Keene, New Hampshire, senior defensive lineman recognized by hometown media outlet for strong Bentley performance
SportsNewHampshire Athlete of the Week Announcement
EASTON, Mass. (September 18, 2014) – Stonehill College senior defensive lineman Taylor Russell (Keene, New Hampshire/Keene) has been honored by the local media near his hometown by being named the SportsNewHampshire.com Noyes Volkswagen Athlete of the Week.
Russell earns the honors after his dominating performance to lead the Stonehill defensive effort in Friday night's 24-17 triumph at rival Bentley University – the program's first win in Waltham, Massachusetts, since 1995, snapping a string of eight straight defeats. Russell shared the team lead with his career-best 11 tackles, including a career-high matching five solo, with 2.0 sacks for a loss of 11 yards. He spearheaded a Skyhawks defense that registered four sacks and eight total tackles for loss in the game, holding Bentley to just 91 yards rushing.
Russell ranks second on the team after two weeks with 15 tackles (seven solo) and his two sacks. He shares the NE-10 lead for sacks and ranks 13th for tackles, ranking 25th nationally for sacks. The Stonehill defense leads the NE-10 in scoring defense (49th nationally), allowing 20.5 points per game through two weeks, while ranking third in the Conference (34th nationally) for passing defense, yielding 148 yards per game through the air.
Russell has played 29 games over his career at Stonehill, totaling 80 tackles (31 solo), including 9.5 for a loss of 42 yards, with 6.5 sacks for a loss of 39, six fumble recoveries, an interception and pass breakup. His six career fumble recoveries rank seventh in program history, including his NCAA Division II leading four fumble recoveries in 2013, which ranks fourth on the program's single-season list. Russell has been named to the NE-10 Commissioner's Honor Roll one semester to date.
Stonehill (1-1, 1-0 NE-10) is back in action on Saturday when it visits American International College for a rematch of the 2014 NE-10 Championship in Springfield, Massachusetts, at 1 p.m. The Skyhawks return home to host Merrimack College the following Saturday, September 27, as part of Family Weekend at the College at 6 p.m.
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