Monday, October 4, 2021

PORTLAND, Ore. – Performances that led Western Oregon and Central Washington to a pair of big gridiron wins over Lone Star Conference opponents headline the GNAC Player of the Week awards.

Western Oregon junior quarterback Ryan Worthley was named the Football Offensive Player of the Week as he led the Wolves to a 41-38 win over West Texas A&M on Saturday. Worthley completed 28 of 35 passes for 379 yards and two touchdowns, which included a long pass of 56 yards to Thomas Wright for a touchdown in the second quarter.

Central Washington senior linebacker Donte Hamilton earned Defensive Player of the Week honors after he led the Wildcats with 10 tackles and had a GNAC single-game record-tying three interceptions in a 30-20 upset of No. 11 Midwestern State. He had 1.5 tackles for loss and returned the three picks for 58 yards. One of those interceptions set up a key fourth-quarter touchdown.

Wildcats junior kicker Patrick Hegarty earned Special Teams Player of the Week honors after he made three field goals and went 3 for 3 on point-after opportunities against Midwestern State. Two of his three field goals came in the fourth quarter and included a career-long 50-yarder.

Alaska Anchorage freshman Coleman Nash is the Men’s Cross Country Athlete of the Week after winning his third race of the year. Nash was the men’s winner at the Chambers Bay Collegiate Open, covering the 8,000-meter course in a time of 25:01.9 to place 15 seconds ahead of teammate Jacob Moos. Nash led the Seawolves to the team title with 56 points.

Seattle Pacific sophomore Annika Esvelt earned Women’s Cross Country Athlete of the Week honors after she won her second race of the season at the Chambers Bay Collegiate Open. Esvelt ran the 5,000 meters in a time of 18:32.9, finishing 11 seconds ahead of Alaska Anchorage’s Nancy Jeptoo.

Montana State Billings senior right-side hitter Bayli Monck and Western Washington junior outside hitter Gabby Gunterman shared the Volleyball Offensive Player of the Week award. Monck averaged 4.25 kills, 2.50 digs and a block per set with a .429 hitting percentage in two victories. She has 21 kills, nine digs and four blocks against Western Oregon on Thursday and added 13 kills, 11 digs and four blocks against Saint Martin’s on Saturday. Gunterman posted a big double-double of 20 kills and 20 digs with five blocks in the Vikings’ five-set win over Alaska on Saturday.

Vikings sophomore outside hitter Calley Heilborn earned the Defensive Player of the Week award after she posted a double-double of 27 digs and 19 digs with six blocks in the victory over Alaska.

Western Oregon swept the women’s soccer weekly honors after scoring a 1-0 overtime upset over No. 7 Seattle Pacific on Thursday. Freshman Lilly Nowatzke was named the Offensive Player of the Week after she tallied the game-winner in the 96th minute. She finished with four shots on the week.

Sophomore goalkeeper Emily Wheeler is the Defensive Player of the Week after she made nine saves in her first two starts of the season, making four stops against Seattle Pacific on Thursday and five stops in Saturday’s 1-1 tie with Montana State Billings.

Western Washington junior forward Gilbert De La Luz was selected as the Men’s Soccer Offensive Player of the Week after he netted three goals in Saturday’s 4-3 win over Saint Martin’s. He scored the opening goal in the 14th minute, the game-tying goal in the 71st minute and the game-winner in the 82nd. De La Luz also had an assist on Thursday against Northwest Nazarene for a seven-point week.

Northwest Nazarene sophomore midfielder Aidan McGinty was named the Defensive Player of the Week after he anchored the NNU defense in two wins and scored a goal in Thursday’s 3-2 win over Western Washington.

On the links, Simon Fraser junior Ryan Stolys was named the Men’s Golf Player of the Week after he tied for fourth place at the Western Washington Invitational. The top GNAC finisher in the rain-shortened tourney, Stolys carded a two-round score of 3-over-par 147 and led Simon Fraser to a tie for third place in the team standings.

