Monday, October 8, 2012

PORTLAND, Ore. - Thirteen Great Northwest Athletic Conference athletes, including Simon Fraser quarterback Trey Wheeler, have earned Red Lion Player of the Week honors for their performances during the period of Oct. 1-7, 2012.  They include:

Football

Offense – Trey Wheeler, Simon Fraser (QB, 6-1, 190, So., Seattle, WA – Liberty) completed 32 of 47 passes for 378 yards and four touchdowns as the Clan matched the GNAC record for most points scored in a conference game in a 66-38 home win against Azusa Pacific.  Wheeler, who has had four of the five highest passing totals this fall in the GNAC (404, 378, 312 and 310), led SFU to a 654-yard offensive output in the contest in winning the Red Lion Offensive Player of the Week award.  SFU matched Humboldt State’s record for most points it accomplished in a 66-20 win on Nov. 13, 2010 against the Clan.

Defense – Kraig Akins, Western Oregon (DE, 6-2, 280, So., Springfield, OR – Thurston) had seven tackles, including two quarterback sacks as the Wolves held nationally 24th-ranked Humboldt State to 230 yards in a 42-14 win at the Redwood Bowl to earn the Red Lion Defensive Player of the Week award.

Special Teams – Austin Haslem, Dixie State (K, 5-9, 170, Fr., Philomath, OR) averaged 55 yards on kickoffs and also scored five points, kicking two extra points and a 27-yard field goal as the Red Storm beat first-place Central Washington 29-21.  Haslem was chosen as the  Red Lion Special Teams Player of the Week.

Honorable Mention – Joe Harris, WOU; Mitch Frei, Dixie State; Kris Williams, Dixie State; Casey Chin, Simon Fraser; Kevin Puckett, Central Washington.

Volleyball

Offense -   Megan Morrison, Alaska Fairbanks (OH, 5-11, Fr., Spring Hill, FL - Springstead)  tallied 20 kills and hit for a .269 percentage as the Nanooks split two matches to end a 10-match losing streak and earn GNAC Red Lion Offensive Player of the Week honors.    Entering this week's matches, Morrison, who also had nine blocks,  only had 10 kills on the year and her week's hitting percentage was nearly 300 points better than her season average. She also doubled her season's blocks total as well.  In Saturday’s win against Simon Fraser, Morrison had 15 kills, seven blocks and a .353 hitting percentage.

Defense - Shelby Swanson, Seattle Pacific (S, 5-9, Sr., Kennewick, WA) had 36 assists and 18 digs earning her third consecutive double-double   as Seattle Pacific swept Western Oregon on the Wolves’ court.  The Red Lion Defensive Player of the Week also recorded 31 assists in Saturday’s three-set victory at Saint Martin’s as the Falcons posted back-to-back sweeps for the first time this season. Swanson, who is averaging 10.33 assists per set this season, now has 3,264 career assists which ranks eighth in GNAC history.  She also has seven double-doubles this season and 24 in her career.

Honorable Mention – Marlayna Geary, Western Washington; Marcy Hjellum, Central Washington; Catie Fry, Central Washington; Kyndal Williams, MSU Billings; Michelle Terpstra, Northwest Nazarene; Samantha Ward, Western Oregon; Kristyn Ross, Saint Martin’s.

Women’s Soccer

Offense – Lindsay Bauman, Western Oregon (M, 5-4, Sr., Portland, OR) contributed to all three goals as the Wolves earned a pair of shutout victories, blanking Saint Martin’s 2-0 at home, then beating Montana State Billings 1-0 in Billings to earn Red Lion Offensive Player of the Week honors.  Bauman scored one goal and earned an assist on the other against the Saints, then scored the game-winning goal against MSUB with less than two minutes remaining in overtime as she collected the ball about 15 yards from the goal and fired a shot over the arms of the MSUB keeper and into the net.  “Lindsay had an incredible strike to give us the win,” MSUB coach Steve Ancheta said.

