Monday, October 25, 2021

PORTLAND, Ore. – Central Washington put together a dominant offensive performance and clinched the program’s fourth consecutive GNAC football championship to lead the conference’s Player of the Week awards.

Sophomore wide receiver Darius Morrison was named the Offensive Player of the Week after he caught four passes for 102 yards and a pair of touchdowns in the Wildcats’ 53-21 win over Western Oregon. His day included a 40-yard touchdown reception in the fourth quarter. It was the first 100-plus yard receiving performance by a CWU player this year and was the first of Morrison’s career.

Junior kicker Patrick Hegarty put nine points on the board to earn Special Teams Player of the Week honors. He converted on all six point-after attempts and also made a 30-yard field goal in the first quarter.

Western Oregon senior Curtis Anderson earned the Defensive Player of the Week award after he shared the Wolves’ lead with 10 tackles. His ledger included five solo tackles, three tackles for loss, a forced fumble and a pass breakup. On special teams, Anderson also had two kick returns for 47 yards.

A quartet of shutouts for Seattle Pacific and Northwest Nazarene provided for the women’s soccer awards. Falcons senior midfielder Makena Reitz was named the Offensive Player of the Week for her three goals in a pair of 3-0 shutouts. She scored the game-winner in the first minute of Thursday’s win at Western Washington, which snapped the Vikings’ 32-match home win streak. Reitz scored twice and had the game-winner in the eighth minute of Saturday’s win at Simon Fraser.

Nighthawks freshman defender Kate Bleffert earned Defensive Player of the Week honors after anchoring the NNU backline that posted a pair of road shutouts. Bleffert played all 180 minutes as NNU beat Western Oregon 2-0 on Thursday and Saint Martin’s 1-0 on Saturday.

On the court, Simon Fraser senior setter Julia Tays was named Volleyball Offensive Player of the Week after she averaged 12.62 assists per set in a pair of wins. Tays finished with 39 assists, 10 digs, three blocks, two aces and two kills in Thursday’s three-set win over Central Washington. She then posted another double-double of 62 assists and 22 digs with three aces and a block in Saturday’s five-set win over Northwest Nazarene.

Seattle Pacific sophomore middle blocker Hannah Hair earned the Defensive Player of the Week award for her 1.75 blocks and 2.38 kills per set in wins over the Alaska schools. Hair finished with four blocks, eight kills and a dig in Thursday’s three-set upset of Alaska Anchorage. She then had a double-double of 10 blocks and 11 kills in Saturday’s five-set win over Alaska.

Western Washington wrapped up its men’s golf fall season with junior Jordan Lee’s selection as the Men’s Golf Player of the Week. Lee and two WWU teammates tied for 17th at the Otter Invitational, carding a three-round score of 10-over-par 226. His scorecard included a 1-under-par in the second round.

GNAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK SELECTIONS – WEEK 9
FOOTBALL OFFENSIVE
Darius Morrison (Central Washington, WR, 6-3, So., Puyallup, Wash. – Puyallup): Morrison caught four passes for 102 yards and two touchdowns as Central Washington clinched the GNAC title with a 53-21 win over Western Oregon. His day included a 40-yard touchdown reception in the fourth quarter. It was the first 100-plus yard performance for a CWU receiver this season and the first of Morrison’s career. Also Nominated: Robert Meadors (Simon Fraser), Omari Land (Western Oregon).

FOOTBALL DEFENSIVE
Curtis Anderson (Western Oregon, S, 6-2, Sr., Klamath Falls, Ore. – Mazama): Anderson had a solid individual effort in the Wolves’ 53-21 loss to Central Washington. He tied with teammate Jaylin Parnell for the team lead with 10 tackles, which included five solo tackles, three tackles for loss, a forced fumble and a pass breakup. Anderson also had two kick returns on special teams for 47 yards. Also Nominated: Donte Hamilton (Central Washington), Griffin Barrett (Simon Fraser).

FOOTBALL SPECIAL TEAMS
Patrick Hegarty (Central Washington, P/K, 6-4, Jr., Ferndale, Wash. – Simon Fraser Univ.): Hegarty went 6 for 6 on point-after attempts and made a 39-yard field goal in the first quarter in the Wildcats’ 53-21 win over Western Oregon. He is now 30 for 30 on point-after attempts this season. Also Nominated: Kristie Elliott (Simon Fraser), Curtis Anderson (Western Oregon).

WOMEN’S SOCCER OFFENSIVE
Makena Reitz (Seattle Pacific, M, 5-7, Sr., Walla Walla, Wash. – Walla Walla): Reitz tallied three goals as the Falcons won a pair of 3-0 shutouts to move into first place in the GNAC standings. Reitz scored the game-winner just 51 seconds into the match to spark Seattle Pacific’s 3-0 win at Western Washington, ending the Vikings’ 32-match home win streak. Reitz then scored two goals within 17 minutes of each other in the first half en route to the 3-0 win at Simon Fraser on Saturday. Also Nominated: Payton Aselton (Saint Martin’s), Lilly Nowatzke (Western Oregon), Jenna Killman (Western Washington).

WOMEN’S SOCCER DEFENSIVE
Kate Bleffert (Northwest Nazarene, D, 5-8, Fr., Driggs, Idaho – Teton): Bleffert played all 180 minutes at center defender as the Nighthawks played a pair of shutout victories on the road. The NNU defense limited Western Oregon to seven shots on goal in a 2-0 win on Thursday. The Nighthawks then held Saint Martin’s scoreless against eight shots on goal in a 1-0 win on Saturday. Also Nominated: Ali Campigotto (Saint Martin’s), Madison Ibale (Seattle Pacific), Hannah Rispler (Western Oregon).

VOLLEYBALL OFFENSIVE
Julia Tays (Simon Fraser, S, 5-10, Sr., Winnipeg, Man. – St. Mary’s Academy): Tays averaged 12.62 assists per set to help lead Simon Fraser to a pair of victories. Tays finished with 39 assists, 10 digs, three blocks, two aces and two kills in Thursday’s three-set win over Central Washington. Tays had a bigger double-double of 62 assists and 22 digs to go with three aces and a block in Saturday’s five-set win over Northwest Nazarene. Also Nominated: Bayli Monck (Montana State Billings), Emily Gooding (Saint Martin’s), Lindsey Lambert (Seattle Pacific), Bella Maclellan (Western Oregon), Olivia Fairchild (Western Washington).

VOLLEYBALL DEFENSIVE
Hannah Hair (Seattle Pacific, MB, 6-1, So., Walla Walla, Wash. – Walla Walla): Hair averaged 1.75 blocks per set along with 2.38 kills per set as Seattle Pacific scored two wins over the Alaska schools. She opened the week with four blocks, eight kills and a dig in Thursday’s three-set upset of No. 24 Alaska Anchorage. Hair then had a double-double of 10 blocks and 11 kills with a dig in Saturday’s five-set win over Alaska. Also Nominated: Joelle Mahowald (Montana State Billings), Kylie Alos (Saint Martin’s), Bianca Te (Simon Fraser), Sophie Matlock (Western Oregon), Calley Heilborn (Western Washington).

MEN’S GOLF
Jordan Lee (Western Washington, Jr., Tacoma, Wash. – Bellarmine Prep): One of three Western Washington players to tie for 17th place at the Otter Invitational, Lee carded a three-round score of 10-over-par 226 to help lead the Vikings to a sixth-place team finish. His scorecard included a team-low round of 1-under-par 71 in Monday’s second round.