Missouri S&T freshman quarterback Lamar Wilkes and senior linebacker Zach Melber, along with Quincy University sophomore wideout and punt returner Eric Poindexter, have been named the Great Lakes Valley Conference Players of the Week, it was announced by the league office Monday.
Wilkes was tabbed GLVC Offensive Player of the Week, Melber was picked Defensive Player of the Week, while Poindexter was named Special Teams Player of the Week.
Melber had a team-high 10 tackles, including four for a loss for a total of 35 yards and a forced fumble in the Miners' 28-21 win at Southwest Baptist. Seven of his tackles were solo stops and included three quarterback sacks for a loss of 24 yards, part of the school and GLVC record 14 sacks recorded by S&T – a total that also tied the NCAA Division II single game record. Two of his three sacks came on the Bearcats' final possession to snuff out any opportunity for a rally. Meanwhile, the forced fumble came in the first half and was recovered by the Miners to set up their fourth touchdown in the first 30 minutes of play. As a whole, the Miners held SBU to just 221 yards of total offense and to 222 through the air, 111 below its seasonal average entering play on Saturday. The St. Louis, Missouri native garners his first weekly accolade of his career and is the first S&T defender to be recognized by the Conference office since Chris Emesih on Nov. 4, 2013.