Lhotak named Ivy, I-AA Def. Player of the Week

Penn senior co-captain Steve Lhotak tackled Harvard's Matt Fratto six yards short of the end zone to secure the Quakers' title-clinching victory over the Crimson on Saturday.

It was one of Lhotak's nine drive-ending tackles and career-high 16 total tackles on the day. He sacked Crimson junior quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick four and a half times -- also a career high.

For his dominant performance in Boston, Lhotak was named The Sports Network Division I-AA Defensive Player of the Week and Ivy League Defensive Player of the Week.

"He's a machine," Penn senior safety Kevin Stefanski said. "It's a joke to watch him on film."

"It's unquestioned that he's our leader on defense and maybe even the unquestioned leader of the team," he added. "We feed off of him and his relentlessness."

It's the second time Lhotak -- a first-team All-Ivy performer in 2002 -- has been named Ivy Defensive Player of the Week. He received the same honor after recording eight solo tackles and two sacks in Penn's victory over Cornell last season.

"For a kid who's had a lot of good games, this is as good as I've seen in a long time," Penn coach Al Bagnoli said. "From top to bottom -- sacks, tackles, opportune times to do it, critical situations to show up in -- it was as fine a defensive performance as we've had in a long time.

"He's just a dominating presence," Bagnoli added.

Lhotak -- despite missing three games with a strained medial cruciate ligament, suffered against Lehigh -- leads the Quakers in sacks (5.5) and tackles for a loss (9.5). He ranks second on the team in tackles (49).

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Stefanski was supposed to be out the entire year after undergoing surgery to repair the meniscus cartilage in his right knee.

But Penn's safety made an unexpected early return against Harvard.

"The reason our team has done so well is because we have people like Kevin Stefanski," Lhotak said. "I guarantee you that 90 percent of people in this league who have the opportunity to come back for one or two games or keep rehabbing, I would imagine most would keep rehabbing for next year.

"But he's an incredible guy, and I couldn't be happier that he's back."

Stefanski will stay at Penn next year as a fifth-year senior.

Coming into this season, Stefanski had an extra year of eligibility due to sitting out his sophomore year with a torn anterior cruciate ligament in the same knee.

"Here's a kid who the doctors were saying, 'You're out the rest of the year, you're in a brace...' and here's a kid that through sheer determination and effort says, 'No, I'm gonna try to salvage something out of this season,'" Bagnoli said. "And so he was able to come back and he'll play in the Cornell game."

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Ranked No. 10 in the ESPN/USA Today poll and No. 9 in The Sports Network/College Sports Television Poll, Penn (9-0, 6-0 Ivy) is one of two I-AA teams still undefeated. No. 8 Colgate, the only other undefeated squad at 11-0, will likely be one of 16 teams competing in the I-AA playoffs.

But the Quakers won't be going, as the Ivy League does not permit any of the Ancient Eight to compete in the football playoffs.

Would Penn want to compete?

"Of course," Stefanski said. "From the players' standpoint, it's really a shame that we can't prove ourselves on a national level.

"The worst thing is just not being able to play," he added. "If we go out there and lose, at least we knew we had the opportunity and it's fair."

For Lhotak, the Ivy rule means that this week's game against Cornell will be his last in a Quakers uniform.

"I'm sure everyone would like a shot to go further, but it's not really a possibility," he said. "So it's never really been an issue."

Bagnoli insists that even without the playoffs, Penn has some of the toughest I-AA teams on its schedule. In addition to Harvard and Yale, the Quakers defeated Lehigh (8-3). Penn will also face No. 18 Villanova next season, after not playing the Wildcats this season.

"We're playing some pretty good teams," Bagnoli said.

But as for the playoffs, "it's the same old deal," he added.

"We'd like to go, we think it would make sense, but until the presidents change the rules, it's out of our hands."

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