Monday, September 25, 2017

PORTLAND, Ore. – A solid week offensively for both the Western Washington men’s and women’s soccer teams leads this week’s selections for the GNAC Player of the Week awards.

Vikings’ forward Gabriela Pelogi was named the Women’s Soccer Offensive Player of the Week after she scored two goals and had an assist as the Vikings ran their unbeaten streak to 31 straight matches. She assisted on the opening goal of a 4-0 shutout of Simon Fraser on Thursday and had a pair of first-half goals in the Vikings’ 6-1 win over Saint Martin’s.

Her male counterpart, Drew Farnsworth, was selected as the Men’s Soccer Offensive Player of the Week after he scored a pair of goals to lift the Vikings to a 2-0 start to GNAC play. He scored in the 60th minute in the Vikings’ win over Saint Martin’s on Thursday and had the game-tying goal in the 87th minute of the Vikings’ 3-2 overtime win over Seattle Pacific on Saturday.

Montana State Billings’ defender Realf Zhivanaj and Seattle Pacific defender Maddie Sjothun shared the conference’s soccer defensive honors. Zhivanaj was named the Men’s Soccer Defensive Player of the Week as he helped the Yellowjackets score wins over Northwest Nazarene and Concordia, which included a goal against the Cavaliers. Sjothun earned the women’s honor for her part in the Falcons’ wins over Saint Martin’s and Northwest Nazarene, which included an assist on the game-winning goal against the Crusaders.

Humboldt State wide receiver John Todd was named the Football Offensive Player of the Week after he caught seven passes for 225 yards and three touchdowns in the Lumberjacks’ 49-48 overtime win at Western Oregon. Wolves’ linebacker Tyler Johnson earned Defensive Player of Week honors after he came up with 17 tackles, including 10 solo tackles, forced a fumble and had an interception in the loss. Azusa Pacific kicker Jacob Hall earned his second Special Teams Player of the Week award of the season after he tied GNAC records with 10 PATs made and 10 attempts in the Cougars’ 83-7 rout of Simon Fraser.

Central Washington middle blocker Sabrina Wheelhouse earned Volleyball Offensive Player of the Week honors after she came up with 20 kills, a .444 hitting percentage and 16 blocks in two wins over Concordia and Western Oregon. Alaska Anchorage libero Keala Kaio-Perez earned the volleyball defensive honor with 54 digs and four aces in a pair of home wins over Saint Martin’s and Seattle Pacific.

Simon Fraser harrier Julia Howley won her third consecutive Women’s Cross Country Athlete of the Week award after she placed second at the Roy Griak Invitational. Her time of 21:41.3 over 6,000 meters led the Clan to the team title. Western Oregon’s David Ribich was named the Men’s Cross Country Athlete of the Week as he won his first race of the season, the SF State Invitational on Friday, with a time of 24:47 over 8,000 meters.

Simon Fraser’s Chris Crisologo and Concordia’s Shantel Antonio earned the first Golf Player of the Week awards for 2017-18. Crisologo was the top GNAC finisher at the Saint Martin’s Invitational, finishing third with a score of 2-under-par 211. He shot a 7-under-par 65 in the second round, his lowest single round in GNAC play. Antonio was honored for winning the one-round Northwest Shootout in DuPont, Wash., with a score of 1-under-par 71.

GNAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK SELECTIONS – WEEK 4
FOOTBALL
Offensive: John Todd (Humboldt State, WR, 6-3, 195, Jr., San Diego, Calif. – Valhalla): Todd led Humboldt State receivers with 225 yards on seven catches and had three touchdowns in the Lumberjacks’ 49-48 overtime win at Western Oregon. He opened the game with a 90-yard touchdown reception, had a 30-yard scoring reception later in the first and then scored on a 33-yard touchdown reception in the fourth quarter to tie the game and force overtime. Todd’s 225 receiving yards is the second-best single-game performance in HSU history. Also Nominated: Andrew Elffers (Azusa Pacific), Nick Duckworth (Western Oregon).

Defensive: Tyler Johnson (Western Oregon, LB, 6-1, 225, Sr., Eugene, Ore. – Willamette): Johnson came up with 17 tackles, two tackles for loss and forced a fumble, which later resulted in a touchdown, as the Wolves fell in overtime to Humboldt State, 49-48. Johnson also had an interception in the fourth quarter. Also Nominated: Adrian Shocks (Azusa Pacific), Jackson Huerta (Central Washington).

Special Teams: Jacob Hall (Azusa Pacific, K/P, 6-2, 195, Jr., Greenville, Ill. – Greenville): Hall tied Azusa Pacific and GNAC single-game records with 10 extra-points on 10 attempts and kicked a 19-yard field goal in the Cougars’ 83-7 win at Simon Fraser. He contributed 13 points as APU set a GNAC single-game record for points scored. Also Nominated: Jackson Huerta (Central Washington).

MEN’S SOCCER
Offensive: Drew Farnsworth (Western Washington, F, 5-9, Fr., Auckland, New Zealand – Westlake Boys): Farnsworth scored a pair of goals to help lead the Vikings to a 2-0 start in conference play. He scored in the 60th minute of Western Washington’s 3-2 win on Thursday over Saint Martin’s and accounted for the game-tying goal in the 87th minute of the Vikings’ eventual 3-2 overtime win over Seattle Pacific on Saturday. Also Nominated: Guillaume Kremer (Montana State Billings), Brandon Madsen (Saint Martin’s), Matteo Polisi (Simon Fraser).

