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Princeton University Athletics
Players Mentioned
Jay McCareins Named National, Ivy Special Teams Player Of The Week
October 25, 2005 | Football
Oct. 25, 2005
PRINCETON - Not only is Jay McCareins doing his best to bring the Ivy League championship to Princeton, but he is also garnering some pretty positive national attention for the nation's oldest football program. The senior standout claimed the Sports Network national and Ivy League Special Teams Player of the Week award after his 93-yard kickoff return defeated Harvard last weekend.
McCareins, who also recovered a fumble on a Harvard kickoff return, made the biggest play of Princeton's season, and arguably several seasons, when he settled under a kickoff with Harvard ahead 24-20 midway through the fourth quarter.
Following his wedge and the lead block of fellow returner Peter Ploszek, McCareins burst through the hole and got to the right sideline. He turned it up a couple of gears when he saw that only the kicker remained, and he sprinted into the end zone with the go-ahead, and ultimately game-winning, touchdown.
"Great players make great plays when the game is on the line," head coach Roger Hughes says, "and Jay McCareins consistently makes those kinds of great plays."
McCareins leads the Ivy League and ranks second nationally with an .83 interception-per-game average. A two-time All-Ivy selection, he was named both the Sports Network national and Ivy League Defensive Player of the Week.
McCareins will lead Princeton (4-2, 2-1 Ivy) into this weekend's nationally televised home contest with Cornell (3-3, 1-2 Ivy). The game can be seen live on the YES Network, which is available on DirecTV Channel 610.