Dereck Pacheco of Hyannis, Mass., Represents WPI Football at DIII Senior Classic

2018 Jan 8

Dereck Pacheco was one of two Engineers to participate in the DIII Senior Classic.

WPI football seniors Lou Garcia and Dereck Pacheco made the trip to Doug Shaw Stadium in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina December 16 for the 2017 DIII Senior Classic. Sean Murphy '16 represented the Engineers at the event two years ago.

Garcia, who registered two pass breakups in the game, saved his best for the NEWMAC portion of the schedule with two of his league-leading six interceptions returned for touchdowns, as well as nine pass breakups. Earlier in the campaign, Garcia made five solo stops to go along with a forced fumble versus RPI.

Pacheco, the defensive line MVP who logged four tackles, 1.5 sacks, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery, was third in the NEWMACwith six sacks and 35 sack yards, and tied for first with a pair of fumble recoveries during the regular season. Pacheco amassed 47 tackles featuring 17.5 for-loss, as well as a forced fumble and a blocked field goal.

The duo, who accounted for two of the three NEWMAC student-athletes, was joined by Catholic's Nick Della Jacono.

Eighth-year head coach Chris Robertson's Engineers finished the season 9-2 with a seven-game winning-streak and a New England Bowl trophy. The nine wins tie the 1992 team that went to the NCAA tournament and the bowl triumph is the first postseason win in the 128 years of WPI Football.

About the DIII Senior Classic

Going into its ninth year, the DIII Senior Classic has been highly successful and is undoubtedly the premier post-season scouting opportunity for all of DIII Football. It has attracted the best football players DIII football has to offer for the past eight years, boasting rosters that are consistently 82% All-Americans.

The DIII Senior Classic is played in Myrtle Beach on third Saturday of December and is the third game in a five-bowl games series called the International Scouting Showcase (ISS).

About Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Founded in 1865 in Worcester, Mass., WPI is one of the nation's first engineering and technology universities. Its 14 academic departments offer more than 50 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in science, engineering, technology, business, the social sciences, and the humanities and arts, leading to bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees. WPI's talented faculty work with students on interdisciplinary research that seeks solutions to important and socially relevant problems in fields as diverse as the life sciences and bioengineering, energy, information security, materials processing, and robotics. Students also have the opportunity to make a difference to communities and organizations around the world through the university's innovative Global Projects Program. There are more than 40 WPI project centers throughout the Americas, Africa, Asia-Pacific, and Europe.