CHICAGO -- University of Chicago sophomore Cole Ostendorf was named the Midwest Conference Special Teams Athlete of the Week, as announced by the Midwest Conference on Monday afternoon.

Ostendorf was the leader on both defense and special teams on Saturday for the Maroons as he helped lift UChicago past Grinnell. His impact was fully felt on back-to-back plays in the second quarter to put the game out of reach. The Maroons blocked a punt in the Grinnell endzone, and Ostendorf was able to beat everyone to the ball to recover it in the endzone for the touchdown. Then, on the first offensive play for Grinnell on the ensuing series, Ostendorf picked off a pass and returned it into the redzone to set up UChicago in great field position.

To go along with his interception, the Elmhurst, Illinois native also added 8 tackles and 2.5 tackles for loss on the defensive side of the ball to show his constant impact for the Maroons.

The Athlete of the Week award is the first of his career, and he joins Tad Tan and Walter Kilgore to become the third different player to earn Special Teams Athlete of the Week award honors for UChicago football this season.

Ostendorf and the rest of the UChicago football team will return to action on November 1, as the Maroons host the Monmouth College Scots in the pseudo Midwest Conference Championship game. The winner of the game between the Maroons and the Scotsa will need just one win in their final two games to earn a berth to the 2025 NCAA Tournament.