Monday, October 21, 2019

PORTLAND, Ore. – It was a youth movement in this week’s selections for GNAC Player of the Week awards as five freshmen were selected for the honor for the first time in their careers.

On the gridiron, Simon Fraser freshman linebacker Ian Crocker was named the football Defensive Player of the Week after he came up with eight tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss for 20 yards and two sacks for 18 yards as the SFU defense limited Azusa Pacific to 208 yards of total offense in a 24-17 win on the road in Southern California.

Crocker was joined by Clan senior wide receiver Rysen John, who was named the Offensive Player of the Week for his eight catches for 109 yards and three touchdowns as Simon Fraser picked up its first GNAC and NCAA Division II win since 2014. All three of his touchdowns came in the second half, which included the go-ahead score with one second left in the third quarter.

Central Washington sophomore punter Patrick Hegarty earned the Special Teams Player of the Week award after he had five punts for an average of 39.8 yards per punt in the Wildcats’ 42-41 overtime win at Western Oregon. He had a long punt of 49 yards and placed two inside the 20-yard line.

Freshmen swept the women’s soccer awards. Seattle Pacific midfielder Chloe Gellhaus earned the Women’s Soccer Offensive Player of the Week honor after she scored a pair of goals in the Falcons’ 3-1 win over Saint Martin’s on Thursday. Western Washington defender Makenzie Burks earned Defensive Player of the Week accolades for her part in limiting opponents to just three shots apiece in wins over Saint Martin’s on Tuesday and Simon Fraser on Saturday.

Vikings’ freshman goalkeeper Brandon Locke was named the Men’s Soccer Defensive Player of the Week after he earned his second and third consecutive shutouts with seven saves in a 1-0 win over Saint Martin’s on Thursday and a 3-0 win over Northwest Nazarene on Saturday. Concordia junior defender/midfielder Brendan Laun was named to the offensive honor after he scored both goals in a 2-0 shutout of Seattle Pacific on Thursday and assisted on both goals in Saturday’s 3-2 loss to Saint Martin’s.

The fifth freshman was honored for her efforts on the cross country course. Central Washington’s Katherine Anderson was named the Women’s Cross Country Athlete of the Week after she placed 20th to lead the Wildcats at the SFCC Sasquatch Invitational. She ran 20:00.4 over 5,000 meters. Western Oregon junior Neal Cranston earned the men’s honor after he ran 27:57.4 over 8,000 meters at the Warner Pacific XC Classic.

Seattle Pacific junior outside hitter Maddie Batiste was named the Volleyball Offensive Player of the Week after she finished with 34 kills and 24 digs in a pair of wins. She finished with 13 kills, two aces and seven digs in a three-set sweep of Saint Martin’s on Tuesday and then had a double-double of 19 kills and 17 digs in a four-set win at Montana State Billings on Saturday. Central Washington senior libero Kyla Morgan earned the defensive honor for the second week in a row after she had 42 digs in three-set sweeps of Western Oregon on Thursday and Concordia on Thursday.

Saint Martin’s sophomore Katherine Swor was selected as the Women’s Golf Player of the Week after she shot a two-round score of 157 at the Sonoma State Fall Invitational. She played consistent golf, scoring a 79 in the opening round and a 78 in the final round.

GNAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK SELECTIONS – WEEK 8
FOOTBALL
Offensive: Rysen John (Simon Fraser, WR, 6-7, Sr., Vancouver, B.C. – Douglas Coll.): John finished with eight catches for 109 yards and three touchdowns to lead Simon Fraser to a 24-17 win over Azusa Pacific, the Clan’s first GNAC victory since 2014. John scored all three touchdowns in the second half, including the go-ahead score with one second left in the third quarter and one on a 25-yard reception from Brandon Niksich in the fourth quarter. Also Nominated: Tony Archie (Central Washington), Ty Currie (Western Oregon).

Defensive: Ian Crocker (Simon Fraser, LB, 6-1, Fr., Seattle, Wash. – Ballard): Crocker led the Simon Fraser defense with eight tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss for 20 yards and two sacks for 18 yards as the Clan limited Azusa Pacific to 208 yards of total offense in a 24-17 win over the Cougars on the road. Also Nominated: Marcus Schimmelfennig (Central Washington), Joey Sinclair (Western Oregon).

Special Teams: Patrick Hegarty (Central Washington, P/K, 6-4, So., Ferndale, Wash. – Simon Fraser Univ.): Hegarty played a critical role in the punting game in the Wildcats’ 42-41 overtime win at Western Oregon. He punted five times, averaging 39.8 yards per punt with a long punt of 49 yards and two punts inside the 20-yard line. Also Nominated: Andrew Gross (Western Oregon).

