CENTER VALLEY, Pa. – Lehigh junior running back Dom Bragalone posted his fifth-consecutive 100-yard rushing game to earn the Patriot League Corvias Offensive Player of the Week honors for the first time this season when weekly awards were announced by the League office on Monday. He rushed for 136 yards on 21 carries and three touchdowns to help the Mountain Hawks defeat Bucknell, 42-21.
 
Holy Cross senior linebacker Nick McBeath earns Corvias Defensive Player of the Week for the third time this season, after returning a fumble 61 yards for a touchdown and making nine tackles in a win over Fordham. Lafayette freshman punter Michael Turk helped the Leopards win the field position battle, averaging 44.7 yards on six punts, including three inside the Georgetown 10-yard line to earn Corvias Special Teams Player of the Week for the first time. Bucknell freshman safety Brandon Benson earns his first Corvias Rookie of the Week honor after a 10-tackle performance against Lehigh.
 
Bucknell sophomore running back Chad Freshnock rushed for 174 yards and three touchdowns against Lehigh, while Lafayette sophomore cornerback Eric Mitchell had two interceptions to help shutout Georgetown to highlight the weekly honorable mentions. Georgetown sophomore defensive lineman had 11 tackles and 2.5 tackles for loss (TFL), Holy Cross senior quarterback Peter Pujals had 257 yards of total offense and two touchdowns passes, and Lehigh junior placekicker/punter Ed Mish averaged 44.5 yards per punt and converted all six extra-point chances to round out the weekly honorable mention selections.
 
The Patriot League football Corvias Players of the Week are selected in a vote by League media members and each school’s sports information director, who are not eligible to vote for their own student-athletes.
 
Corvias Patriot League Football Weekly Awards
Corvias Offensive Player of the Week
Dom Bragalone, Lehigh, Jr., RB, South Williamsport, Pa./South Williamsport
Bragalone posted his fifth-consecutive 100-yard game, finishing with 136 yards on 21 carries, while tying his career-high with three touchdowns in Lehigh’s 42-21 victory over Bucknell on Saturday. The junior running back had scoring runs of 44, seven and 29 yards and is now just one yard shy of becoming the first Lehigh player with three-consecutive 1,000-yard rushing seasons.  
 
Corvias Defensive Player of the Week
Nick McBeath, Holy Cross, Sr., LB, Miami, Fla./Christopher Columbus
McBeath returned a fumble 61 yards for a touchdown in the first quarter of Holy Cross’s 42-20 victory over Fordham on Saturday. The senior linebacker also tied for a team-leading nine tackles, a half TFL, one pass breakup and a quarterback hurry to lead the Crusaders.
 
Corvias Special Teams Player of the Week
Michael Turk, Lafayette, Fr., P, Dallas, Texas/Ridge Point
Turk played a crucial role in Lafayette’s 7-0 win over Georgetown, helping the Leopards win the field position game. The freshman punter averaged 44.7 yards per punt on six attempts, including three inside the Georgetown 10-yard line. He had a long punt of 52 yards in the fourth quarter to help preserve the program’s first shutout victory since 2007. His current 43.1 yards per punt average would place him first in Lafayette program history. This is Turk’s first Patriot League weekly award.
 
Corvias Rookie of the Week
Brandon Benson, Bucknell, Fr., S, Triangle, Va./C.D. Hylton
Benson posted 10 tackles and one quarterback hurry for the Bucknell defense in a 42-21 loss to Lehigh on Saturday. It was Benson’s third double-digit tackle performance in his last five games and second in a row. The Bison defense held Lehigh more than 100 yards below their average total yards of offense output.
 
Honorable Mention
Chad Freshnock, Bucknell, So., RB, Middletown, N.J./Middletown North
Freshnock rushed for a career-high 174 yards and three touchdowns on 16 carries in Bucknell’s 42-21 loss to Lehigh on Saturday afternoon. The sophomore running back’s first touchdown run went for 85 yards, the fifth-longest in Bucknell history and longest since 1979. He also became the first Bison since 2014 to rush for three touchdowns in a single-game. Freshnock also had three catches for 10 yards.  
 
