CHARLOTTE – Gardner-Webb senior Shai Thomas was named Big South Conference Defensive Player of the Week on Monday by the league office.

Thomas (Anderson, S.C. / T.L. Hanna HS) powered a dominant effort by the Gardner-Webb defense in a 35-27 win at North Carolina A&T in the season finale, registering 10 total tackles (seven solo), 2.5 tackles for loss (minus-14 yards) and an 11-yard sack.

The 6-foot-2, 271-pound standout's effort paced a defensive effort that allowed just one offensive touchdown on the day, limited the home team to 11 first downs and only 168 total offensive yards (73 rushing). 

Thomas finished his super senior season with 59 total tackles (31 solo), 8.5 tackles for loss (-31) and 4.0 sacks (-23). He added eight quarterback hurries. Most of that production came against Big South foes, as he posted 49 stops, all of his tackles for loss and all sacks in seven Big South games.

For his career, Thomas finished with 201 total tackles (96 solo), 26.0 tackles for loss (minus-92 yards) and 9.0 quarterback sacks (minus-50 yards). He also broke up seven career passes, picked off two more and scored a pair of defensive touchdowns.

The former linebacker had a career-high 68 stops in 2018 while playing the Bandit position. His 8.5 tackles for loss and four sacks this season are new career-high totals.

Thomas' performance in Big South Conference games helped elevate Gardner-Webb's overall defensive effectiveness, as GWU allowed just 117.3 yards per game on the ground over its last five outings.