Monday, October 9, 2017

PORTLAND, Ore. – The offensive and defensive standouts for Central Washington leads this week's honor roll of top performers selected as GNAC Players of the Week as the Wildcats took control in the conference football title chase.

Quarterback Reilly Hennessey was named the Football Offensive Player of the Week after he finished with 334 yards of total offense in the Wildcats' 55-27 win over Humboldt State. Hennessey completed 21 of 30 passes for 216 yards and five touchdowns and was also the team's top rusher, carrying 13 times for 118 yards.

Linebacker Kevin Haynes was named the Defensive Player of the Week after he finished with 14 tackles, a tackle for loss and a half-sack in the victory. He keyed a CWU defense that limited a Humboldt State offense that averaged 534 yards per game to 367 yards.

Simon Fraser return specialist Gavin Cobb was named the Special Teams Player of the Week for his GNAC single-game record 295 yards on nine kickoff returns in the Clan's loss to Western Oregon at home on Saturday. He also set the GNAC record for combined kick return yards and had a 99-yard kickoff return for a touchdown in the first quarter, which set a Simon Fraser record.

The Clan's Mamadi Camara was selected as the Men's Soccer Offensive Player of the Week after he scored a pair of goals in a 3-1 win over Northwest Nazarene on Thursday, leading SFU to a 2-0 week. Western Washington's Tyler Visten earned the Defensive Player of the Week award after he made nine saves against 10 shots on goal as the Vikings posted a 2-0 shutout of Seattle Pacific and a 0-0 tie with Northwest Nazarene.

The Crusaders' Madi Taylor scored three goals to earn the Women's Soccer Offensive Player of the Week award. She scored two goals in a 3-0 shutout of Central Washington on Thursday and then netted the golden goal just 54 seconds into overtime of the Crusaders' 1-0 win over Seattle Pacific on Saturday. Concordia's Kasey Ames earned the Defensive Player of the Week honor for anchoring the Cavaliers' defense in shutout victories over Saint Martin's and Simon Fraser.

Western Washington opposite Joellee Buckner was selected as the Volleyball Offensive Player of the Week after she finished with 28 kills, a .343 hitting percentage, 40 digs and 11 blocks as the Vikings scored road wins at Alaska and Alaska Anchorage. She has double-doubles in both matches. Simon Fraser libero Jayme Bratsberg earned the Defensive Player of the Week honor after finishing with 54 digs and 6.75 digs per set as the Clan split on the Alaska road trip.

The Vikings' Andrew Wise earned the Men's Cross Country Athlete of the Week award after he paced GNAC runners at the Western Washington Classic. Wise placed sixth, covering the 10,000-meter course in 31:42.4 to lead the Vikings to a third-place team finish. Alaska Anchorage's Caroline Kurgat was named the Women's Cross Country Athlete of the Week after she won the Division II Conference Crossover in Illinois. She covered the 6,000-meter course in 21:18.5 to lead the Seawolves to a third-place team finish.

Montana State Billings' Caleb Stetzner was selected as the Men's Golf Player of the Week after he tied for 14th at the Western New Mexico Fall Intercollegiate with a score of 3-under-par 213. Western Washington's Stephanie Sewell picked up Women's Golf Player of the Week honors after tying for seventh at the Dixie State Fall Invitational, scoring 9-over-par 153.

GNAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK SELECTIONS – WEEK 6
FOOTBALL
Offensive: Reilly Hennessey (Central Washington, QB, 6-3, Jr., Camas, Wash. – Eastern Washington Univ.): Hennessey finished with 334 yards of total offense and five touchdowns in the Wildcats’ 55-27 victory over Humboldt State. He completed 21 of 30 passes for 216 yards and five touchdowns and also led CWU in rushing with 118 yards on 13 carries. In all, Hennessey accounted for 61 percent of the Wildcats’ total yards as they improved to 6-0 on the season. Also Nominated: Weston Carr (Azusa Pacific), Nick Duckworth (Western Oregon).

Defensive: Kevin Haynes (Central Washington, LB, 6-1, Sr., Battle Ground, Wash. – Battle Ground): The 2016 GNAC Defensive Player of the Year finished with 14 tackles (4 solos) with a tackle for loss and a half-sack in the Wildcats’ 55-27 win over Humboldt State. Haynes keyed a CWU defense that limited the Lumberjacks to 367 yards of total offense (were averaging 534 yards per game entering the contest). Also Nominated: Taliuaki Suliafu (Azusa Pacific), Bo Highburger (Western Oregon).

Special Teams: Gavin Cobb (Simon Fraser, WR/KR, 5-7, So., Victoria, B.C. – Mount Douglas): Cobb set a GNAC single-game record with 295 yards on nine kickoff returns in the Clan’s loss at home to Western Oregon. He set a Simon Fraser record with his 99-yard kickoff return in the first quarter. Also Nominated: Chris Hollis (Azusa Pacific), Adrian Saldana (Western Oregon).

MEN’S SOCCER
Offensive: Mamadi Camara (Simon Fraser, M, 6-3, Jr., Montreal, Que. – Champlain Coll.): Camara led Simon Fraser to a 2-0 week with a pair of goals on five shots on goal. Both goals came in a 3-1 win over Northwest Nazarene on Thursday where he netted the opening goal of the match in the 19th minute and the insurance goal in the 90th minute. Also Nominated: Brandon Madsen (Saint Martin’s), Christian Rotter (Western Washington).

