BURNSVILLE, MN – Christopher Federico's constant presence in the opposing backfield on Saturday earned the University of Mary linebacker Northern Sun Defensive Player of the Week honors following the Marauders 40-9 road win at Southwest Minnesota State University.
 
Federico registered a career-high 3.5 tackles for loss against the Mustangs, setting SMSU back a total of 11 yards. That was the most tackles behind the line for an NSIC player last week.
 
Additionally the junior from Henderson, NV, made a team-high 11 tackles, including seven solo stops.
 
Federico keyed a Marauders defense that held SMSU to 256 yards of offense with just 58 on the ground. It was the third time in four games UMary has held an opponent below 300 yards.  UMary leads the NSIC in fewest yards allowed per game at 299.8.
 
One of the league's top tacklers last year, Federico ranks 5^th in the NSIC this season with 8.0 tackles per game (19 solo, 13 assisted). He leads the conference with 6.0 tackles for loss and is second at 1.5 tackles for loss/game. He also had 2.0 sacks this season.
 
The last UMary player to earn NSIC Defensive Player of the week honors was Justus Breston for his Week 0 efforts in the 2024 season opener. The last Marauder to earn NSIC defensive honors in a league game was Paul Guptill in the final game of the 2019 season.
 
UMary next hosts Northern State University on Saturday, September 27. The Marauders football alumni day game and Brave the Shave Tackle Childhood Cancer Game against the Wolves is set for 2 pm at the MDU Resources Community Bowl. Tickets are available online at www.UMaryTickets.com.
 
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