MEN’S SOCCER
Offensive: Brendan Laun (Concordia, D/M, 5-7, Jr., Elk Grove, Calif. – Pleasant Grove): Laun scored two goals and had a pair of assists as the Cavaliers split a pair of hard-fought matches. Laun scored both of Concordia’s goals in Thursday’s 2-0 win over Seattle Pacific. It was the Cavaliers’ first multi-goal performance of the season. Laun then tallied assists on both goals in the Cavaliers’ 3-2 loss on Saturday to Saint Martin’s. Also Nominated: Oscar Aguilar (Saint Martin’s), Matteo Polisi (Simon Fraser), Drew Farnsworth (Western Washington).

Defensive: Brandon Locke (Western Washington, GK, 6-3, Fr., Federal Way, Wash. – Todd Beamer): Locke recorded his second and third consecutive shutouts of the season as the Vikings improved to 4-0-1 in conference play. He recorded four saves against 13 total shots in the Vikings’ 1-0 win over Saint Martin’s on Thursday. Locke then had three saves against 10 shots in Saturday’s 3-0 win over Northwest Nazarene. Also Nominated: Kenneth Symmes (Concordia), Samuele Folla (Montana State Billings), Jose Marquez (Saint Martin’s), Aiden Bain (Simon Fraser).

WOMEN’S SOCCER
Offensive: Chloe Gellhaus (Seattle Pacific, M, 5-8, Fr., Mount Vernon, Wash. – Mount Vernon): Gellhaus posted the Falcons’ first multi-goal individual performance this season, tallying a pair of second-half goals and the game-winner in Thursday’s 3-1 win over Saint Martin’s. She had six shots, three on goal, in the match. Gellhaus also had a pair of shots on goal in the Falcons’ 1-0 overtime victory at Central Washington on Saturday. Also Nominated: Sydney Lowe (Central Washington), Kyra Radcliffe (Concordia), Maddison Maffeo (Saint Martin’s), Kiara Buono (Simon Fraser), Alyssa Tomasini (Western Oregon), Grace Eversaul (Western Washington).

Defensive: Makenzie Burks (Western Washington, D, 5-6, Fr., Tacoma, Wash. – Stadium): Burks anchored a Western Washington defense that allowed just six total shots to opponents over the last week. The Vikings allowed just three shots in a 6-0 shutout of Saint Martin’s on Tuesday and three shots in a 2-1 win over Simon Fraser on Saturday. Burks also tallied the assist on the Vikings’ opening goal on Saturday. Also Nominated: Emily Thomson (Central Washington), Emily Boettcher (Concordia), Amanda Hemmen (Montana State Billings), Katie MacEwen (Simon Fraser), Alex Qualls (Western Oregon).

VOLLEYBALL
Offensive: Maddie Batiste (Seattle Pacific, OH, 6-0, Jr., Portland, Ore. – Central Catholic): Batiste led the Falcons in a pair of road wins with 32 kills and 24 digs, averaging 4.57 kills and 5.14 points per set. She opened by registering 13 kills, two aces and seven digs in a three-set sweep of Saint Martin’s on Tuesday. Batiste then had a double-double of 19 kills and 17 digs with an ace and a block in Saturday’s four-set win at Montana State Billings. Also Nominated: Vanessa Hayes (Alaska Anchorage), Ashley Kaufman (Central Washington), Jessica Wheeler (Concordia), Joelle Mahowald (Montana State Billings), Abbey Blum (Northwest Nazarene), Ililani Kamaka (Saint Martin’s), Camryn Vosloh (Simon Fraser), Kayleigh Harper (Western Washington).

Defensive: Kyla Morgan (Central Washington, DS/L, 5-4, Sr., Graham, Wash. – Bethel): Morgan earned the award for the second week in a row after she finished with 42 digs in a pair of three-set sweeps, averaging seven digs per set. Morgan opened with 20 digs to go with three assists and two aces in Thursday’s sweep of Western Oregon before ending the week with 22 digs and two assists in a three-set win over Concordia on Saturday. Also Nominated: Talia Leauanae (Alaska Anchorage), Elyssa Rose (Concordia), Emily Gooding (Saint Martin’s), Farnaaz Johal (Simon Fraser), Kayleigh Harper (Western Washington).

CROSS COUNTRY
Men: Neal Cranston (Western Oregon, Jr., Canby, Ore. – Canby): Cranston led a small roster of Western Oregon athletes competing at the Warner Pacific XC Classic, covering the 8,000-meter course in a time of 27:57.4 in the final warm-up prior to the GNAC Cross Country Championships.

Women: Katherine Anderson (Central Washington, Fr., Kent, Wash. – Seattle Christian): Anderson was the top finisher for the Wildcats at the SFCC Sasquatch Invitational, placing 20th with a time of 20:00.4 over 5,000 meters. She led a string of five straight finishers for the Wildcats as the team finished fourth. Also Nominated: Danel Camacho (Western Oregon).

GOLF
Women: Katherine Swor (Saint Martin’s, So., Wailuku, Hawaii – Baldwin): Swor tied for 31st place at the Sonoma State Fall Invitational with a two-round score of 157. She posted a pair of consistent rounds, shooting 79 on the opening 18 holes and 78 on the final 18 holes.