Three football players from the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) were recognized for standout performances over the weekend, earning spots on the latest D3football.com Team of the Week.
Calvin University junior quarterback Thomas Vaccaro, Alma College senior linebacker Jett King, and Alma senior punter Jacob Kluk were among the nation’s top performers at their respective positions.
Vaccaro delivered a record-setting performance in Calvin’s 66-20 victory over The University of Olivet. He completed 28-of-37 passes for 365 yards, good for a 75.7 completion percentage, while throwing six touchdown passes without an interception. The six touchdown passes established a new Calvin single-game record. Vaccaro also added a rushing touchdown as the Knights put together one of their highest-scoring performances of the season.
King played a pivotal role in Alma’s 20-17 victory over Adrian College, recording a season-high 13 tackles. The senior also came up with a pair of game-changing plays. King intercepted his seventh career pass and returned it 52 yards for his first career touchdown, giving the Scots a 20-17 lead midway through the fourth quarter. With 11 seconds remaining, King sealed the victory by recovering a strip-sack fumble forced by teammate Blake Esselink on the final play of the game.
Kluk was equally impressive on special teams, putting together a career-best punting performance against the Bulldogs. The senior averaged 46.4 yards on five punts, including a career-long 58-yard punt. Four of his five punts were downed inside the 5-yard line, coming to rest at the 1-, 1-, 1- and 3-yard lines. Kluk also recorded multiple 50-yard punts for just the second time in his collegiate career.
The D3football.com Team of the Week is a weekly honor roll recognizing the top individual performances at each position from the previous week. Now in its 28th season, the Team of the Week selections are based on nominations submitted by Division III institutions.
The three selections give the MIAA three representatives on this week’s national honor roll, highlighting a weekend of impressive individual performances across the conference.