Topsfield, Mass., native earns trio of Defensive Player of the Week honors from ncaa.com, Northeast-10 Conference and Beyond Sports Network
EASTON, Mass. (September 25, 2012) – The weekly honors are pouring in for Stonehill College senior cornerback Kevin Anderson (Topsfield, Mass./Masconomet) after his standout performance in helping lead the Skyhawks to a 26-24 victory over Assumption College in Northeast-10 Conference action on Saturday night.
Anderson has been named the Division II Defensive Player of the Week by ncaa.com and the NE-10 Defensive Player of the Week as well as one of Beyond Sports Network's Defensive Players of the Week for Division II. It marks the second major weekly honors of the season for Anderson who collected NE-10 Special Teams Player of the Week accolades as well as the Beyond Sports Network's Kick Returner of the Week after week one of the season. He also collected BSN Defensive Player of the Week honors after a two interception performance at Bryant University in 2011.
Anderson matched the program's single-game record for the second time in his career with his three interceptions on Saturday night, returning his third 98 yards for a game-winning touchdown with 6:19 to play. He also finished with three tackles (one solo) and posted a game-high 168 all-purpose yards on the night as he added 49 yards on three kickoff returns to go with his 119 total interception return yardage. All three of his interceptions led to Stonehill points with the Skyhawks converting a 25 yard field goal to draw within 7-3 in the first quarter and then took a 10-7 lead with a touchdown after his second pickoff in the second quarter.
The 98 yard interception return is the longest in Division II this season and the longest by a Stonehill player since Mike DeBye had a 100 yard return for a score against Assumption in 2005. It also marks the second-straight year a Skyhawks player has returned an interception for a score against the Greyhounds as senior Jareed Gaines (Lumberton, N.J./Rancocas Valley) had an 82 yard interception return for a touchdown in 2011.
Anderson matches the program's record for interceptions in a game set by Sean Daley, also against Assumption, in 1995 for the second time in his career. Anderson, whose eight career interceptions have all come in three games over his career, also picked off three passes against Assumption as a freshman in 2009. He moved into a tie for seventh on Stonehill's career interceptions list with classmate Mickey Miela (Foothill Ranch, Calif./Trabuco Hills) and Glenn Pafford, '92.
Anderson, who now leads the Northeast-10 and ranks 11th nationally in Division II for interceptions this season, ranks fifth on the team with 20 tackles (13 solo) and is second in the NE-10 to Gaines (6) with five additional pass breakups. Anderson ranks second nationally with an NE-10 best eight total passes defended.
Anderson ranks second in the NE-10 for kickoff return average at 26.5 yards per return (34th nationally), having totaled a Conference-best 345 yards on 13 kickoff returns, including the opening kickoff of the 2012 season that he returned 92 yards for a touchdown against 25th-ranked Bloomsburg University on August 31. Anderson is second on the team with 116 all-purpose yards per game – good for sixth in the NE-10.
Anderson has played all 35 games in his collegiate career at Stonehill, starting all but week one of his freshman year. He has totaled 166 tackles (99 solo), including 2.0 for a loss of three yards over his career, with the eight interceptions, 29 additional pass breakups and three forced fumbles. He ranks second in program history for career pass breakups, trailing just Tom O'Connell's, '03 record of 38 from 1999-2002. Anderson has returned 18 career kickoffs for 454 yards, averaging 25.2 yards per return, and has one punt return for 31 yards.
Stonehill (3-1, 3-0 NE-10) looks to match its best start since 2007, when it visits rival Bentley University for a big early season NE-10 matchup in Waltham, Mass., on Friday at 7 p.m. The Skyhawks next home game is scheduled for Saturday, October 13, when they host Merrimack College for Senior Day at noon.