Eric Mitchell, Lafayette, So., CB, Martinsburg, W.Va./Martinsburg
Mitchell intercepted two passes to help Lafayette post its first shutout since 2007 in a 7-0 win over Georgetown on Saturday. The sophomore cornerback also finished with three tackles and three passes defended in the victory.  
 
Khristian Tate, Georgetown, So., DL, Warner Robins, Ga./Covenant Academy
Tate finished with a career and game-high 11 tackles, 2.5 TFLs and 1.0 sack for 13 yards in the Hoyas 7-0 loss to Lafayette on Saturday. Tate and the Georgetown defense held Lafayette to just 166 yards of total offense
 
Peter Pujals, Holy Cross, Sr., QB, Glenview, Ill./Loyola Academy
Pujals accounted for 257 yards of total offense to lead Holy Cross to a 42-20 victory over Fordham on Saturday. Pujals completed 15-of-25 passes for 175 yards and two touchdowns, while rushing for 82 yards on 11 carries.  
 
Ed Mish, Lehigh, Jr., PK/P, Old Bridge, N.J./Old Bridge
Mish connected on all six of his extra-point attempts, while averaging 44.5 yards per punt on four attempts in Lehigh’s 42-21 victory over Bucknell. The junior specialist also averaged 56.3 yards per kickoff on six attempts.
 
 
10.30.17
Offensive: D’Angelo Palladino, Fordham, So., RB
Defensive: Glenn Cunningham, Fordham, Fr., LB
Special Teams: Jackson McLarty, Holy Cross, Fr., PK
Rookie: Grant Breneman, Colgate, Fr., QB
 
 
10.23.17
Offensive: Grant Breneman, Colgate, Fr., QB
Defensive: Colin Jonov, Bucknell, Sr., CB
Special Teams: Andrew Mevis, Fordham, Fr., PK
Rookie: Grant Breneman, Colgate, Fr., QB
 
10.16.17
Offensive: Troy Pelletier, Lehigh, Sr., WR
Defensive: Brandon Bryant, Lafayette, Sr., LB
Special Teams: John Burdick, Bucknell, Sr., PK
Rookie: Grant Breneman, Colgate, Fr., QB
 
10.9.17
Offensive: Peter Pujals, Holy Cross, Sr., QB
Defensive: Brandon Bryant, Lafayette, Sr., LB
Special Teams: Owen Rockett, Colgate, Jr., WR/KR
Rookie: Grant Breneman, Colgate, Fr., QB
 
10.2.17
Offensive: Grant Breneman, Colgate, Fr., QB
Defensive: Brandon Bryant, Lafayette, Sr., LB
Special Teams: Jeffrey Kordenbrock, Lafayette, Fr., PK
Rookie: Jorge Portorreal, Lehigh, Fr., WR
 
9.25.17
Offensive: Kevin Anderson, Fordham, Gr., QB
Defensive: Ben Richard, Bucknell, Sr., LB
Special Teams: John Burdick, Bucknell, Sr., PK
Rookie: Sean O’Malley, Lafayette, Fr., QB
 
9.18.17
Offensive: Peter Pujals, Holy Cross, Sr., QB
Defensive: Nick McBeath, Holy Cross, Sr., LB
Special Teams: A.J. Wells, Holy Cross, Sr., PK/P
Rookie: Jorge Portorreal, Lehigh, Fr., WR
 
9.11.17
Offensive: Corey Caddle, Fordham, Jr., WR
Defensive: Nick McBeath, Holy Cross, Sr., LB
Special Teams: A.J. Wells, Holy Cross, Sr., PK/P
Rookie: Sean O’Malley, Lafayette, Fr., QB
 
9.4.17
Offensive: Brad Mayes, Lehigh, Jr., QB
Defensive: T.J. Holl, Colgate, Jr., LB
Special Teams: Chris Puzzi, Colgate, So., PK
Rookie: Simeon Page, Bucknell, Fr., LB

 
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The Patriot League is in its third decade of academic and athletic achievement, continually demonstrating that student-athletes can excel at both academics and athletics without sacrificing high standards. The Patriot League’s athletic success is achieved while its member institutions remain committed to its founding principle of admitting and graduating student-athletes that are academically representative of their class. Participation in athletics at Patriot League institutions is viewed as an important component of a well-rounded education.