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Princeton University Athletics
Players Mentioned
Mike Catapano Named Ivy League Defensive Player Of The Week
October 09, 2012 | Football
For the third time in two weeks, a Princeton football player has earned one of the four weekly Ivy honors. Senior lineman Mike Catapano, in the midst of a dominant season for the vastly improved Tiger defense, was named the Ivy League Defensive Player of the Week.
One week after Princeton picked up both the Rookie (Anthony Gaffney) and Special Teams (Nolan Bieck) Player of the Week honors, Catapano earned the Defensive Player of the Week honor after recording eight tackles, including three for loss, and a career-high 2.5 sacks in Princeton's 35-14 road win at Lafayette.
Catapano now leads the Ivy League in both sacks (5.5) and tackles for loss (6.5). He ranks second among all Ivy League defensive linemen in tackles (5.2 per game), and he has led Princeton to the top spot in the Ivy rankings in both total defense and pass defense. The Tigers rank second in scoring defense, though they have given up only one less point than Harvard this season.
"Mike Catapano has emerged as a leader on this defense," head coach Bob Surace said. "He had a great game Saturday night, and I'm glad to see him recognized for it. He has been a real force for us on the field this season, and he has joined some of our other seniors like Andrew Starks and Caraun Reid in being a leader for the team."
Catapano will lead Princeton on to Powers Field Saturday at noon for a nationally televised showdown with Brown. The game will be available on the NBC Sports Network.