Greensboro, N.C. – Guilford College freshman Matt Pawlowski (Greensboro, N.C./Northwest Guilford) earned his third Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) Offensive Football Player of the Week after his performance against Randolph-Macon College Oct. 20. He also won the Guilford Student-Athlete of the Week Award presented by the school's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC).
Pawlowski, the starting quarterback, led the Quakers in their second straight comeback victory, a 38-35 decision, which marked Guilford's third straight win and moved them to 3-1 in ODAC play. Pawlowski set a career-high with 354 yards and four touchdowns on 24-of-37 passing and enjoyed his third straight game without an interception. He extended his streak of games with a touchdown pass to seven, his 180.9 pass efficiency rating in the game ranks 11th in school history. On the first play of the game, he connected with freshman wide receiver Adam Smith (Mocksville, N.C./Davie County) for a 65-yard touchdown pass. The duo came together again for the game-winning 12-yard touchdown with 2:02 to play in regulation. Pawlowski threw a pair of fourth quarter touchdown passes as the Quakers scored the game's final 17 points to overcome a 35-21 deficit.
Through seven games, Pawlowski is averaging 239.6 passing yards per game, which ranks third in the ODAC. He has thrown 15 touchdowns, the league's second-best figure and eighth in school history, against four interceptions. Pawlowski has completed 60.7 percent of his passes for 1,677 yards, which ranks ninth in school history.
Second-year head coach Chris Rusiewicz's Quakers (4-3, 3-1 ODAC) are part of a three-way tie for first in league standings with Hampden-Sydney College and Washington and Lee University. Guilford visits Hampden-Sydney at Lewis C. Everett Stadium on Saturday (10/27). The teams meet for the 61st season, with Hampden-Sydney leading the series, 39-22.
The Student-Athlete of the Week Award is presented by Guilford's Student Athlete Advisory Committee, 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 the school's student-athletes and non-student-athletes. Recent Guilford SAAC activities include a canned-food drive and the promotion of Champs Life Skills, which promotes intercollegiate athletics as a key part of the campus educational program and the student-athlete as an integral part of the student body. Its aim is to increase student-athletes' community involvement and to engage the greater Guilford community with the athletic department.