Oct. 19, 2009

RICHMOND, Va. - CAA Football announced its Player of the Week honorees, Monday, Oct. 19. Four individuals earned honors after showcasing superb efforts in contests played in Week Seven of the 2009 season, including Hofstra's Miguel Maysonet, Massachusetts' Jonathan Hernandez, Richmond's Derek Hatcher and Villanova's Fred Maldonado.

CAA Football Offensive Player of the Week - Jonathan Hernandez, RB, Massachusetts
Hernandez earns CAA Football Offensive Player of the Week honors after helping No. 18 Massachusetts to a 23-17 upset win over visiting No. 4 New Hampshire, 23-17, Saturday night. The sophomore running back garnered a game-high 166 rushing yards and a touchdown on 29 carries against New Hampshire's league-leading defense. The Leominster, Mass., native scored the game-winning touchdown on a 42-yard scamper late in the fourth quarter. Hernandez, who was subbing in for senior running back Tony Nelson, added to his fourth-quarter rushing total of 104 yards when he broke loose on a 34-yarder with just under two minutes left to play. His 34-yard run set-up what proved to the be the game-icing field goal for UMass.

CAA Football Defensive Player of the Week - Fred Maldonado, DB, Villanova
Maldonado, the CAA Football Defensive Player of the Week, led the Wildcats to a 27-0 shutout-win on the road over defending league champion James Madison. Maldonado was the leading tackler for the Villanova defense by racking up 11 total tackles, including six solo stops. The West Chester, Pa., native also logged 1.5 tackles for a loss of seven yards and picked up one of James Madison's two fumbles on the day. The Wildcats' defense recorded its first shutout since 2002, while the shutout at Bridgeforth Stadium was the first since Appalachian State blanked the Dukes at home in 1990.

CAA Football Special Teams Player of the Week - Derek Hatcher, PR, Richmond
Hatcher, the CAA Football Special Teams Player of the Week, returned a third-quarter Maine punt 90 yards for a touchdown in No. 1 Richmond's 38-21 road-win over the Black Bears. The St. Petersburg, Fla., native averaged over 43 yards on his two punt returns on the day, while his 90-yarder ranks as the second-longest punt return in school history. The TD-return, the second of his career, was also just three yards off the CAA Football punt-return record of 93 set by UMass' Ron Harris in 1974.

CAA Football Rookie of the Week - Miguel Maysonet, RB, Hofstra
Maysonet earned Rookie of the Week honors after helping Hofstra to a 28-16 win at Rhode Island. For the second-straight game Maysonet led the Pride in rushing with 83 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries. The Riverhead, N.Y., native broke free for a 24-yard touchdown run late in the fourth quarter which helped to the put the Hofstra victory away. On the year Maysonet leads the Pride with 259 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 48 carries.