Western Washington junior Sarah Shea was named the Women’s Golf Player of the Week after she led GNAC players at the RJGA Shootout at Estrella. Shea placed 19th with a two-round score of 7-over-par 151 and led the Vikings to a tie for ninth place in the team standings.

GNAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK SELECTIONS – WEEK 6
FOOTBALL OFFENSIVE
Ryan Worthley (Western Oregon, QB, 6-2, Jr., Tigard, Ore. – Tigard): Worthley completed 28 of 35 passes for 379 yards and two touchdowns to lead Western Oregon to a 41-38 win over West Texas A&M. He had a long pass of 56 yards, which resulted in a Thomas Wright touchdown in the second quarter and went 5 of 6 in the final drive of the game that resulted in the winning touchdown. Also Nominated: Quincy Glasper (Central Washington).

FOOTBALL DEFENSIVE
Donte Hamilton (Central Washington, LB, 6-3, Sr., Mukilteo, Wash. – Saddleback JC): Hamilton led Central Washington with 10 tackles and tied the GNAC single-game record with three interceptions in the Wildcats’ 30-20 upset of No. 11 Midwestern State. He also had 1.5 tackles for loss. Hamilton had 58 return yards on his three interceptions, one of which led to a key late fourth-quarter touchdown. Also Nominated: Jaylin Parnell (Western Oregon).

FOOTBALL SPECIAL TEAMS
Patrick Hegarty (Central Washington, P/K, 6-4, Jr., Ferndale, Wash. – Simon Fraser Univ.): Hegarty proved the offensive difference in the Wildcats’ 30-20 upset of No. 11 Midwestern State, making three extra-point opportunities and converting field goals of 45 yards, 38 yards and a career-long 50 yards. Two of those field goals came in the fourth quarter as the Wildcats outscored the Mustangs 13-0 in the final 15 minutes. Also Nominated: Curtis Anderson (Western Oregon).

MEN’S SOCCER OFFENSIVE
Gilbert De La Luz (Western Washington, F, 5-11, Jr., Tacoma, Wash. – Tacoma CC): De La Luz scored his first hat trick in a WWU uniform Saturday, scoring the opening goal in the 14th minute, the game-tying goal in the 71st minute and the game-winner in the 82nd to lead the Vikings to a 4-3 win at Saint Martin’s. De La Luz also had an assist in Thursday’s 3-2 loss at Northwest Nazarene for a five-point week. Also Nominated: Halil Yilmaz (Montana State Billings), Lukas Juodkunaitis (Northwest Nazarene), Ethan Jud (Saint Martin’s), Alden Massey (Seattle Pacific), Brody Thomas (Simon Fraser).

MEN’S SOCCER DEFENSIVE
Aidan McGinty (Northwest Nazarene, M, 6-1, So., Washougal, Wash. – Union): McGinty anchored a Northwest Nazarene defense that led the Nighthawks to a 2-0 week in the start of GNAC play. McGinty had a goal on a set-piece in the 52nd minute and also led a defense that allowed just 10 shots in Thursday’s 3-2 victory over Western Washington. The Nighthawks also held Simon Fraser to j10 shots in a 1-0 shutout on Saturday. Also Nominated: Brian Licona (Saint Martin’s), Aidan Bain (Simon Fraser).

WOMEN’S SOCCER OFFENSIVE
Lilly Nowatzke (Western Oregon, M, 5-8, Fr., Shoreview, Minn. – Mounds View): Nowatzke scored the game-winner in the 96th minute to lead Western Oregon to the 1-0 overtime upset of No. 7 Seattle Pacific. She had three shots off of the bench in 71 minutes. Nowatzke had one shot in 95 minutes in Saturday’s 1-1 tie with Montana State Billings. Also Nominated: Sydney Torres (Montana State Billings), Maddie Wolff (Saint Martin’s), Makena Reitz (Seattle Pacific), Giuliana Zaurrini (Simon Fraser), Jenna Killman (Western Washington).

