Monday, October 17, 2016

PORTLAND, Ore. – It was a defensive-minded week for Seattle Pacific teams with the Falcons picking up three of the defensive honors in this week’s GNAC Player of the Week awards.

The Falcons swept both soccer Defensive Player of the Week awards. Goalkeeper Molly Stinson picked up the women’s soccer honor after she made nine saves in a pair of shutout victories, a 1-0 win at Montana State Billings on Thursday and a 3-0 win over Simon Fraser on Saturday. Defender Jeffrey Collings earned the men’s soccer honor with a little offensive flair. The senior scored the game-winning goal and had two assists as he paced the SPU defense in a 4-2 win over Saint Martin’s on Thursday.

Middle blocker Shaun Crespi claimed the Volleyball Defensive Player of the Week award after she finished with 19 blocks, 21 kills and a .447 hitting percentage in two matches. She finished with four kills and 10 blocks in Thursday’s three-set sweep of Simon Fraser and then scored 17 kills and nine blocks in Saturday’s five-set loss to Western Washington.

On the offensive side of the ball, Northwest Nazarene’s Michael Mollay earned Men’s Soccer Offensive Player of the Week award after scoring two goals and an assist and had the overtime game-winner in the Crusaders’ 4-3 win at Montana State Billings. Mackenzie Nolte gave Central Washington its second straight Women’s Soccer Offensive Player of the Week award after she scored two goals and netted the game-winner in a 3-2 win over Saint Martin’s on Thursday.

Alaska Anchorage’s Chrisalyn Johnson earned her first Volleyball Offensive Player of the Week award after she had her first career double-doubles in a pair of three-set sweeps. She finished with 20 kills and 15 digs at Central Washington on Thursday and added 19 kills, 14 digs and an ace at Northwest Nazarene on Saturday.

Azusa Pacific and Central Washington evenly split this week’s football awards. Cougars’ quarterback Andrew Elffers was named Football offensive Player of the Week after finishing with 353 yards of total offense in a 45-13 win over Humboldt State. He completed 18 of 25 passes for 303 yards and a touchdown and also rushed six times for 50 yards and a score.

The Cougars’ Aaron Berry and the Wildcats’ Tovar Sanchez shared the Defensive Player of the Week award. Berry finished with nine tackles and returned a first quarter fumble 62 yards for a touchdown. Sanchez recorded four tackles, with three sacks for 31 yards of loss to lead the CWU defense in a 35-0 shutout of Western Oregon. Central Washington punter Jonathan Kuhn was named Special Teams Player of the Week after punting four times for an average of 36.8 yards per punt, two of which landed inside the 20-yard line.

Northwest Nazarene swept the final week of cross country awards. Freshman Godfrey Kemboi earned his second Men’s Cross Country Athlete of the Week award after he finished fourth at the Lewis & Clark Invitational, covering the wet 8,000-meter course in 25:40. Sophomore Sierra Manzer earned the Women’s Cross Country Athlete of the Week honor after she finished fourth in the women’s race, clocking 22:40.8 for 6,000 meters.

Montana State Billings’ Sammy Walter received the Women’s Golf Player of the Week award after she finished in a tie for first at the Western Washington Invitational, shooting a MSUB record even-par 146. Saint Martin’s Trevor Frisby picked up the men’s golf award after winning the Grays Harbor CC Ann Swanson Cup with two-round score of 142, carding idential scores of 71 in each round.

The GNAC Player of the Week awards honor 14 student-athletes from seven member schools. Central Washington, Seattle Pacific and Northwest Nazarene each finished with three award winners.

GNAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK SELECTIONS – WEEK 7
FOOTBALL
Offensive: Andrew Elffers (Azusa Pacific, QB, 6-3, 220, Jr., Arcadia, Calif. - Maranatha): Elffers finished with 353 yards of total offense to lead the Cougars in a 45-13 win over Humboldt State. Elffers completed 18 of 25 passes for 303 yards and a touchdown and rushed six times for 50 yards and a touchdown, which came on an 18-yard run in the fourth quarter. He led an Azusa Pacific team which finished with 559 yards of total offense. Also Nominated: Justin Lane (Central Washington).

Defensive: Aaron Berry (Azusa Pacific, LB, 6-2, 205, So., Perris, Calif. - Perris): Berry finished with nine tackles and keyed the APU defense in a 45-13 win over Humboldt State. Berry also had a half-sack and returned a first quarter fumble 62 yards for a touchdown.

Tovar Sanchez (Central Washington, DL, 6-3, 248, Sr., Seattle, Wash. – Ingraham): Sanchez finished with four tackles, but also had three sacks and three tackles for loss for a total of 31 yards. He led a CWU defense that allowed Western Oregon just 107 yards of total offense in a 35-0 shutout of the Wolves. In the process, Sanchez became CWU’s all-time sacks leader. Also Nominated: Bo Highburger (Western Oregon).

Special Teams: Jonathan Kuhn (Central Washington, P, 5-11, 230, Jr., Mercer Island, Wash. – Mercer Island): Kuhn had four punts for Central Washington for 147 yards, averaging 36.8 yards per punt. Two of his punt landed inside the 20-yard line, including one that pinned Western Oregon at its own 2-yard line. Also Nominated: Jamie Cacciatore (Azusa Pacific).

