Monday, October 15, 2018

PORTLAND, Ore. – A rapid-fire hat trick for Seattle Pacific forward Titus Grant leads the performances singled out for GNAC Player of the Week awards.

The sophomore was selected as the Men’s Soccer Offensive Player of the Week after he scored four goals in the Falcons’ two victories. That included a flurry of three goals within nine minutes in SPU’s 3-2 win over Northwest Nazarene on Saturday. Grant had a single tally in Thursday’s 4-2 win over Western Washington on Thursday and enters the week with 11 goals in 12 matches.

Simon Fraser midfielder Jenna-lee Baxter was just as potent in earning the Women’s Soccer Offensive Player of the Week award, scoring three goals to go with two assists in a pair of victories. Two of the goals and both assists came in Thursday’s 5-0 shutout of Northwest Nazarene with both goals coming in the second half. Baxter also had a goal in Saturday’s 3-0 shutout of Montana State Billings.

Simon Fraser sophomore goalkeeper Luciano Trasolini earned the conference’s Men’s Soccer Defensive Player of the Week honor after he made six saves and recorded his eighth and ninth shutouts of the season in a pair of 3-0 wins over Concordia on Thursday and Western Washington on Saturday. Concordia senior goalie Rose Hauser was named the Women’s Soccer Defensive Player of the Week after she earned her first wins of the season in her first starts, making seven saves in a 1-0 win over Seattle Pacific on Thursday and a 2-1 win over Central Washington on Saturday.

Simon Fraser senior quarterback Miles Richardson was named the Football Offensive Player of the Week after he finished with 252 yards of total offense to keep the Clan within striking distance in a 28-17 home loss to Azusa Pacific. Richardson completed 14 of 27 passes for 199 yards and two touchdowns, rushed for 53 yards on 17 carries and also caught five passes for 53 yards.

Central Washington junior defensive back Donte Hamilton earned Defensive Player of the Week honors as he finished with seven tackles, two tackles for loss and a pair of sacks. He anchored a CWU defense that limited Western Oregon to 160 yards of total offense in a 48-10 win over the Wolves. Azusa Pacific sophomore cornerback Josh Olave earned Special Teams Player of the Week selection after he returned three punts for 60 yards, including two returns into Simon Fraser territory, in the Cougars’ win in Burnaby.

For the second week in a row, the Volleyball Offensive Player of the Week award goes to a setter. Western Washington senior Brette Boesel averaged 13.83 assists per set in a pair of three-set sweeps. She finished with 44 assists, two aces, a kill and a block in Thursday’s win over Central Washington and then added 39 assists, four digs, a kill, an ace and a block in Saturday’s sweep of Northwest Nazarene.

Simon Fraser junior libero Katerina Dolgiukh was selected as the Volleyball Defensive Player of the Week after she averaged seven digs per set in a pair of sweeps. She finished with 19 digs in Thursday’s win over Northwest Nazarene and then finished with 23 digs and two aces in Saturday’s sweep of Central Washington.

Western Oregon senior Dustin Nading earned the Men’s Cross Country Athlete of the Week award after he won the Warner Pacific CC Classic on Saturday. Nading posted a four-second victory over Evert Silva of Division I Portland with his time of 24:11.5 over 8,000 meters. Central Washington senior Alexa Shindruk was named the Women’s Cross Country Athlete of the Week after she placed third at the Inland Empire Championships, covering the 5,000-meter course in 17:27.

Western Washington freshman Jordan Lee earned the Men’s Golf Player of the Week honor after he dominated the field at the Concordia Invitational. Lee finished eight strokes ahead of the field, earning medalist honors with a three-round score of 8-under-par 205. He shot two under-par rounds, led by a 5-under-par 66 in the second round. Lee led the Vikings to a 25-stroke team victory.

Concordia senior Cammie Decker and Western Washington junior Lacy Sheldon shared the Women’s Golf Player of the Week award after the pair figured into a five-way tie for third place at the Western Washington Invitational. Both players carded a 6-over-par 152 with both shooting low rounds of 1-under-par 72.

GNAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK SELECTIONS – WEEK 8
FOOTBALL
Offensive: Miles Richardson (Simon Fraser, QB, 6-2, 210, Sr., Burien, Wash. – Pima JC): Richardson kept Simon Fraser in the game with 252 yards of total offense in the Clan’s 28-17 loss to Azusa Pacific. He completed 14 of 27 passes for 199 yards. He also rushed for 53 yards on 17 carries and caught five passes for 53 yards. Richardson accounted for 252 of the Clan’s 385 yards in the game. Also Nominated: Reilly Hennessey (Central Washington), Kaleo Garrigan (Humboldt State).

Defensive: Donte Hamilton (Central Washington, DB, 6-2, 215, Jr., Mission Viejo, Calif. – Saddleback CC): Hamilton led a big Central Washington defensive effort that allowed Western Oregon to 160 yards of total offense in a 48-10 victory over the Wolves. Hamilton finished with seven tackles, two tackles for loss and two of the team’s three sacks for 19 yards. Also Nominated: Aaron Berry (Azusa Pacific), Demetrick Watts (Humboldt State), Griffin Barrett (Simon Fraser), Bo Highburger (Western Oregon).

Special Teams: Josh Olave (Azusa Pacific, CB, 5-10, 180, So., San Ysidro, Calif. – Mission Hills): Olave returned three punts for 60 yards, including two returns back into Simon Fraser territory, in the Cougars’ 28-17 win at Simon Fraser on Saturday. Also Nominated: Chase DeMoor (Central Washington), Adrian Saldana (Western Oregon).

MEN’S SOCCER
Offensive: Titus Grant (Seattle Pacific, F, 5-10, So., Colorado Springs, Colo. – Classical Academy): Grant scored four goals in the Falcons’ two wins. He opened the week with what became the game-winning goal in the 72nd minute of SPU’s 4-2 win over Western Washington on Thursday. Grant then scored a hat trick in a span of nine minutes, accounting for all of the Falcons’ scoring in a 3-2 win over Northwest Nazarene on Saturday. Two of the goals were unassisted as he tallied in the 19th, 21st and 27th minutes. Also Nominated: Brandon Madsen (Saint Martin’s), Connor Glennon (Simon Fraser).

Defensive: Luciano Trasolini (Simon Fraser, GK, 6-1, So., Burnaby, B.C. – Barton CC): The sophomore recorded his eighth and ninth shutouts of the season as the Clan continues to build a big lead on the rest of the conference. Trasolini made one save as the SFU defense limited Concordia to four shots in a 3-0 shutout on Thursday. He then made five saves en route to a 3-0 shutout of Western Washington on Saturday. Also Nominated: Cayman John (Saint Martin’s).

WOMEN’S SOCCER
Offensive: Jenna-lee Baxter (Simon Fraser, M, 5-3, Sr., Surrey, B.C. – Fraser Heights): Baxter led Simon Fraser with three goals in two assists in a pair of shutouts. She scored two goals and had both of her assists in Thursday’s 5-0 rout of Northwest Nazarene, which included both of the Clan’s second-half strikes. Baxter then contributed an insurance goal in Saturday’s 3-0 shutout of Montana State Billings. Also Nominated: Makinzie Packwood (Central Washington), Brenda Uribe (Concordia), Shea McKnight (Saint Martin’s), Kalli Brundage (Western Oregon), Gabriela Pelogi (Western Washington).

Defensive: Rose Hauser (Concordia, GK, 5-9, Sr., San Diego, Calif. – Southwestern Coll.): Making her first two starts in goal this season, Hauser was the winning goalkeeper in both matches as the Cavaliers clinched a GNAC Championships berth. She made four saves and recorded the shutout in Thursday’s 1-0 victory at Seattle Pacific on Thursday. Hauser then recorded three saves in the Cavaliers’ 2-1 win at Central Washington on Saturday. Also Nominated: Rose Robbins (Saint Martin’s), Carli Grosso (Simon Fraser), Peyton Chick (Western Washington).

