory over Knox on Saturday. The sophomore running back returned three kickoffs for 80 yards, including a long return of 44 yards, and also returned two punts for 20 yards. On the offensive side of the ball, he added 67 yards rushing and 78 yards receiving. Phillips, who scored rushing TDs of 15 and three yards against the Prairie Fire, currently rates third in the MWC in all-purpose yardage, with return yardage accounting for 46 percent of his total.
October 9
Bob Forstrom - Punter/Kicker - St. Norbert College
Senior - Quinnesec, Mich./Kingsford
Forstrom was a perfect 6-for-6 on extra points and made both field-goal attempts in the Green Knights’ 48-0 victory over Monmouth. The senior kicker has made all 33 PAT attempts this season and has made 54 consecutive PATs dating back to the 2005 season. His field goals against Monmouth were both good from 23 yards. His nine kickoffs gave Monmouth an average starting field position of its own 27-yard line.
October 16
Derek Micke - Defensive Back - Lawrence University
Sophomore - Kaukauna, Wis/Kaukauna
Micke returned a blocked extra point for a two-point defensive conversion, which proved to be the difference in the Vikings 8-6 win at Knox. The Prairie Fire had just taken a 6-0 lead in the second quarter when Matt Frelich blocked the extra-point attempt of Kevin Malone. Micke scooped up the loose ball and returned it for two points. It was the first time in Micke’s career he had scored a defensive extra point, and the first time the Vikings had done it since pulling off the feat against Knox in 2001.
October 23
Derek Micke - Punter/PR/DB - Lawrence University
Sophomore - Kaukauna, Wis./Kaukauna
One of the conference’s top punt returners, Micke reversed roles and had a solid performance when he was called on as the Vikings emergency punter in Saturday’s 13-7 win over Beloit. The junior cornerback punted four times for an average of 26.8 yards, pinning the Bucs inside their 20-yard line three times. Trailing 7-3 late in the third quarter, Micke ran eight yards for a first down on a fake punt, keeping a drive that would eventually end in a field goal alive. Micke also returned five punts for 46 yards (9.2) and recorded three tackles, a tackle for loss and a late interception.
October 30
Kyle Harmon - Defensive Back - Monmouth College
Sophomore - Moline, Ill./Moline
Harmon made a key special teams play in the Scots 17-7 road victory over Illinois College on Saturday. With the game still scoreless in the second quarter, Illinois College punt returner D.J. Jackson looked to have broken away, but Harmon covered the width of the field to run him down. The return went for 59 yards, but the Monmouth defense held, intercepting a pass in the red zone. Harmon also took away points on the defensive side of the ball, picking off a Blueboy pass in the end zone one drive later.
November 6
Nate Palkovic - Kicker/Punter - Monmouth College
Junior - Peoria, Ill./Woodruff
Palkovic accounted for 11 points in a perfect kicking performance, as Monmouth downed Knox 41-6 on Saturday. The junior kicker booted field goals of 42 and 36 yards, connected on five extra points and had a 41.5-yard punting average in the contest. Palkovic, who finished 30-of-31 on PAT attempts this year, placed three of his four punts inside the 20-yard line.