McLean County Times

Illinois State University junior linebacker Tye Niekamp has been named the Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC) Defensive Player of the Week. The recognition follows his performance during Illinois State’s 42-30 win against Eastern Illinois in the 113th Mid-America Classic on Saturday.

Niekamp’s showing included a career-high 14 tackles, with 10 solo stops. He also made two tackles-for-loss and registered a quarterback hurry as part of a defensive effort that forced two turnovers, recorded two sacks, and held Eastern Illinois to only 35 rushing yards.

This marks the third time in his career at Illinois State that Niekamp has received MVFC weekly honors. He joins South Dakota running back L.J. Phillips Jr., Southern Illinois kicker/punter Paul Geelen, and UNI wide receiver Ayden Price as this week’s conference honorees.

Illinois State is set to play North Alabama next Saturday for Family Day at Jay and Lori Bergman Field at Hancock Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for noon.

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