Mason Monheim wins Big Ten Freshman of the Week
By: Aaron Bennett
Updated: November 12, 2012
PARK RIDGE, Ill. (UI Release) - University of Illinois true-freshman Mason Monheim (Orrville HS, Orrville, Ohio) was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Week for the second time this season on Monday for
his performance against Minnesota Saturday at Memorial Stadium.
Monheim had a
career- and game-high 15 tackles against the Golden Gophers, shattering
his previous career-high of 11, including 1.5 tackles-for-loss and a
half-sack. Monheim, who has started the last eight
games for the Illini, has a team-high 74 tackles this season, which
leads all Big Ten Freshmen. During conference play, he's averaging 9.5
tackles per game, which is sixth-best in the league.
Monheim was also
honored as Big Ten Freshman of the Week on Oct. 1, following his
11-tackle, one-forced fumble performance against Penn State.
Other Big Ten
weekly honorees this week include Michigan quarterback Devin Gardner
(Co-Offensive), Wisconsin running back Montee Ball (Co-Offensive),
Purdue defensive tackle Kawann Short (Defensive) and
Nebraska kicker/punter Brett Maher (Special Teams).
