GREENSBORO, N.C. – Guilford College's Matt Pawlowski earned the Old Dominion Athletic Conference's (ODAC) Offensive Football Player of the Week for the week ending Oct. 14. The freshman quarterback is this year's first two-time winner of the weekly honor and Guilford's first since Josh Vogelbach '09 in 2006. Pawlowski also won Guilford's Student-Athlete of the Week Award, as presented by the school's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC).
A 6-2, 190-pound quarterback, Pawlowski contributed to all three Quakers' touchdowns in their 23-20 home win over league-rival Bridgewater College Oct. 11. He completed 18-of-26 passes for 258 yards and two scores, including a 10-yard strike to Nick Mearite midway through the fourth quarter that put Guilford ahead. Pawlowski rallied the Quakers from deficits of 14-6 and 20-15 for the Quakers' first win over the Eagles since 2006. He also scored on a third-and-goal from the Bridgewater one-yard line for his team-leading third rushing touchdown of the year.
Pawlowski, who also won the Sept. 16 ODAC Offensive Player of the Week honor, has completed nearly 60 percent (118-of-197) of his passes for 1,323 yards and 11 touchdowns, which ranks third in the ODAC. He stands fourth in the league in passing yards per game (220.5) and passing efficiency (130.68). His 237.83 total offensive yards per game is second in the ODAC and 71st among NCAA Division III leaders. Pawlowski has thrown just four interceptions in 197 pass attempts, none in Guilford's last two games, both wins.
Second-year head coach Chris Rusiewicz's Quakers (3-3, 2-1 ODAC) are part of a four-way tie for second place in the league standings. Guilford's triumph over Bridgewater marked its first home win under Rusiewicz and matches its most victories in a season since 2009. The Quakers visit league-rival Randolph-Macon College (4-2, 2-1 ODAC) Saturday for a 1:00 p.m. contest.
The Student-Athlete of the Week Award is presented by Guilford's SAAC, which is comprised of representatives from each of the school's 20 varsity teams. The group meets regularly to discuss the state of Guilford Athletics and seeks to build community among Guilford's student-athletes and non-student-athletes. Recent Guilford SAAC activities include cancer awareness promotions, canned-food drives, volunteer assistance with the North Carolina Special Olympics and tutoring at New Garden Friends School.