Monday, November 4, 2019

PORTLAND, Ore. – On a week where Western Washington clinched the women’s soccer regular-season championship, a pair of its top players swept the sport’s weekly honors to lead the GNAC Player of the Week award winners.

Junior midfielder Darby Doyle was selected as the Women’s Soccer Offensive Player of the Week after she finished with three goals and an assist in last week’s matches. She scored the unassisted game-tying goal in Thursday’s 2-1 win at Concordia before scoring a pair of goals and assisting on the opening goal in Saturday’s 4-0 title-clinching win over Seattle Pacific.

Senior defender Peyton Chick earned the Defensive Player of the Week award after she helped lead a Western Washington backline that allowed just one goal and five shots on goal in the two matches.

Western Washington actually earned three of the four conference soccer awards for the week. Junior defender Camron Miller was named the Men’s Soccer Defensive Player of the Week after he played in all 180 minutes in wins over Simon Fraser and Seattle Pacific. The defense held opponents to one goal and 10 shots on goal while Miller contributed a first-half goal against Seattle Pacific.

Northwest Nazarene junior forward Jake Levine earned the Men’s Soccer Offensive Player of the Week award for his three goals and an assist as the Nighthawks won their first two GNAC matches of the season. Levine scored a goal and assisted on the game-winner in Thursday’s 4-3 overtime win over Saint Martin’s. He then scored two goals in Saturday’s 3-1 win over Concordia.

On the gridiron, Central Washington junior running back Michael Roots was named the Football Offensive Player of the Week for the second consecutive week. Roots rushed for 196 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries and also finished with 245 all-purpose yards in the Wildcats’ 27-24 win at Azusa Pacific.

The Wildcats also earned the Special Teams Player of the Week award. Sophomore kicker Patrick Hegarty was honored for his two field goals, from 22 and 29 yards, along with his three punts and six kickoffs. The 29-yard field goal in the fourth quarter provided the game-winning points.

Western Oregon sophomore linebacker Jaylin Parnell was named the Defensive Player of the Week after he finished with six solo tackles and a pair of sacks in Saturday’s 45-14 win at Simon Fraser. One of his sacks resulted in a fumble, which the Wolves returned for a touchdown.

A pair of solid performances at the Dennis Rose Invitational in Hawaii yielded the final Golf Player of the Week awards for the fall. Concordia senior Cammie Decker earned the women’s honor after she tied for first with a three-round score 2-under-par 214. She carded a round of 68 on the second day, setting the GNAC single-round record.

Western Washington sophomore Aidan Thain received the men’s award after he placed third at the Dennis Rose, carding a 3-under-par 213 over three rounds. He shot a 1-under-par 71 in the second round and a 2-under-par 70 in the final round.

Concordia senior outside hitter Jessica Wheeler was named the Volleyball Offensive Player of the Week for her 33 kills, nine aces, 13 digs and .326 hitting percentage in a 1-1 week. She finished with a career-high 23 kills in Saturday’s four-set loss to Seattle Pacific. Central Washington senior libero Kyla Morgan received the defensive honor for her 51 digs in a pair of five-set wins over Alaska and Alaska Anchorage.

Simon Fraser junior Ozi Nwabuko earned the first Women’s Basketball Player of the Week award after she finished with 42 points, 21 rebounds and six steals as the Clan went 2-1 at the D2CAA Tip-Off Classic. She finished with a double-double of 15 points and 12 rebounds in Saturday’s 70-67 overtime win over Mary.

GNAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK SELECTIONS – WEEK 10
FOOTBALL
Offensive: Michael Roots (Central Washington, RB, 5-10, Jr., Sacramento, Calif. – Southern Oregon Univ.): Roots earned the offensive honor for the second consecutive week after he rushed for 196 yards on 22 carries and finished with 245 all-purpose yards in the Wildcats’ 27-24 win at Azusa Pacific. Roots rushed for one touchdown on a six-yard run in the first quarter and also caught two passes for 23 yards and returned one kick for 26 yards. Also Nominated: Ty Currie (Western Oregon).

Defensive: Jaylin Parnell (Western Oregon, LB, 6-0, So., Medford, Ore. – South Medford): Parnell finished with six solo tackles in the Wolves’ 45-14 win at Simon Fraser on Saturday. He had two sacks in the game, one of which resulted in a fumble, which was returned for a touchdown. Also Nominated: Chaz McKenzie (Central Washington).

Special Teams: Patrick Hegarty (Central Washington, P/K, 6-4, So., Ferndale, Wash. – Simon Fraser Univ.): Hegarty made a difference in the kicking game in the Wildcats’ 27-24 win at Azusa Pacific. He made a pair of field goals from 22 and 29 yards, with the 29-yarder in the fourth quarter providing the game-winning score. Hegarty also punted three times, averaging 34 yards per punt, and kicked off six times for an average of 56.7 yards per kick. Also Nominated: Andrew Gross (Western Oregon).

MEN’S SOCCER
Offensive: Jake Levine (Northwest Nazarene, F, 5-10, Jr., Green Acres, Wash. – Central Valley): Levine finished with three goals and an assist as the Nighthawks won both of their matches, the team’s first GNAC wins of the season. Levine scored a goal in the 59th minute and assisted on the overtime game-winner in Thursday’s 4-3 win over Saint Martin’s. Levine then scored a pair of goals in the Nighthawks’ 3-1 win on Saturday over Concordia. Also Nominated: Nicholas Denley (Concordia), Andres Perez (Montana State Billings), Brandon Madsen (Saint Martin’s), Christian Rotter (Western Washington).

