Six Tigers earn D3football.com All-Region honors

Thursday, December 9, 2021

Six DePauw student-athletes were named to the D3football.com All-Region 4 team as selected by Region 4 sports information directors and D3football.com staff.

Defensive tackle Joe Zanca (Sr., Chicago, Ill./Notre Dame) was the Tigers' lone pick on the first team. Zanca, the North Coast Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year, led the Tigers with 12.5 tackles for losses totaling 34 yards including two sacks for 13 yards. He led a defense that held seven opponents to 14 or fewer points and six under 60 rushing yards.

A pair of Tigers earned spots on the second team as offensive lineman Connor Smith (Sr., Bloomington, Ind./Bloomington North) and cornerback Dylan Hyatt (Sr., Brazil, Ind./Northview) were selected. Smith, who was chosen at guard, played both left guard and right tackle for the team that averaged 32.7 points and 410.9 yards per game. Hyatt led the team with six interceptions and added seven breakups and two tackles for loss.

Center Zac Bowman (Sr., Carmel, Ind./Carmel) was chosen to the third team as was linebacker Brevon Gude (So., Avon, Ind./Avon) and kicker Joe Sullivan (So., Cincinnati, Ohio/St. Xavier). Gude was second on the team with 60 tackles and led the Tigers with 5.0 sacks as part of his 9.5 tackles for loss. He also has an interception which he returned 51 yards for a touchdown in the win over Oberlin and totaled four pass breakups and forced one fumble on the season. Sullivan made 43 of 44 point-after attempts and hit 11-of-13 field goals to lead the Tigers in scoring with 76 points.

The Tigers matched a school record with nine wins on the way to a 9-3 season that included an NCAC title in addition to a first-ever appearance in the NCAA second round after DePauw topped Rose-Hulman in the opening round.