Defensive: Tyler Visten (Western Washington, GK, 5-11, Sr., Mount Vernon, Wash. – Skagit Valley CC): Visten did not allow a goal against 10 shots on goal in a pair of shutouts. He made five saves in the 2-0 shutout of Seattle Pacific on Thursday and then made four stops in a 0-0 tie with Northwest Nazarene on Saturday. Visten is now 5-2-3 on the season and now has 12 career shutouts. Also Nominated: Sebastian Navarro (Saint Martin’s), Michael North (Simon Fraser).

WOMEN’S SOCCER
Offensive: Madi Taylor (Northwest Nazarene, M 5-4, Jr., Lewiston, Idaho – Treasure Valley CC): Taylor scored three goals in a pair of home victories. She scored two goals in the Crusaders’ 3-0 shutout of Central Washington, tallying in the 14th and 61st minutes. Taylor then netted the golden goal game-winner just 54 seconds into overtime for a 1-0 victory over Seattle Pacific. Also Nominated: Sydney Van Steenberge (Concordia), Alycia Wright (Montana State Billings), Lauren Allison (Saint Martin’s), Sydney Thomas (Western Oregon), Gabriela Pelogi (Western Washington).

Defensive: Kasey Ames (Concordia, M, 5-9, Jr., Liberty Lake, Wash. – Central Valley): Ames keyed the Cavaliers’ defense in a pair of shutout victories at Tuominen Yard. She anchored a defense that allowed Saint Martin’s just four shots, two on goal, and scored a 49th-minute goal, in a 4-0 shutout on Thursday. Ames then keyed the defense in the Cavaliers’ 3-0 shutout of Simon Fraser on Saturday. Also Nominated: Cassandra Clarke (Northwest Nazarene), Ali Koehler (Saint Martin’s), Caitlin Kastelic (Western Oregon), Emily Webster (Western Washington).

VOLLEYBALL
Offensive: Joellee Buckner (Western Washington, OPP, 5-10, Sr., Colville, Wash. – Colville): Buckner turned in a great overall week for the Vikings, finishing with 28 kills, a .343 hitting percentage, 40 digs and 11 blocks in the two matches on the Alaska road trip. She led WWU with 13 kills and 20 digs in a three-set sweep of Alaska on Thursday and then finished with 15 kills, 20 digs, three aces and nine blocks in Saturday’s four-set win at Alaska Anchorage. Also Nominated: Sabrina Wheelhouse (Central Washington), Lindsey Dorsey (Concordia), Kendra Bodine (Northwest Nazarene), Rebecca Mitchell (Saint Martin’s), Julia Tays (Simon Fraser), Mariella Vandenkooy (Western Oregon).

Defensive: Jayme Bratsberg (Simon Fraser, L, 5-9, Jr., North Vancouver, B.C. – Argyle): Bratsberg led all GNAC players last week with 6.75 digs per set (54 total) as Simon Fraser split matches on the Alaska road trip. She had 35 digs in a five-set loss at Alaska Anchorage on Thursday and 19 digs to go along with three assists and an ace in Saturday’s three-set sweep of Alaska. Also Nominated: Bridgette Webb (Central Washington), Anna Dols (Concordia), Shayli Siegfreid (Northwest Nazarene), Kamille Langford (Saint Martin’s), Alisha Bettinson (Western Oregon), Joslyn Bopray (Western Washington).

CROSS COUNTRY
Men: Andrew Wise (Western Washington, Sr., Denver, Colo. – East): Wise was the top GNAC finisher at Saturday’s Western Washington Classic, placing sixth to lead the Vikings to a second place team finish. He covered the 10,000-meter course in 31:42.4, averaging 5:06 per mile. Also Nominated: Edwin Kangogo (Alaska Anchorage), Josh Boston (Central Washington), Jorey Egeland (Montana State Billings), Josh Hunt (Saint Martin’s), Oliver Jorgensen (Simon Fraser).

Women: Caroline Kurgat (Alaska Anchorage, Sr., Eldoret, Kenya – Kapkenda): Racing for the first time in a month, Kurgat won the Division II Conference Crossover in Romeoville, Ill., on Saturday with a time of 21:18.5 for 6,000 meters (5:43 per mile pace). The defending GNAC and NCAA West Region champion led the Seawolves to a third-place team finish. Also Nominated: Alexa Shindruk (Central Washington), Nikki Aiken (Montana State Billings), Yadira Lopez (Saint Martin’s), Julia Howley (Simon Fraser), Lillianna Stelling (Western Washington).

MEN’S GOLF
Caleb Stetzner (Montana State Billings, So., Anaconda, Mont. – Anaconda): Stetzner finished tied for 14th place at the Western New Mexico Fall Intercollegiate with a three-round score of 3-under-par 213. He shot a season-low 3-under-par 69 in the second round and finished at 2-under-par 70 in the final round.

WOMEN’S GOLF
Stephanie Sewell (Western Washington, Jr., Kent, Wash. – Kentridge): Sewell was one of three golfers that tied for seventh at the Dixie State Fall Invitational, carding a two-round score of 9-over-par 153. She shot a low round of 75 on the second day of play. Also Nominated: Cammie Decker (Concordia), Celia Beyke (Saint Martin’s), Emily Leung (Simon Fraser).