Tuesday, September 4, 2018

PORTLAND, Ore. – Two superior individual performances by Azusa Pacific players, one an experienced starter and the other starting for the first time, lead this week’s selections for GNAC Players of the Week.

Cougars’ senior linebacker Aaron Berry was named the first Football Defensive Player of the Week of the season. He finished with 14 tackles, including nine solo tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss and two sacks, in APU’s 17-10 home win over West Texas A&M. He led an APU defensive that limited the visitors to 4 of 15 on third-down conversions and just 1 of 4 on red-zone scoring opportunities.

Azusa Pacific sophomore running back Zikel Reddick earned the Offensive Player of the Week honor in his first collegiate start. He carried 27 times for 201 yards and had a touchdown with 4:32 left in the first half in the victory. In the process, Reddick became the first APU player to rush for 200 or more yards in his first start.

Simon Fraser freshman kicker Kees Metselaar was named the Special Teams Player of the Week for his efforts in the Clan’s 54-7 rout of Willamette, ending the program’s 33-game losing streak. Metselaar was 6 for 8 on point-after opportunities, punted twice for an average of 38.5 yards per punt and kicked off nine times for 505 yards.

A pair of Western Washington players swept the volleyball weekly awards after the No. 12 Vikings went 4-0 in the top pod at the D2 West Region Volleyball Showcase. Senior outside hitter Abby Phelps was named the Offensive Player of the Week after she averaged 4.33 kills and 4.87 digs per set in the four wins. Her top effort of the week came in the tournament opener on Thursday, finishing with 21 kills and 25 digs in a five-set win over then No. 9 ranked Cal State San Bernardino.

Junior middle blocker Kayleigh Harper earned Defensive Player of the Week after coming up with 28 blocks in the four matches, averaging 1.87 blocks per set, to go along with 51 kills. Like Phelps, Harper’s best effort came in the win over Cal State San Bernardino as she finished with 18 kills and eight blocks.

Simon Fraser forward Matteo Polisi was selected as the first Men’s Soccer Offensive Player of the Week for 2018. The sophomore scored two goals and had three assists in two road matches. He scored the game-winning goal in Thursday’s 2-1 win at Cal State San Bernardino and then scored a goal and assisted on the other two strikes in the Clan’s 3-0 win over No. 4 Cal Poly Pomona on Saturday.

Saint Martin’s senior goalkeeper Griffin Small earned Defensive Player of the Week honors after he allowed just one goal and made 14 saves against 20 shots faced in 135 minutes of action. Small played the first 45 minutes against Westminster (Utah) on Thursday, making three saves while not allowing a goal. He then had 11 saves and allowed one goal in a full 90-minute performance on Saturday against Cal State LA.

On the women’s pitch, Saints’ sophomore midfielder Kiersten Madsen was named the Women’s Soccer Offensive Player of the Week after she scored two goals and had an assist as Saint Martin’s posted its first 2-0-0 start since 2008. She scored the game-tying goal and assisted on the game-winner in Thursday’s 3-1 victory at Corban. Madsen then had an insurance goal in Saturday’s 4-0 shutout of Northwest Christian.

Seattle Pacific senior defender Julia DeVere was selected as the Defensive Player of the Week. She anchored an SPU defense that allowed just four shots on goal as the Falcons shutout Cal Poly Pomona on Thursday and Minnesota State Moorhead on Saturday, both by 2-0 margins. DeVere also scored the game-winner and assisted on the insurance goal against Minnesota State Moorhead.

Western Oregon freshmen Hunter Hutton and Saint Martin’s senior Lindsey Dorney picked up the first Cross Country Athlete of the Week awards for 2018. Hutton received the men’s award after he won Friday’s Linfield Harrier Classic, clokcing 19:47 for 3.7 miles. Dorney placed second at the Puget Sound Invitational on Saturday, covering the 6,000-meter course in 24:01.

GNAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK SELECTIONS – WEEK 2
FOOTBALL
Offensive: Zikel Reddick (Azusa Pacific, RB, 5-10, 215, So., Riverhead, N.Y. – Grace Brethren): Reddick rushed for 201 yards and a touchdown on 27 carries to help lead the Cougars to a 17-7 victory over West Texas A&M on Saturday. He became the first running back in APU history to rush for 200 or more yards in his first career start. His 10-yard touchdown run with 4:32 left in the first half provided the Cougars a 14-0 lead. Also Nominated: Reilly Hennessey (Central Washington), Miles Richardson (Simon Fraser), Ty Currie (Western Oregon).

Defensive: Aaron Berry (Azusa Pacific, LB, 6-2, 225, Sr., Perris, Calif. – Perris): Berry led the Azusa Pacific defense with 14 tackles, including nine solo tackles, two sacks and 5.5 tackles for loss as the Cougars scored a 17-7 win over West Texas A&M on Saturday. He led an APU defense that limited West Texas A&M to 76 rushing yards, 4 of 15 on third-down conversions and 1 of 4 on red-zone scoring opportunities. Also Nominated: Shane Ward (Simon Fraser), Joey Roos (Western Oregon).

Special Teams: Kees Metselaar (Simon Fraser, P/K, 6-2, 200, Fr., Port Orchard, Wash. – South Kitsap): Metselaar went 6 of 8 on point-after opportunities and punted twice for 77 yards (38.5 yards per punt average) in the Clan’s 54-7 rout of Willamette. He also kicked off nine times for 505 yards, which included one touchback. Also Nominated: Colin Manners (Central Washington), Adrian Saltana (Western Oregon).

