The new month begins with All Saints’ Day, and while these two athletes might not qualify for sainthood just yet, their performances in October earned them recognition as Muhlenberg athletes of the month.

Female Athlete of the Month – Maggie Neary, Soccer

Muhlenberg’s improbable run to the Centennial Conference playoffs – which begin tonight with a first-round home game against Swarthmore – was built on defense, and its defense is built around Neary. A rock at center back, Neary anchored a back four that allowed only two goals in seven October games. That’s two goals in 650 minutes – a goals-against average of 0.28. The Mules went 4-2-1 in October, clinching the fourth seed in the CC playoffs after starting out 0-2 in league play. A four-year starter and two-time (likely to be three-time) All-CC selection, Neary also helped out the offense with her free kicks, recording an assist against Washington College.

Male Athlete of the Month – Dan Deighan, Football

The football team entered October on the heels of a 17-0 loss to Susquehanna that broke a long streak of not getting shut out in a Centennial Conference game. After a week off, the Mule offense returned in full force, averaging 457.7 yards and 43.7 points in three October games. At the helm was senior quarterback Deighan, who passed for 650 yards and five touchdowns while rushing for 178 and another score in the three games. He became the first QB in program history to record a 100-yard rushing game and a 300-yard passing game, and he did it in back-to-back weeks, running for 105 vs. Juniata and passing for 313 at Dickinson. He also broke the school record for career rushing yards by a quarterback (1,254 and counting) and moved into the top 10 in CC history in total offense.