Nelson nails down second ODAC honor

Guilford College’s Jordan Nelson (Hudson, N.C./West Caldwell) won the weekly Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) Defensive Football Player of the Week Award late Sunday. He has earned the weekly defensive prize twice this season.

Nelson, a junior, also collected his second Guilford Student-Athlete of the Week prize, presented by Guilford’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC).

Nelson set the school record and tied an ODAC standard with four interceptions in Guilford’s 42-21 victory over Catholic University Nov. 7, which helped the Quakers to their second straight win. He recovered four of Catholic’s nine turnovers in the matchup.

Three of Nelson’s four interceptions came in the second half and one led to a Guilford touchdown. He made three interceptions inside of the Quakers’ 12-yard line, including one in the end zone. Nelson gained 70 return yards on his interceptions and also returned four kickoffs for 70 yards in the game. Nelson finished with three solo tackles and one assisted tackle.

Nelson has appeared in nine games with six starts at cornerback for the Quakers this season. Through nine games, he ranks first in the league with a school record-tying eight interceptions and has 11 passes defended, which stands fourth in the league. Nelson has 40 tackles this season, 32 solo. He is also Guilford’s top kick returner, averaging 19.4 yards per return, the ODAC’s 10th-highest figure.

Coach Kevin Kiesel’s Quakers (3-6, 2-3 ODAC) close their season Saturday (11/14) against league-rival Emory & Henry College in Armfield Athletic Center at 1:00 p.m.

The Student-Athlete of the Week Award is presented by Guilford’s SAAC, which is comprised of representatives from each of the school’s 16 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 start of a new program, Champs Life Skills, maintains intercollegiate athletics as an integral 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, as well as engage the Guilford community with the athletic department.

Dave Walters
Guilford College Athletics