MEN’S SOCCER
Offensive: Matteo Polisi (Simon Fraser, F, 6-0, So., Coquitlam, B.C. – Charles Best): Polisi led the defending GNAC champions to a 2-0-0 week with two goals and three assists in two road matches. He had an assist and scored the game-winning goal in the 46th minute in Friday’s 2-1 win at Cal State San Bernardino. Polisi then scored the match’s second goal in the 11th minute and assisted on the Clan’s other two tallies in a 3-0 shutout at No. 4 Cal Poly Pomona on Sunday. Also Nominated: Nicholas Denley (Concordia), Brandon Madsen (Saint Martin’s), Stephen Jinneman (Western Washington).

Defensive: Griffin Small (Saint Martin’s, GK, 5-11, Sr., Edmonds, Wash. – Edmonds Woodway): Small finished with 14 saves against 20 shots faced and a 0.67 goals against average in the Saints’ opening two matches on the road. Small played the first 45 minutes of the season-opening match against Westminster (Utah) on Thursday, holding the Griffins scoreless while making three saves. He played the full 90 minutes on Saturday against Cal State LA, making eight saves in the 1-0 loss. Also Nominated: Axel Lonnfors (Concordia), Marcello Polisi (Simon Fraser), Jeremiah Lee (Western Washington).

WOMEN’S SOCCER
Offensive: Kiersten Madsen (Saint Martin’s, M, 5-9, So., Auburn, Wash. – Thomas Jefferson): Madsen scored two goals and had an assist as the Saints posted their first 2-0-0 start since 2008. She scored the game-tying goal and had an assist on the game-winner in a 3-1 victory at Corban on Thursday. Madsen then added an insurance goal in the Saints’ 4-0 shutout at home over Northwest Christian on Saturday. Also Nominated: Makinzie Packwood (Central Washington), Sydney Van Steenberge (Concordia), Amanda Grimshaw (Montana State Billings), Kaisa Tsuruta (Northwest Nazarene), Kasey Reeve (Seattle Pacific), Jenna-lee Baxter (Simon Fraser), Isabelle Creighton (Western Oregon).

Defensive: Julia DeVere (Seattle Pacific, D, 5-3, Sr., Bellingham, Wash. – Squalicum): DeVere anchored a Seattle Pacific backline that posted a pair of season-opening shutouts to go along with a goal and an assist. The Falcons allowed just three shots on goal, with DeVere playing the full 90 minutes, in Thursday’s 2-0 shutout of Cal Poly Pomona. DeVere scored the game-winner in the 26th minute and later assisted on an insurance goal in Saturday’s 2-0 shutout of Minnesota State Moorhead. In the match, SPU limited Minnesota State Moorhead to just five shots and one on goal. Also Nominated: Emily Russell (Central Washington), Hailey Asato (Concordia), Amanda Hemmen (Montana State Billings), Sara Christensen (Saint Martin’s), Alex Qualls (Western Oregon), Emily Nelson (Western Washington).

VOLLEYBALL
Offensive: Abby Phelps (Western Washington, OH, 5-10, Sr., Manson, Wash. – Chelan): Phelps was named to the D2 West Region Volleyball Showcase All-Tournament after leading the Vikings to a 4-0 week with 65 kills (4.33 per set), 73 digs (4.87 per set), 11 blocks and a .268 hitting percentage. Her best effort came in Thursday’s five-set opening win over No. 9 Cal State San Bernardino, finishing with 21 kills and 25 digs. Phelps added 20 kills, 16 digs and seven blocks in Friday’s four-set victory over Sonoma State. Also Nominated: Eve Stephens (Alaska Anchorage), Gabrielle Aihara (Central Washington), Eavan Taylor (Montana State Billings), Megan Vernoy (Saint Martin’s), Betsie de Beer (Simon Fraser), Mariella Vandenkooy (Western Oregon).

Defensive: Kayleigh Harper (Western Washington, MB, 6-2, Jr., Oak Harbor, Wash. – Oak Harbor): Harper was named to the D2 West Region Volleyball Showcase All-Tournament Team after leading all GNAC players with 28 blocks in four matches (1.87 blocks per set) to go along with 51 kills. She opened the weekend with 18 kills and eight blocks in Thursday’s five-set win over Cal State San Bernardino and then had 18 kills and seven blocks in Friday’s four-set win over Sonoma State. Also Nominated: Kyla Morgan (Central Washington), Izela Alvarez (Montana State Billings), Emily Gooding (Saint Martin’s), Jayme Bratsberg (Simon Fraser), Sierra Stultz (Western Oregon).

CROSS COUNTRY
Men: Hunter Hutton (Western Oregon, Fr., Bandon, Ore. – Bandon): Hutton opened his collegiate career by winning the men’s race at the Linfield Harrier Classic on Friday. He covered the 3.7-mile course in 19:47, averaging 5:18 per mile, winning by 16 seconds over teammate Simon Walsh. Also Nominated: Andrew Oslin (Saint Martin’s).

Women: Lindsey Dorney (Saint Martin’s, Sr., Bothell, Wash. – Archbishop Murphy): Dorney opened her senior season by taking second place at the Puget Sound Invitational. She covered the 6,000-meter course in a time of 24:01, averaging 6:27 per mile. Also Nominated: Kayin Cantu (Western Oregon).