UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Mike Sutton (Sewell, N.J.) captured Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week honors after notching a hat trick in the first quarter and causing two turnovers in Penn State's 11-6 win over Rutgers on Sunday, the conference office announced Monday (April 20).
Sutton is the first attackman to win Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week, and the second Nittany Lion this season to pick up the accolade after Connor Darcey (Wellesley, Mass.) took home the first Defensive Player of the Week honor in conference history.
The sophomore was a bulldog on the attack, scoring three goals and forcing two Rutgers turnovers on attempted clears in the third quarter of the Nittany Lions' first Big Ten win in program history. Both of Sutton's caused turnovers, his first of the season, came late in the third, helping Penn State preserve a two-goal lead that would eventually build to a five-score advantage. The sophomore had a first quarter hat trick, putting the Nittany Lions on the board and scoring two goals on the man-up. Sutton also took 11 shots and scooped up four ground balls.
In the conference rankings, Sutton currently ranks third with 7.75 shots per game, eighth with 1.92 goals per game and 10th with 2.17 points per game. He is in the midst of a 16-game point streak, and has six multi-goal games, including two hat tricks, on the year.
The Nittany Lions close out the inaugural season of Big Ten Lacrosse with a 6 p.m. game at Michigan on Saturday, April 26, broadcasted on the Big Ten Network.