wiitanen ath of week

Football Bob Shreve, Assistant Director of Athletics Media Relations

Wiitanen Named PSAC West Special Teams Athlete of the Week

LOCK HAVEN, Pa. – Gannon University defensive back Matt Wiitanen (Renton, Wash. /Pioneer) has been named the PSAC West Special Teams Athlete of the Week, as announced by the league office this afternoon. Wiitanen helped lead Gannon to a 16-10 win at Millersville on Saturday as the Golden Knights improved to 2-0 for the first time since 2016. Chris Farnsworth (Bristol, Pa./Milton Hershey) was recognized as the PSAC West Defensive Athlete of the Week a week ago.
 
A 6'0", 195 lb. defensive back from Renton, Wash., Wiitanen's play on special team's accounted for the first score of the game. The redshirt senior roared in to block a Millersville punt with 3:20 remaining in the first quarter. The ball would roll out of the end zone, giving Gannon a 2-0 lead. The Golden Knights would never trail the rest of the way.
 
Wiitanen also started at strong safety as the Gannon defense limited Millersville to just 157 total yards, including 22 on the ground. He finished with five tackles, three of those solo, and took part in a tackle for a loss.
 
Wiitanen was a starter in the secondary during an abbreviated 2020 season that was played in the spring of 2021 due to COVID-19. He transferred to Central Washington in the fall and helped the Wildcats to an 8-3 record and a berth in the NCAA Division II Playoffs before returning to Gannon this summer.
 
Gannon looks to make it three wins in a row to start the season when West Chester visits McConnell Family Stadium on Saturday, September 17 in another PSAC crossover game. Kickoff is set for 12 noon.
 
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Players Mentioned

Chris Farnsworth

#9 Chris Farnsworth

DB
5' 11"
Redshirt Junior
Matt Wiitanen

#2 Matt Wiitanen

DB
6' 0"
Redshirt Senior

Players Mentioned

Chris Farnsworth

#9 Chris Farnsworth

5' 11"
Redshirt Junior
DB
Matt Wiitanen

#2 Matt Wiitanen

6' 0"
Redshirt Senior
DB