Defensive: Camron Miller (Western Washington, D, 6-3, Jr., Snohomish, Wash. – Whatcom CC): Miller played all 180 minutes as the Vikings allowed just one goal last week as the team remained undefeated in conference play. Miller and the WWU defense allowed one goal on six shots on goal in Thursday’s 2-1 victory at Simon Fraser. He then contributed a first-half goal as the defense allowed just four shots on goal in Saturday’s 4-0 shutout of Seattle Pacific. Also Nominated: Jose Marquez (Saint Martin’s).

WOMEN’S SOCCER
Offensive: Darby Doyle (Western Washington, M, 5-4, Jr., Spokane, Wash. – Gonzaga Prep): Doyle scored three goals and had an assist as Western Washington clinched the GNAC regular-season championship with two wins. Doyle was responsible for the unassisted game-tying goal in Thursday’s 2-1 win at Concordia. She then assisted on the opening goal and scored the final two goals of the match in Saturday’s 4-0 shutout of Northwest Nazarene. Also Nominated: Paige Devine (Central Washington), Kyra Radcliffe (Concordia), Haylee Gunter (Montana State Billings), Melissa Alvarado (Saint Martin’s), Alyssa Tomasini (Western Oregon).

Defensive: Peyton Chick (Western Washington, D, 5-3, Sr., Kent, Wash. – Kentridge): Chick played a key role in holding together an injured Western Washington backline as the Vikings rolled to two more wins. Chick played 75 minutes as the Vikings allowed one goal and four shots on goal in a 2-1 road win on Thursday at Concordia. Chick finished with two shots as WWU allowed just two total shots in a 4-0 shutout of Northwest Nazarene on Saturday. Also Nominated: Chelsea Marozik (Central Washington), Sara Christensen (Saint Martin’s), Alex Qualls (Western Oregon).

VOLLEYBALL
Offensive: Jessica Wheeler (Concordia, OH, 5-10, Sr., Estacada, Ore. – Estacada): Wheeler led the Cavaliers with 33 kills, nine aces, 13 digs and a .326 hitting percentage in a 1-1 week. Wheeler finished with 11 kills, five aces, six digs and two blocks in a three-set win over Saint Martin’s on Thursday. She then came up with a career-high of 22 kills to go with four aces, seven digs and a block in Saturday’s four-set loss to Seattle Pacific. Also Nominated: Kim Wong (Alaska), Eve Stephens (Alaska Anchorage), Bridgette Webb (Central Washington), Mackenzie Carter (Saint Martin’s), Aubrey Stanton (Western Oregon), Gabby Gunterman (Western Washington).

Defensive: Kyla Morgan (Central Washington, DS/L, 5-4, Sr., Graham, Wash. – Bethel): Morgan paced the CWU defense in a pair of five-set wins over Alaska and Alaska Anchorage with 51 digs to go with eight assists and three aces. Morgan finished with 28 digs, three assists and a pair of aces in Thursday’s win over Alaska before registering 23 digs, five assists and an ace in Saturday’s victory over Alaska Anchorage. Also Nominated: Makena Overbey (Alaska), Talia Leauanae (Alaska Anchorage), Callie Wilkins (Concordia), Kylie Alos (Saint Martin’s), Allie Spear (Western Oregon), Mae Thungc (Western Washington).

GOLF
Men: Aidan Thain (Western Washington, So., Bellevue, Wash. – Colorado Mesa Univ.): Thain closed the fall season by placing third at the Dennis Rose Invitational in Hawaii. Thain carded a three-round score of 3-under-par 213, which included a 1-under-par 71 in the second round and a 2-under-par 70 in the final round. Thain led Western Washington to a tie for fourth place with Concordia in the team standings. Also Nominated: Jaxson Daskalos (Concordia), Max Turnquist (Saint Martin’s).

Women: Cammie Decker (Concordia, Sr., Keizer, Ore. – McNary): Decker led the Cavaliers to the team title at the Dennis Rose Invitational, tying for first with a three-round score of 2-under-par 214. In the process, Decker set a GNAC single-round record by shooting a 2-under-par 68 in the second round. That surpassed five players who shot the previous record of 69. Concordia beat Sonoma State in the team competition by four strokes. Also Nominated: Michaela Morris (Saint Martin’s), Elise Sumner (Western Washington).

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
Ozi Nwabuko (Simon Fraser, F, 5-11, Jr., Port Coquitlam, B.C. – Riverside): Nwabuko opened the season with 42 points, 21 rebounds and six steals as the Clan went 2-1 at the D2CCA Tip-Off Classic. She made 65 percent of her shots from the field. Nwabuko opened with 14 points on 6 of 6 from the field and 2 of 3 from the free throw line in Friday’s loss to No. 1 Drury. She then registered a double-double of 15 points and 12 rebounds in 44 minutes in Saturday’s 70-67 overtime win over Mary. Nwabuko closed the week with 13 points and five rebounds in Sunday’s 68-63 win over Cal Poly Pomona, making 6 of 8 from the field. Also Nominated: Taryn Shelley (Montana State Billings).