Monday, September 15, 2014

PORTLAND, Ore. – Northwest Nazarene’s Michelle Terpstra and Seattle Pacific’s Sara Biondi each had triple-doubles last week – the first in the GNAC in two years – and have been selected the GNAC Offensive Volleyball Co-Players of the Week.

They are among 13 athletes in the sports of volleyball, football, men’s and women’s soccer and men’s and women’s cross country to win the Player of the Week award for the Week of Sept. 8-14.

Volleyball

Offense -  Michelle Terpstra, Northwest Nazarene (S, 5-9, Sr., Ripon, CA – Ripon Christian) and Sara Biondi, Seattle Pacific (S, 5-10, Sr., Sacramento, CA – Christian Brothers) each had triple doubles – the first triple-doubles in the GNAC in two years - in leading their teams to impressive performances at the GNAC/PacWest Challenge at Riverside and San Rafael, Calif., respectively ... Terpstra had 159 assists, 29 kills, 43 digs and eight blocks as NNU won four straight matches.  She earned her triple double – the sixth of her career - in a 3-1 win against Point Loma Nazarene producing 10 kills, 14 digs and 34 assists ... Biondi had 143 assists, 28 kills, 38 digs and 12 blocks as the Falcons won three of four matches.  She had 12 kills, 41 assists, and 18 digs in a five-set win over the Academy of Art on Thursday.   Her kill and dig totals were both career highs, as was her total of 19 attacks in that match, in which she hit .526. It was the first SPU triple-double in seven years. The next afternoon in a four-set win against Chaminade, Biondi had four service aces – another career high. She hit for a .420 percentage in the tournament to raise her season hitting mark to .365, which ranks first in the conference.

Defense – Kayla McGlathery, Alaska Anchorage (MB, 6-0, So., Coeur d’Alene, ID), who was scheduled to redshirt, made her season debut producing 26 blocks as the Seawolves won three of four matches in the GNAC/PacWest Challenge.  In addition to her defensive contributions, she also had 27 kills and hit for a .305 percentage helping lead UAA to wins over Azusa Pacific, Cal Baptist and Point Loma before losing in five sets to Dixie State.

Honorable Mention – Kiah Jones, Central Washington (OH, 5-11, So., Port Angeles, WA); Kaitlin Quirk, Central Washington (MB, 6-1, Jr., Ellensburg, WA); Chelsey Walter, MSU Billings (OH/MH, 6-2, Sr., Billings, MT); Mataia Roderick, MSU Billings (L, 5-3, Fr., Rexburg, ID); Taylor Roberts. Northwest Nazarene (L, 5-5. Sr., Nampa, ID – Vallivue); Kristyn Ross, Saint Martin’s (OH, 5-10, Sr., Olympia, WA); Jessica Riddle, Saint Martin’s (OH, 5-10, So., Anacortes, WA); Cherene O’Hara, Western Oregon (MB, 6-0, Sr., Kent, WA – Kent-Meridian); Samantha Moore, Western Oregon (MB, 6-0, Sr., Newport, OR); Rachel Roeder, Western Washington (OH, 6-1, Jr., Sammamish, WA – Issaquah); Samantha Hutchinson, Western Washington (L, 5-7, Sr., University Place, WA – Curtis).

Football

Offense – Ja’Quan Gardner, Humboldt State (RB, 5-7, 175, Fr., Ceres, CA – Central Valley) rushed for 136 yards on just 16 carries as the Lumberjacks defeated AFCA 14th ranked Azusa Pacific 30-10.   Gardner scored on touchdown runs of 54 and six yards in the first four minutes of the game as HSU bolted to a 30-3 halftime lead.  Gardner leads the GNAC in rushing with 292 yards and ranks 10th in NCAA Division II. 

Defense - Kevin Haynes, Central Washington (LB, 6-0, 230, Fr., Brush Prairie, WA – Battle Ground) led the Wildcats with nine tackles and also had his team’s only two interceptions in a 48-14 home win over Dixie State as CWU held the Red Storm to 235 yards in total offense.  The previous week Dixie gained 640 yards in an overtime loss at Colorado Mesa.

Special Teams –Nikolai Karpun, Simon Fraser (P, 6-0, 203,  Jr., North Delta, BC – Sands Secondary) averaged 47 yards on five punts including a long of 52 yards.  After two weeks, Karpun is averaging 46.3 yards per punt, which is better than the GNAC all-time record of 44.9 by 10-year NFL veteran Michael Koenen who averaged 44.9 yards for Western Washington in 2002.

