In the midst of a standout junior season, Hillsdale College linebacker Luke Penola added an honor from the Great Midwest Athletic Conference on Monday afternoon.

Penola was named the G-MAC Football Defensive Player of the Week in a release on Monday, the first weekly conference honor of his career and the Chargers' sixth this season.

While Hillsdale came up just short in a tough 22-19 loss to Findlay on Saturday, Penola played one of the best games of his career to keep the Chargers in contention for the win until the very end. The junior recorded a career-high 17 tackles, six solo, and also recorded 1.5 tackles for loss and a sack as well. 

For the season, Penola's 59 tackles lead the Chargers and rank tied for fifth in the G-MAC. Penola also has 4.5 tackles for loss, three sacks and four quarterback hurries on the 2026 campaign. A rare junior captain at Hillsdale, Penola is a leader for the team and a part of one of the best defenses statistically in NCAA DII, ranking seventh in the nation in scoring defense at 14.1 points per game.

Penola and the Chargers will look to bounce back quickly with another one of the nation's top defenses, Tiffin, coming to town this weekend for a 2 p.m. kick as both teams look to stay in the NCAA DII playoff hunt.