Monday, October 22, 2018

PORTLAND, Ore. – After leading Central Washington to a GNAC record 719 yards of total offense in Saturday’s 60-19 win over Simon Fraser, Wildcats’ senior quarterback Reilly Hennessey leads the list of GNAC Player of the Week recipients.

Hennessey was named the Football Offensive Player of the Week after he completed 17 of 25 passes for a total of 351 yards and four touchdowns, spreading the scoring between three different receivers. He accounted for the majority of the Wildcats’ 380 passing yards in the record offensive night.

Western Oregon’s senior linebacker Bo Highburger was named the Defensive Player of the Week after he finished with 14 tackles, 10 solo tackles and three tackles for loss in the Wolves’ 45-24 win over Humboldt State. Highburger also had a sack which forced a fumble, which he then recovered, that stunted a potential go-ahead drive for Humboldt State in the third quarter.

Azusa Pacific senior kicker Jacob Hall earned Special Teams Player of the Week honors after he made field goals of 21 and 42 yards and went 3 for 3 on point-after attempts in the Cougars’ 42-27 loss at No. 6 Colorado Mines. Hall also punted five times, averaging 50.6 yards per punt.

Alaska Anchorage swept the final cross country weekly awards of the season after posting a pair of individual victories at the Westen Washington Classic. Junior Emmah Chelimo won her second race of the season with a two-second victory, covering the 6,000-meter course in 21:15. Sophomore Felix Kemboi won his first race of the season as he covered the 10,000-meter course in 31:40, beating teammate Wesley Kiriu by 11 seconds.

A pair of hat tricks earned the league’s soccer offensive honors. Montana State Billings senior forward Ricardo Palomino was named the Men’s Soccer Offensive Player of the Week after he netted three goals in the Yellowjackets’ 4-2 come-from-behind win over Northwest Nazarene. Simon Fraser junior forward Emma Pringle earned the women’s offensive award after she scored all three goals in the Clan’s 3-0 shutout over Saint Martin’s on Tuesday.

On the defensive side, Concordia senior goalkeeper Grant Alcorn was named the Men’s Soccer Defensive Player of the Week for his 16 saves in two Cavaliers’ victories, including his third shutout of the season in a 1-0 win at Seattle Pacific on Thursday. Central Washington sophomore goalie Emily Thomsen earned Women’s Soccer Defensive Player of the Week honors after she registered her third and fourth shutouts of the season in a pair of 1-0 victories over Montana State Billings on Thursday and Saint Martin’s on Saturday.

Northwest Nazarene freshman middle blocker Tayler Markland was selected as the Volleyball Offensive Player of the Week after she finished with 21 kills, eight blocks and a .514 hitting percentage to lead the Nighthawks to a split of matches with Western Oregon and Concordia.

Western Washington senior outside hitter Abby Phelps was named the Volleyball Defensive Player of the Week for her 5.29 digs per set and six blocks in wins at Alaska and Alaska Anchorage. The award is her third of the season and the eighth of her career, the most of any volleyball player in conference history.

Simon Fraser freshman Isaac Lee earned his first Men’s Golf Player of the Week award of his career after he won the Dixie State Fall Regional Preview. He posted back-to-back rounds of 5-under-par 67 to finish with a two-day score of 10-under-par 134 to finish two strokes ahead of Kelley Sullivan of Chico State.

GNAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK SELECTIONS – WEEK 9
FOOTBALL
Offensive: Reilly Hennessey (Central Washington, QB, 6-3, 215, Sr., Camas, Wash. – Eastern Washington Univ.): Hennessey completed 17 of 25 passes for 351 yards and four touchdowns to lead the Wildcats to a 60-19 victory over Simon Fraser. Hennessey threw touchdown passes to three different receivers as the Wildcats finished with a GNAC single-game record 719 yards of total offense. Also Nominated: Bryce Grandison (Azusa Pacific), Tyree Marzetta (Humboldt State), Rysen John (Simon Fraser), Thomas Wright (Western Oregon).

Defensive: Bo Highburger (Western Oregon, LB, 6-0, 220, Sr., Veneta, Ore. – Elmira): In Western Oregon’s 45-24 victory over Humboldt State on Saturday, Highburger led the defense with 14 tackles, which included 12 solo tackles, three tackles for loss, a sack, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. The fumble came on his lone sack of the contest, forcing a turnover in the third quarter that stunted a potential go-ahead drive for the Lumberjacks. Also Nominated: Ma’ake Muti (Azusa Pacific), Elisha Pa’aga (Central Washington).

Special Teams: Jacob Hall (Azusa Pacific, P/K, 6-2, 195, Sr., Greenville, Ill. – Greenville): Hall played a key role for Azusa Pacific both offensively and defensively to keep the Cougars alive in a 42-27 loss at No. 6 Colorado Mines. Hall connected on field goals of 21 yards and 42 yards and went 3 for 3 on point-after attempts. Defensively, Hall punted five times for 253 yards, averaging 50.6 yards per punt. He had a long punt of 56 yards and had one touchback. Also Nominated: Chase DeMoor (Central Washington), Jose Morales (Humboldt State), Andrew Gross (Western Oregon).