VOLLEYBALL
Offensive: Brette Boesel (Western Washington, S, 5-9, Sr., Brewster, Wash. – Brewster): Boesel finished with 83 assists in six sets, averaging 13.83 assists per set, as the Vikings won their 16th and 17th straight matches. She finished with 44 assists, two aces, a kill and a block in the three-set sweep of Central Washington on Thursday. Boesel then had 39 assists, four digs, a kill, an ace and a block in Saturday’s three-set sweep of Northwest Nazarene. Also Nominated: Markie Miller (Alaska), Tara Melton (Alaska Anchorage), Gabrielle Aihara (Central Washington), Jessica Wheeler (Concordia), Megan Vernoy (Saint Martin’s), Tessa May (Simon Fraser).

Defensive: Katerina Dolguikh (Simon Fraser, DS/L, 5-9, Jr., Ottawa, Ont. – Lisgar Collegiate Institute): Dolguikh finished with 42 digs in six sets, averaging seven digs per set at the Clan completed a pair of three-set sweeps. She finished with 19 digs to go along with an ace in Thursday’s sweep of Northwest Nazarene. Dolguikh then finished with 23 digs, an assist and two aces in Saturday’s sweep of Central Washington. Also Nominated: Taylor Noga (Alaska Anchorage), Kyla Morgan (Central Washington), Elyssa Rose (Concordia), Courtney Misner (Saint Martin’s), Abby Phelps (Western Washington).

CROSS COUNTRY
Men: Dustin Nading (Western Oregon, Sr., Longview, Wash. – Colby Univ.): Nading won his second race of the season as he took top honors at the Warner Pacific CC Classic in Portland. Nading covered the 8,000-meter course in 24:11.5, averaging 4:52 per mile, to finish four second ahead of second-place Evert Silva of Portland. Nading led the Wolves to a second-place team finish. Also Nominated: Corbin Carlton (Central Washington), Ivan Colmenero (Montana State Billings), Godfrey Kemboi (Northwest Nazarene), Colton Buster (Saint Martin’s).

Women: Alexa Shindruk (Central Washington, Sr., Bellingham, Wash. – Lynden): Shindruk led all GNAC competitors at the Inland Empire Championships in Lewiston, Idaho. Breaking up a potential top-seven sweep for Division I Boise State, Shindruk placed third as she covered the 5,000-meter course in a time of 17:27, averaging 5:38 per mile. She was just 11 seconds behind the winner, Claire Graves of Boise State. Also Nominated: Ruth Chepsat (Montana State Billings), Kalen Johnson (Northwest Nazarene), Alyssa Robinson (Saint Martin’s), Kaylyn Cantu (Western Oregon).

GOLF
Men: Jordan Lee(Western Washington, Fr., Tacoma, Wash. – Bellarmine Prep): Lee was a big winner at the Concordia Invitational, winning by eight strokes with a three-round score of 8-under-par 205. Lee shot a pair of under-par rounds, carding a 4-under-par 67 in the opening round and a tournament-low 5-under-par 66 in the second round. Lee led the Vikings to a 25-stroke victory over the eight-team field. Also Nominated: Jaxson Daskalos (Concordia), Isaac Lee (Simon Fraser).

Women: Cammie Decker (Concordia, Jr., Keizer, Ore. – McNary): Decker tied with five other places for third place at the Western Washington Invitational, carding a two-round score of 6-over-par 152. She shot her low-round of 1-under-par 72 in the second round of competition. It was Decker’s third top-five finish in four tournaments this fall.

Lacy Sheldon (Western Washington, Jr., Dallas, Texas – Montevallo Univ.): Sheldon also tied for third place at the Western Washington Invitational with a two-round score of 152. She also had a low-round of 1-under-par 72, which she shot in the tournament’s first round. The top-five finish was the second for Sheldon this season and she had placed in the top-10 in all three tournaments this fall. Also Nominated: Kylie Jack (Simon Fraser).