Snyder Named as HCAC Defensive Player of the Week

GREENWOOD, Ind. – Just two days after leading Defiance to its fourth-straight win, Keith Snyder has been selected as the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Week. Snyder turned in 10 tackles and ran back an interception 40 yards for a touchdown to seal DC's 27-13 win over Bluffton.

Snyder ended his record-setting career at Defiance College in style, as he anchored a defensive unit which limited the Bluffton attack to 121 yards of total offense and only 16 yards through the air in 13 attempts.

The senior free safety logged a team-high 10 tackles, before sealing DC's victory over the Beavers with the interception and 40-yard return to the end zone. Snyder's first career touchdown lifted the Yellow Jackets to a 27-6 lead late in the third quarter and put the game out of reach.

The 10-tackle showing was Snyder's seventh double-digit performance of the season and the 16th of his record-setting career. Snyder finished his senior season with an HCAC-best 119 tackles and also led all league players with 13 passes defended.

The Martin, Mich., native ended his career at Defiance with 360 total tackles, including 174 assisted and 186 solo hits. The 174 assisted tackles are a school record for the Jackets, while the 360 total stops rank Snyder just 12 back of Donny Mutters' (1988-91) all-time mark of 372.

The HCAC honor is the fourth for Snyder in his four-year career and his second in the past four weeks. Snyder played a major role in each of DC's final four games, leading the Jackets to a 4-0 mark in those contests with 42 tackles, three interceptions and seven pass breakups.