MEN’S SOCCER
Offensive: Ricardo Palomino (Montana State Billings, F, 6-2, Sr., Puebla, Mexico – Northeastern State Univ.): Palomino scored the last three goals of the match, including the game-winner in the 75th minute, to lead the Yellowjackets to a 4-2 come-from-behind victory at Northwest Nazarene on Thursday. He scored the three goals in five shots for his ninth multi-goal match of his career. Palomino also had two shots on goal in Saturday’s 3-2 win over Seattle Pacific. Also Nominated: Nicholas Denley (Concordia), Matteo Polisi (Simon Fraser), Drew Barker (Western Washington).

Defensive: Grant Alcorn (Concordia, GK, 5-10, Sr., Vancouver, Wash. – Union): Alcorn played all 183 minutes and recorded 16 saves in a pair of wins for the Cavaliers. Alcorn made six saves, including one stop on a penalty kick, to record his third shutout of the season in a 1-0 win at Seattle Pacific on Thursday. Alcorn then made 10 saves against 22 total shots as the Cavaliers prevailed in a 3-2 overtime victory at Northwest Nazarene. Also Nominated: Samuele Folla (Montana State Billings), Stephen Jinneman (Western Washington).

WOMEN’S SOCCER
Offensive: Emma Pringle (Simon Fraser, F, 5-8, Jr., North Vancouver, B.C. – Windsor): Pringle netted all three of Simon Fraser’s goals on Tuesday as the hat trick elevated Simon Fraser to a 3-0 win over Saint Martin’s to help the Clan clinch a berth in the GNAC Championships. Also Nominated: Sydney Lowe (Central Washington), Gabrielle Ewing (Concordia), Kasey Reeve (Seattle Pacific), Liv Larson (Western Washington).

Defensive: Emily Thomson (Central Washington, GK, 5-10, So., Edmonton, Alta. – Austin O’Brien Catholic): Thomson made a total of four saves and recorded her third and fourth shutouts of the season in a pair of 1-0 home victories. She made three saves in Thursday’s win over Montana State Billings and needed just one save on four total shots in Saturday’s win over Saint Martin’s. Also Nominated: Megan Myers (Concordia), Jacky Beristain (Western Oregon), Taylor Hallquist (Western Washington).

VOLLEYBALL
Offensive: Tayler Markland (Northwest Nazarene, MB, 6-1, Fr., Cave Creek, Ariz. – Cactus Shadows): Markland led the Nighthawks to a split with Western Oregon and Concordia with 21 kills and a .514 hitting percentage (21 kills, 2 errors, 37 attempts). Markland finished with 10 kills and five blocks with a .348 hitting percentage in the Nighthawks’ five-set loss to Western Oregon on Thursday. She then finished with 11 kills and a .786 hitting percentage to go with two digs and three blocks in Saturday’s three-set sweep of Concordia. Also Nominated: Bridgette Webb (Central Washington), Maddi Vigil (Montana State Billings), Jenna Compton (Western Oregon), Michaela Hall (Western Washington).

Defensive: Abby Phelps (Western Washington, OH, 5-10, Sr., Manson, Wash. – Chelan): Phelps averaged 5.29 digs per set and had six blocks to help the Vikings extend their incredible winning streak to 19 matches with wins at the Alaska schools. In addition to her 14 kills, Phelps finished with 21 digs and had a solo block in Thursday’s four-set win at Alaska Anchorage. She then had 16 digs and five blocks to go with 11 kills and a .300 hitting percentage in Saturday’s three-set sweep of Alaska. Also Nominated: Bridgette Webb (Central Washington), Miranda McConnell (Montana State Billings), Sierra Stultz (Western Oregon).

CROSS COUNTRY
Men: Felix Kemboi (Alaska Anchorage, So., Eldoret, Kenya – Saint Patrick’s): In the final tune-up prior to the GNAC Championships, Kemboi won the Western Washington Classic on Saturday with a time of 31:40 over the NCAA championship distance of 10,000 meters. He finished 11 seconds ahead of teammate Wesley Kirui, who clocked 31:51. Kemboi led the Seawolves to a second-place team finish with 51 points. Also Nominated: Rowan Doherty (Simon Fraser), Hunter Mosman (Western Oregon), Eric Hamel (Western Washington).

Women: Emmah Chelimo (Alaska Anchorage, Jr., Iten, Kenya – Nyack Coll.): Chelimo edged out Simon Fraser alumna Julia Howley to win the Western Washington Classic, covering the 6,000-meter course in a time of 21:15. She beat Howley by two seconds for her second race victory of the season. Chelimo led the Seawolves to a third-place team finish. Also Nominated: Addy Townsend (Simon Fraser), Grace Knapp (Western Oregon), Rebecca Lehman (Western Washington).

GOLF
Men: Isaac Lee(Simon Fraser, Fr., Seoul, South Korea – Gleneagle): Lee won the frost-shortened Dixie State Fall Regional Preview, turning in a score of 10-under-par 134. He posted back-to-back rounds of 5-under-par 67 to finish two strokes ahead of Chico State’s Kelley Sullivan. Lee led Simon Fraser to a third-place team finish, leading all GNAC teams with a 10-under-par 566. Also Nominated: Riley Killip (Concordia), Nick Sparling (Western Washington).