Area college update: UMAC race coming into focus
November 2, 2018 at 4:52AM
MacMurray (6-1, 6-0 UMAC) at Martin Luther (7-1, 6-0), noon Saturday: The winner will clinch a tie for UMAC title. MacMurray, the UMAC runner-up last season, was the favorite in the league's preseason poll while Martin Luther was picked to finish sixth. MacMurray has won the last four games in the series.
WEEK 10 STORY LINES
• Wisconsin-Whitewater was No. 1 and St. John's No. 2 in the West Region in the first Division III regional rankings, announced Wednesday. Bethel is No. 4 and St. Thomas is No. 6, while Wisconsin-Oshkosh is No. 8 and Wisconsin-La Crosse is No. 10. St. John's has clinched a share of the MIAC title and the league's automatic bid to the Division III playoffs.
• MSU Mankato (9-0) replaced Minnesota Duluth (9-0) at No. 1 in this week's Division II Super Region Four rankings. UMD dropped to No. 3. Tarleton State (8-0) moved up three spots to No. 2. St. Cloud State, which was ranked ninth, dropped out of the rankings.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Nathan Brinker, DL, St. John's: The senior from Avon, Minn., a two-time first-team all-conference selection, leads the MIAC in tackles for loss (15.5) and is tied for second in sacks (six).
Andrew Lackowski, RB, Bemidji State: The senior from El Dorado Hills, Calif., is second in the NSIC with an average of 113 rushing yards per game. He has rushed for more than 120 yards in his last four games.
BY THE NUMBERS
26 Passes defended — best in Division II — by Concordia (St. Paul) freshman DB Marcus Haskins.
56 First-half points (a school record) by Minnesota Duluth in a 63-7 victory over Minnesota-Crookston.
222 Receiving yards (a UMAC single-game record) on four catches last week for Martin Luther's Josh Arndt.
Dawson Garcia had 19 points and a season-high 14 rebounds and Brennan Rigsby contributed 14 points off the bench to the 69-61 comeback victory.
