Greensboro, NC (11/12/01) -- The Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) awarded its weekly Defensive Football Player of the Week prize to Guilford College junior J.J. Edwards (Mims, FL/Astronaut), the league office announced Monday. Guilford senior linebacker Jake Sorg (Andover, NJ/Lenape Valley Regional) received the ODAC's Defensive Player of the Week Award last week for games of November 3.

A 6-1, 185-pound safety, Edwards led Guilford's tacklers for the sixth time with 12 stops (3 solo) in the Quakers' 17-7 season-ending win over visiting league-rival Emory & Henry Saturday (11/10). He recorded his team- and league-leading fifth interception of the season and broke up two passes. Edwards made his second-quarter interception in Guilford's end zone to thwart a Wasps' scoring drive.

Edwards recorded a team-high 88 tackles (49 solo) and deflected 13 passes in his first season in the secondary. He also forced and recovered a fumble this season. The Quakers' top receiver in 2000, Edwards led Guilford's tacklers a team-high six times, including a career-best 16-tackle effort versus Hampden-Sydney September 22.

Coach Mike Ketchum's Quakers ended the year on a three-game winning streak and a 4-6 overall record. Guilford's late-season rally helped it gain a share of second place in the ODAC standings with a 3-3 league mark, the Quakers' most conference wins since the 1998 unit went 3-2. Edwards is one of five defensive starters due to back in 2002.