Honorable Mention – Kent McKinney Jr., Central Washington (WR, 6-1, 177, So., Seattle, WA – O’Dea); Sean McDonald, Central Washington (K, 6-0, 158, So., Sammamish, WA – Skyline); Silas Sarvinski, Humboldt State (DL, 6-1, 265, Sr., Ferndale, CA); Chris Campbell, Humboldt State (P, 5-11, 175, Sr., Granite Bay, CA); Ryan Bergman, Western Oregon (QB, 6-2, 170, Sr., Issaquah, WA); Tyler Johnson. Western Oregon (LB, 6-2, 230, Fr., Eugene, OR - Willamette); Jesse Correa, Western Oregon (K, 5-10, 180, Jr., Mililani, HI – St. Louis).

Men’s Soccer

Offense - Jovan Blagojevic, Simon Fraser (M, 6-0, Sr., Coquitlam, BC - Centennial Secondary) scored two goals in a 4-2 win over Hawaii Hilo and also had the Clan’s lone goal in a 2-1 loss at Azusa Pacific.   Blagojevic currently leads the conference with four goals in three games.

Defense - Jack West, University of Mary (GK, 6-2, Sr., Mansfield, England - Genesee CC) recorded 11 saves in a 1-1 draw against No. 23 Fort Hays State. Two of West's saves came in the second overtime to preserve the tie.

Honorable Mention - Jorge Paez, MSU Billings (M, 5-9, Fr., Las Vegas, NV - Bishop Gorman); Erik Anderson, Northwest Nazarene (F, 5-8, Jr., Boise, ID);  Juan Perez, Northwest Nazarene (D, 6-0, Sr., Los Angeles, CA - Gardena); Sean Russell, Seattle Pacific (F, 5-11, Sr., Seattle, WA - Garfield); Davis Karaica, Seattle Pacific (D, So, Snoqualmie, WA - Mt. Si); Uche Ugwoaba, Western Washington (M, 5-7, Jr., Burien, WA - Highline); Jeremy Wentzel, Western Washington (D, 5-5, Jr., Edmonds, WA - Shoreline CC).

Women’s Soccer

Offense -  Jessica Spang, MSU Billings (M, 5-6, Fr., Billings, MT - Skyview HS) scored a goal and also earned an assist as the Yellowjackets earned a 2-0 road win at the University of Sioux Falls.

Defense - Mabinty Kanu, Northwest Nazarene (D, 5-7, Fr., San Jose, CA - Archbishop Mitty HS) blocked two shots on the back line helping preserve a  1-1 tie with Cal State East Bay. 

Honorable Mention - Hadli Farrand, Central Washington (F, 5-7, Sr., Ellensburg, WA); Krystal Daniels, MSU Billings (GK, 5-6, Sr., Kent, WA - Peninsula College);  Sarah Jenkins, Northwest Nazarene (M, 5-10, So., Everett, WA - Cascade), Laura Moore, Seattle Pacific (M, 5-3, Jr., Kent, WA - Kentwood); Hannah Huesers, Seattle Pacific (F, 5-10, So., Lake Stevens, WA); Taylor Higa, Western Oregon (F, 5-6, So., Manoa, HI - Mid-Pacific); Jessica Bertucci, Western Washington (F, 5-8, Jr., Bellingham, WA - Sehome); Chelsea Jackson, Western Washington (D, 5-9, Jr., Surrey, BC - Fraser Heights Secondary).

Cross Country

Male -  Henry Cheseto, Alaska Anchorage (Fr., Kapenguria, Kenya) and Oliver Jorgensen, Simon Fraser (So., Abbotsford, BC – Robert Bantem) … Cheseto remained unbeaten in three races leading the Seawolves to their third consecutive perfect score in a 15-50 home dual meet win over Willamette.  Cheseto was clocked in a 4,200-meter time of 12:39.  Jorgensen led the Clan to a win at the WOU Ash Creek Invitational at Monmouth. Led by Jorgensen’s 5,900-meter time of 18:03.5, the Clan placed four runners in the Top 7 and five in the Top 10. 

Women -  Rebecca Bassett, Simon Fraser (So., Nanaimo, BC) won the WOU Ash Creek Invitational in a 4,200-meter time of 14:27.9 as the Clan cruised to an easy team victory, placing six runners in the Top 11.

Honorable Mention - Dani Eggleston, Central Washington (Jr., Longview, WA); Chase Cunningham, Northwest Nazarene (So., Kuna, ID); Susanna Fleming, Northwest Nazarene (Sr,, Boise, ID – Capital).