Monday, October 14, 2013
PORTLAND, Ore. - Fourteen Great Northwest Athletic Conference student-athletes have been selected as GNAC Red Lion Players of the Week (@redlionhotels) for the week of Oct. 7-12.
Among the standout performances was a 302-yard rushing performance by Azusa Pacific running back Terrell Watson, who scored five touchdowns in a 44-36 win over Simon Fraser, and a 19-save effort in a pair of 1-1 draws by Northwest Nazarene goalie Argia Phillips.
Football
Offense – Terrell Watson, Azusa Pacific (RB, 6-2, 230, Jr., Oxnard, CA) rushed for a school-record 302 yards and a school and GNAC-record tying five touchdowns (1, 2, 70, 68 and 8) as the Cougars overcame a 23-3 halftime deficit to defeat Simon Fraser 44-36. In the fourth quarter alone, Watson rushed for 232 yards and four touchdowns. That included a 61-yard non-scoring run to set up his final touchdown. He also caught one pass for six yards to finish with 308 all-purpose yards. Watson’s per carry rushing average of 10.8 eclipsed the GNAC record for most yards per carry (min. of 20 attempts) of 9.7 set by SFU’s Bo Palmer (20-194) three years ago against Dixie State.
Defense – Shane Kuenzi, Western Oregon (LB, 6-0, 200, So., Salem, OR – West Valley) and Tyler Thornton, Azusa Pacific (FS, 5-8, 182, Jr., Bakersfield, CA - Centennial) ... Kuenzi had a team-high 10 tackles in a 38-21 home win over Humboldt State. He also forced a fumble, had an interception and broke up a pass ... Thornton had 12 tackles, including eight solos, and also broke up two passes in the Cougars’ eight-point home win over Simon Fraser.
Special Teams – Jesse Zalk, Central Washington (WR, 5-8, 153, Fr., Battle Ground, WA - Prairie) had 217 all-purpose yards, including 113 on three kickoff returns and 104 yards on a GNAC season-high 14 receptions. In the second quarter, he returned a kickoff 53 yards to set up a 34-yard field goal by Sean McDonald. Zalk later helped CWU rally from a 17-3 deficit tying the game at 24-24 on a seven-yard TD reception with 2:28 left. He then set up a game-winning 44-yard field goal with one second left with a 26-yard catch to the Dixie 29 with 14 seconds remaining.
Honorable Mention - Chris Tolbert, Simon Fraser; Jamie Cacciatore, Azusa Pacific; Sean McDonald, Central Washington; Joe Harris, Western Oregon.
Volleyball
Offense - Rachel Hanses, Central Washington (OH, 5-11, So., Yakima, WA – West Valley) had 26 kills and a .296 percentage to lead the Wildcats to wins over Seattle Pacific and Montana State Billings. Hanses also had five digs and two blocks.
Defense - Jenna Caywood, Northwest Nazarene (MB, Fr., Meridian, ID – Cole Valley Christian) had 17 kills, 14 blocks and hit for a .452 percentage (17-3-31) leading the Crusaders to 3-1 wins over Montana State Billings and Seattle Pacific. She had seven kills and six blocks against MSUB and 10 kills in just 13 attempts and seven blocks against SPU.
Honorable Mention – Rachel Roeder, Western Washington; Julia Mackey, Alaska Anchorage.
Women’s Soccer
Offense – Heidi Greenback, Montana State Billings (F, 5-7, Sr., Woodinville, WA - Woodinville) scored with 13 seconds left in regulation on Thursday to save the day as MSU Billings battled Northwest Nazarene to a 1-1 overtime draw. Two days later, Greenback again evened the score for the Yellowjackets, this time with a header goal in the 40th minute against Saint Martin’s. MSU Billings scored again in the second half to collect the win, and the Yellowjackets picked up four total points to remain in contention for one of the top-four spots in the standings that earn a berth to the GNAC Championship tournament.
Defense – Argia Phillips, Northwest Nazarene (GK, 5-7, So., Meridian, ID - Meridian) made seven saves against MSU Billings on Thursday and added a dozen more against WOU on Saturday for a total of 19 in 220 minutes between the pipes as she helped NNU collect two hard-earned points with a pair of 1-1 draws. Perhaps the highlight of Phillips’ work came on Saturday, when she made two diving saves in the opening six minutes of the game, and then followed with another full-extension effort to deny a shot early into the second half. “Argia had the best game I’ve seen her have all year for us today,” NNU head coach Mary Trigg commented regarding Phillips’ performance against WOU on Saturday.
Honorable Mention – Amanda White, Central Washington; Amanda Rose Johnson, Western Oregon; Kelsey Martin, Northwest Nazarene, Taylor Higa, Western Oregon; Tarah Duty, Central Washington; Catherine Miles, Western Washington; Delanee Nilles, Western Washington; Krystal Daniels-Chamberlin, MSU Billings.
Men’s Soccer
Offense – Jordan Pearce, Mary (F, 6-0, Fr., Doncaster, England – Sir Thomas Wharton) scored and had an assist as the Marauders captured their first victory of 2013 with a decisive 3-0 win over South Dakota Mines. Pearce assisted on the first goal of the game as Mary scored in the 10th minute to establish command. The teams battled without a goal for more than 70 minutes, until Pearce found the back of the net in the 82nd to seal the victory for Mary. Pearce led all players with three shots on the day, and was responsible for two of Mary’s 10 shots on target.
Defense – Alexander Kleefeldt, Simon Fraser (D, 6-3, Jr., Frankfurt, Germany) The 6-foot-3 defender used his size against Western Washington on Saturday, elevating for a header goal in the 12th minute to put the Clan ahead 1-0. It was the only shot Kleefeldt would take all game, as his effort defensively helped No. 9 SFU shut out WWU in 2-0 fashion and remain in first place in the GNAC standings. “Alex has done a great job of solidifying our defence,” head coach Alan Koch commented regarding the junior’s effort. “He has now adjusted to the North American game and also comes up with some timely goals for us.”
Honorable Mention – John DiLulo, Northwest Nazarene; Jules Chopin, Simon Fraser; Davis Karaica, Seattle Pacific; Jordan Kollars, Seattle Pacific.
Cross Country
Male – Chip Jackson, Western Washington (Sr., Shoreline, WA – Shorewood) led the Vikings to a perfect team score in the 40th annual Western Washington Cross Country Classic, covering the 10,000-meter layout in a time of 32:03. Jackson was the first collegiate finisher and placed fifth overall.
Female – Annie Wade, Western Oregon (Jr., Condon, OR – Wheeler) finished first in the Pacific Lutheran University Invitational in a 6,000-meter time of 22:28.32, leading the Wolves to a first-place finish with a team score of 20.
Honorable Mention – Brady Beagley, Western Oregon; Robert Peterson, MSU Billings.
Men’s Golf
Bret Thompson, Simon Fraser (So., Winnipeg, MB – St. Paul’s) finished third in the Chico State Interwest Wildcat Classic with a 36-hole score of 142. Thompson fired a three-under par 69 in the second round after opening with a 73.
Women’s Golf
Jennifer Liedes, Saint Martin’s (So., Olympia) finished third in the Western Washington Invitational with a 36-hole score of 151, including a tournament-low 71 in the opening round.