WOMEN’S SOCCER DEFENSIVE
Emily Wheeler (Western Oregon, GK, 5-8, So., Roseburg, Ore. – Roseburg): Wheeler’s first two starts of the season were memorable. She made four saves in Thursday’s 1-0 overtime upset of No. 7 Seattle Pacific on Thursday. Wheeler then made five saves against nine Montana State Billings shots in a 1-1 tie with the Yellowjackets on Saturday. Also Nominated: Liz Canton (Central Washington), Clare Keenan (Montana State Billings), Ali Campigotto (Saint Martin’s), Emma Ferraro (Simon Fraser), Natalie Dierickx (Western Washington).

VOLLEYBALL OFFENSIVE
Bayli Monck (Montana State Billings, RS, 5-10, Sr., Colorado Springs, Colo. – Vista Ridge): Monck averaged 4.25 kills, 2.50 digs and one block per set with a .429 hitting percentage in two wins. She finished with 21 kills, nine digs, four blocks and a .459 hitting percentage in Thursday’s five-set win over Western Oregon. Monck then posted a double-double of 13 kills and 11 digs with four blocks in Saturday’s three-set sweep of Saint Martin’s.

Gabby Gunterman (Western Washington, OH, 5-10, Jr., Lake Stevens, Wash. – Lake Stevens): Gunterman put together a huge double-double with 20 kills and 20 digs with five blocks and a .240 hitting percentage in the Vikings’ five-set win over Alaska on Saturday. Also Nominated: Cate Whiting (Alaska), Ellen Floyd (Alaska Anchorage), Tia Andaya (Central Washington), Sydney Perry (Seattle Pacific), Brooke Dexter (Simon Fraser), Isabel Hurliman (Western Oregon).

VOLLEYBALL DEFENSIVE
Calley Heilborn (Western Washington, OH, 6-1, So., Auburn, Wash. – Auburn Riverside): Heilborn had a big double-double of 27 digs and 19 kills to go along with six blocks in the Vikings’ five-set win over Alaska on Saturday. Also Nominated: Dani Dodge (Alaska), Vera Pluharova (Alaska Anchorage), Hannah Hayden (Montana State Billings), Bianca Te (Simon Fraser), Bella MacLellan (Western Oregon).

MEN’S CROSS COUNTRY
Coleman Nash (Alaska Anchorage, Fr., Littleton, Colo. – Chatfield): Nash won for the third time in as many meets this season, capturing the Chambers Bay Collegiate Open on Saturday. Nash won in a time of 25:01.9 over 8,000 meters, finishing 15 seconds ahead of teammate Jacob Moos. Nash led the Seawolves to the team title with 56 points. Also Nominated: Carson Jessop (Montana State Billings), Jack Farrell (Saint Martin’s).

WOMEN’S CROSS COUNTRY
Annika Esvelt (Seattle Pacific, So., Spokane, Wash. – West Valley): Esvelt was a winner for the second time this season, winning Saturday’s Chambers Bay Collegiate Open. Esvelt ran a time of 18:32.9 over 5,000 meters, finishing 11 seconds ahead of second-place Nancy Jeptoo of Alaska Anchorage. Also Nominated: Nancy Jeptoo (Alaska Anchorage), Sara Sabra (Saint Martin’s).

MEN’S GOLF
Ryan Stolys (Simon Fraser, Jr., Richmond Hill, Ont. – Bill Crothers): Stolys was the top GNAC finisher at the Western Washington Invitational last week, tying for fourth place with a 3-over-par 147. He carded a low round of even-par 72 in the second round to lead SFU to a tie for third place in the team standings. Also Nominated: Blake Finn (Montana State Billings), Dennis Geissler (Saint Martin’s), Jordan Lee (Western Washington).

WOMEN’S GOLF
Sarah Shea (Western Washington, Jr., Sequim, Wash. – Sequim): Shea was the top GNAC finisher at the RJGA Shootout at Estrella, finishing in 19th place with a two-round score of 7-over-par 151. She carded a low round of 75 on the second day to lead the Vikings to a ninth-place team finish. Also Nominated: Kinsey Irvin (Montana State Billings), Jada French (Saint Martin’s).