Defensive: Realf Zhivanaj (Montana State Billings, D, 6-2, Fr., Tirane, Albania – Partizani): Zhivanaj played 180 minutes as the Yellowjacket’s primary central defender, helping lead MSUB to a 2-0 week. The MSUB defense allowed Northwest Nazarene just six shots on goal in a 3-2 victory on Thursday. The defense held Concordia to just one goal in a 3-1 win over Saturday, with Zhivanaj contributing an insurance goal on a set piece in the 83rd minute. Also Nominated: Griffin Small (Saint Martin’s), Jeff Cadman (Simon Fraser), Colton Ronk (Western Washington).

WOMEN’S SOCCER
Offensive: Gabriela Pelogi (Western Washington, F, 5-4, Jr., Federal Way, Wash. – Federal Way): Pelogi finished with two goals and an assist as the Vikings rolled to win over Simon Fraser and Saint Martin’s. She assisted on Karli White’s opening goal in the 4-0 shutout of the Clan on Thursday and scored two goals, both in the first half, in the 6-1 victory over the Saints on Saturday. Pelogi enters the week leading the GNAC with 20 points and eight goals. Also Nominated: Sydney Van Steenberg (Concordia), Amanda Hemmen (Montana State Billings), Kiersten Madson (Saint Martin’s), Emma Pringle (Simon Fraser), Meli Cortez (Western Oregon).

Defensive: Maddie Sjothun (Seattle Pacific, D, 5-4, Sr., Vancouver, Wash. – Northern Arizona Univ.): Sjothun anchored the defense in a two-win week for the Falcons. Seattle Pacific limited Saint Martin’s to just three shots on goal in the 4-1 win over the Saints on Thursday. Sjothun and the Falcons limited Northwest Nazarene to two shots on goal as Sjothun assisted on the game-winner in the 1-0 win over the Crusaders. Also Nominated: Mabinty Kanu (Northwest Nazarene), Ali Koehler (Saint Martin’s), Caitlin Kastelic (Western Oregon), Emily Nelson (Western Washington).

VOLLEYBALL
Offensive: Sabrina Wheelhouse (Central Washington, MB, 6-3, Sr., Eugene, Ore. – Sheldon): Wheelhouse led the Wildcats to a pair of wins in Oregon with 20 kills, a .444 hitting percentage and 16 blocks. She opened the week with an impressive effort of eight kills and 12 blocks in Thursday’s four-set win over Concordia and added 12 kills on a .647 hitting percentage and four blocks in Saturday’s sweep of Western Oregon. Also Nominated: Leah Swiss (Alaska Anchorage), Maddi Vigil (Montana State Billings), Rebecca Mitchell (Saint Martin’s), Gabby Oddo (Seattle Pacific), Kristen Pinkney (Simon Fraser), Alisha Bettinson (Western Oregon). Michaela Hall (Western Washington).

Defensive: Keala Kaio-Perez (Alaska Anchorage, DS/L, 5-7, Sr., Waimanalo, Hawaii – Western Nebraska CC): Kaio-Perez paced the Seawolves defensively with 54 digs, averaging 7.71 digs per set, to go along with four aces as UAA went 2-0 at home. She finished with 25 digs, four aces and four assists in the Seawolves’ three-set sweep of Saint Martin’s on Thursday and registered 29 digs and five assists in Saturday’s four-set win over Seattle Pacific. Also Nominated: Hannah Neumann (Saint Martin’s), Abby Phelps (Western Washington).

MEN'S CROSS COUNTRY
David Ribich (Western Oregon, Sr., Enterprise, Ore. – Enterprise): Racing in his first competition of the season, Ribich won the SF State Invitational on Friday with a time of 24:47 (4:59 per mile pace). He led the Wolves to second place team finish with 49 points. Also Nominated: Josh Hunt (Saint Martin;s), Rowan Doherty (Simon Fraser), Andrew Wise (Western Washington).

WOMEN'S CROSS COUNTRY
Julia Howley (Simon Fraser, Sr., St. John’s, N.L. – Holy Heart of Mary): It is a three-peat for Howley, who led the Clan to an impressive team victory at the Roy Griak Invitational in Minnesota. The senior placed second out of 400 runners, covering the 6,000-meter course in 21:41.3 (5:49 per mile pace) and lost by just a second to All-American Alexia Zeis of Mary (21:41.3). Simon Fraser won the team title with 73 points, two points ahead of second place Pittsburg St. (75). Also Nominated: Larissa Kolasinski (Saint Martin’s), Kennedy Rufener (Western Oregon), Lillianna Stelling (Western Washington).

MEN’S GOLF
Chris Crisologo (Simon Fraser, Sr., Richmond, B.C. – Vancouver College): In the opening tournament of the season, Crisologo was the top GNAC finisher at the Saint Martin’s Invitational. His third-place score of 2-under-par 211 included a second round score of 7-under-par 65, which ties for the ninth-lowest fall round in conference history and is the lowest round Crisologo has scored in collegiate play. Also Nominated: Nick Huff (Concordia), Garrett Woodin (Montana State Billings), Tyler Fitchett (Saint Martin’s), Devin Andrews (Western Washington).

WOMEN’S GOLF
Shantel Antonio (Concordia, Jr., Hilo, Hawaii – Univ. of Hawaii Hilo): Antonio opened the season by earning medalist honors at the Northwest Shootout, shooting a 1-under-par 71 at the five-team tournament at The Home Course in DuPont, Wash. She led Concordia to a second place finish in the one-round competition with a score of 310, two strokes behind Simon Fraser. Also Nominated: Bailee Dexter (Montana State Billings), Celia Beyke (Saint Martin’s), Hannah Drake (Western Washington).