MEN’S SOCCER
Offensive: Michael Mollay (Northwest Nazarene, F, 5-9, Sr., Boise, Idaho – Walla Walla CC): Mollay scored two goals and had an assist in the Crusaders’ 4-3 win at Montana State Billings on Saturday. He scored the game-winner on a penalty kick in the 95th minute. Also Nominated: Michael Mollay (Northwest Nazarene), Kyle Witzel (Saint Martin’s), Carlos Franco (Seattle Pacific), Thiago Novis (Montana State Billings), Jordan Kollars (Seattle Pacific), Freddie Gard (Simon Fraser).

Defensive: Jeffrey Collings (Seattle Pacific, D, 5-9, Sr., Seattle, Wash. - Ballard) Pushing up on set pieces, Collings scored the game-winning goal and had two assists to lead the Falcons to a 4-2 win over Saint Martin’s on Thursday. Also Nominated: Ryan Foo (Northwest Nazarene), Brady Ulen (Western Washington).

WOMEN’S SOCCER
Offensive: Mackenzie Nolte (Central Washington, M, 5-9, Jr., Marysville, Wash. – Marysville-Pilchuck): Nolte scored two goals and netted the game-winner in the 80th minute against an aggressive defensive set in the Wildcats’ 3-2 victory over Saint Martin’s on Thursday. Also Nominated: Madi Taylor (Northwest Nazarene), Dana Lubienicki (Montana State Billings), Brooke Lancaster (Seattle Pacific), Bobbi Eckler (Concordia).

Defensive: Molly Stinson (Seattle Pacific, GK, 6-0, Jr., Woodinville, Wash. - Woodinville): Stinson finished with nine saves and finished with a pair of shutout victories. She stopped two shots in a 1-0 shutout at Montana State Billings on Thursday and made seven saves against 19 total shots as the Falcons posted a 3-0 win over Simon Fraser on Saturday. Also Nominated: Olivia Carter (Northwest Nazarene), Ashley Homer (Western Washington), Kalin Sandow (Montana State Billings), Olivia Brock (Concordia).

VOLLEYBALL
Offensive: Chrisalyn Johnson (Alaska Anchorage, OH, 5-8, So., Anchorage, Alaska – Dimond): Johnson recorded her first two collegiate double-doubles and finished the week with 39 kills and 29 digs to lead the Seawolves to a pair of three-set road sweeps. She finished with 20 kills and 15 digs at Central Washington on Thursday and added 19 kills, 14 digs and an ace against Northwest Nazarene on Saturday, which was UAA’s first win in Nampa since 2013. Also Nominated: Kendra Bodine (Northwest Nazarene), Gabby Oddo (Seattle Pacific), Ashlynn Ward (Montana State Billings), Kayleigh Harper (Western Washington), Paige Orth (Western Oregon), Tori Johnson (Concordia).

Defensive: Shaun Crespi (Seattle Pacific, MB, 6-2, So., Camarillo, Calif. – Westlake): Crespi led Seattle Pacific with 19 blocks and also had 21 kills and a .447 hitting percentage in two matches. She finished with four kills and 10 block assists in Thursday’s three-set sweep of Simon Fraser. Crespi followed the performance up with 17 kills and nine blocks in Saturday’s five-set loss to Western Washington. Also Nominated: Madi Farrell (Northwest Nazarene), Kyla Militante-Amper (Alaska Anchorage), Kylee Cornelio (Montana State Billings), Christie Colasurdo (Western Oregon), Brianna Hogan (Concordia).

CROSS COUNTRY
Men: Godfrey Kemboi (Northwest Nazarene, Fr., Iten, Kenya – Anin Secondary): Kemboi placed fourth at the Lewis & Clark Invitational on Saturday, battling wet and windy conditions to finish with a time of 25:40 over 8,000 meters. He averaged 5:10 per mile.

Women: Sierra Manzer (Northwest Nazarene, So., Melba, Idaho - Melba): Manzer led Northwest Nazarene to a third place team finish at the Lewis & Clark Invitational. She placed fourth, covering the 6,000-meter course in 22:40.8, and averaged 6:10 per mile on a slow, wet course.

GOLF
Men: Trevor Frisby (Saint Martin’s, So., Edmonds, Wash. - Meadowdale) Frisby collected his first collegiate win at the Grays Harbor CC Ann Swanson Cup. He finished with a two-round score of 142, carding identical rounds of 71 to beat teammate Andrew Raab by one stroke and lead the Saints to the team title.

Women: Sammy Walter (Montana State Billings, Jr., Billings, Mont. – Billings Senior) Walter tied for first at the Western Washington Invitational and tied the Montana State Billings record for a two-round score with a 146. Her first round score of 72 was a personal best. Walter tied with Kat Kennedy of British Columbia, with Kennedy earning medalist honors based on lowest single round score. Also Nominated: Samantha Miller (Northwest Nazarene), Stephanie Sewell (Western Washington), Celia Beyke (Saint Martin’s), Cammie Decker (Concordia).