University of Iowa senior return specialist Kaden Wetjen has been named Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Week following his performance in the Hawkeyes’ 47-7 win over UMass. The announcement was made Monday by the Big Ten Conference office.

Wetjen (5-foot-9, 196 pounds) finished with a career-high 216 return yards (182 punt and 34 kickoff) and a career-high 236 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns against the Minutemen. The 182 punt return yards are the fourth-most in a single game in Big Ten history, trailing Maryland’s William Likely (233 in 2015), Iowa’s Nile Kinnick (201 in 1939) and Iowa’s Kevonte Martin-Manley (184 in 2013).

Wetjen made history returning a punt 95 yards for a touchdown in the third quarter in the 40-point victory. The return tied a Big Ten and Iowa record (Michigan State’s Al Brenner at Illinois, 1966, and Iowa’s Bill Happel vs. Minnesota, 1984) and was the longest punt return in Kinnick Stadium history, besting Bob Longley (94 vs. Oregon in 1949). It was his second career punt return for a touchdown and his third career return touchdown (two punt, one kickoff). Wetjen is now tied for second in school history with two punt return touchdowns (with Kahlil Hill and Martin-Manley). Wetjen and Tim Dwight are the only players in school history with multiple 80+ yard punt return touchdowns (Dwight 3, Wetjen 2).