Defense – Jamie Arthurs, Western Washington (5-8, Sr., Richland, WA) had six saves in recording wins against Simon Fraser and Central Washington increasing her career shutout total to a GNAC and school-record 32.  Arthurs, the Red Lion Defensive Player of the Week award winner, has nine shutouts this season including five in a row and hasn’t allowed a goal over the past 450 minutes, 15 seconds.  She currently leads the conference in goals against average (0.33), save percentage (.862) and shutouts.  "Jamie can come with the big save when we need it and inspire the whole team, and at the same time her positioning and experience often puts her in a position where she doesn't even have to make saves,” WWU coach Travis Connell said after Thursday’s 2-0 win at Simon Fraser.  “She has gotten better every year and is having a spectacular season."

Honorable Mention – Hillary Lutz, Western Oregon; Megan Lindsay, Seattle Pacific; Catherine Miles, Western Washington; Jaucelyn Richter, MSU Billings; Katlyn Lokay,  MSU Billings; Lexi Fesenbek, Northwest Nazarene.

Men's Soccer

Offense – Kyle Smurdon, Seattle Pacific (F, 6-2, Sr., Sherwood, OR) came off the bench to score his first two goal of the season leading the Falcons to a 5-3 road win at Saint Martin’s to claim the Red Lion Offensive Player of the Week award.

Defense – Sal Sanchez, Northwest Nazarene (M, 5-11, Sr., Ontario, OR) set up the game’s only goal with a cross to Evan McNiel and also spearheaded the Crusader defense in a 1-0 win over Montana State Billings as NNU completed the first half of the conference season unbeaten (5-0-2).  After taking a cleat to the head which required 10 stitches following the game, the Red Lion Defensive Player of the Week came back into the contest to lead NNU to its sixth shutout of the season, including five in their last eight contests.  

“Sal is a warrior and a leader by example who will do anything you ask of him,” NNU coach Coe Michaelson said.  It's absolutely typical of him to create a goal, take a nasty gash on the head and then not only return to the game, but play out of position in the back because the team needed him there.  Sal has huge respect from everyone here...coaches, teammates, professors, and I think you saw why he is a captain Saturday."

Honorable Mention – Ryan Dhillon, Simon Fraser; Adam Staschuk, Simon Fraser; Kyle Simons, Sioux Falls.

Cross Country

Men – Micah Chelimo, Alaska Anchorage (Sr., Kapkoi, Kenya) posted a five-second victory over Paul Limpf of Club Northwest in winning the Western Washington Invitational in a 10,000-meter time of 31:12.  It was his third win of the season in three starts and his eighth career victory earning him the Red Lion Athlete of the Week award.

Women – Susan Tanui, Alaska Anchorage (Jr., Eldoret, Kenya) won the women’s 6,000-meter race at Bellingham in a time of 21:31 as she stayed unbeaten and also kept the Seawolves unbeaten in three competitions this fall.

Honorable Mention – Dak Riak, Western Washington; Lindsey Butterworth, Simon Fraser.

Men’s Golf

Mark Strickland, Western Washington (So., Mukilteo, WA – Kamiak) earned the  Red Lion Golfer of the Week honors for the second week in a row finishing sixth in the Golfweek Fall Invitational at Sunriver, Ore.  Strickland, who ranks second in the conference in scoring with an average of 72.1 through three tournaments, had rounds of 72, 72 and 73 for a 217 total, finishing 12 shots back of winner Michael Lee of Colorado Mines.

Women’s Golf

Kara Zitzman,  Western Washington (Sr., Woodinville, WA – Redmond) had the highest finish by a GNAC golfer placing seventh in the Saint Martin’s Invitational with a 36-hole score of 161.  Zitzman led the Vikings to a third-place team finish, just three shots back of second-place UBC and claimed the Red Lion Golfer of the Week award.