FOREST, Va. – Averett University football senior defensive lineman Chavis Martin, following a dominant four-tackle, three sack performance versus US-29 rival Guilford College on Saturday afternoon, earned the Old Dominion Athletic Conference football defensive player of the week on Sunday. 

Martin, hailing from Martinsville, Virginia, had much to celebrate on Saturday's win against the Quakers; he was honored in the Senior Day ceremony, then put out arguably his career-best performance on the defensive anchor. Martin recorded three sacks, two of which were back-to-back, in a four-tackle day. 

His three sacks were the most in a single game in Martin's Averett tenure, and now currently leads all Cougars in sacks on the season with 5.0. In the ODAC ranks, he jumped up to second in the league, only trailing Guilford's Simeon Reid, with six. 

When looking at conference-only games, Martin's four sacks are tied for the best, as his count of four is tied with Bridgewater's Jayden Booth. 

This is Martin's first ever player of the week honor, and the team's third overall this season, joining Brandon Saunders and Jeremiah Marks. He also became the first Cougar defensive lineman to earn such laurels since Jahlin Russell did so on Nov. 12, 2023.