Monday, February 21, 2022

PORTLAND, Ore. – High-scoring performances are hard to beat and Central Washington’s Samantha Bowman and Montana State Billings’ Carrington Wiggins did just that to earn the GNAC Basketball Player of the Week awards.

The Wildcats’ junior center was named the Women’s Basketball Player of the Week for the fifth time this season after averaging 22.5 points and 14.5 rebounds per game in a pair of road wins, shooting 73 percent from the field. Bowman led all players with 24 points and 14 rebounds on 11 of 14 from the field in Thursday’s 66-46 victory at Western Oregon. She then led CWU with 21 points and 12 rebounds in Saturday’s 78-73 victory at Saint Martin’s.

Wiggins, the Yellowjackets’ junior guard, averaged 25.3 points per game and shot 75 percent from the field in three games to earn the Men’s Basketball Player of the Week award. Wiggins opened the week with 28 points and 11 of 12 from the field and 4 of 5 from three-point range in Monday’s 91-64 win at Western Washington. He added a 31-point performance on 10 of 16 from the field in Thursday’s 83-80 home overtime loss to the Vikings before scoring 17 points on 6 of 8 from the field and 3 for 3 from long range on Saturday against Simon Fraser.

Northwest Nazarene swept the baseball awards after posting a four-game sweep of Canyon County rival College of Idaho. Sophomore utility player Grant Kerry was named the Baseball Player of the Week after he hit .533 with five runs, two doubles, a home run, five RBI and three stolen bases. Kerry went 3 for 4 in Thursday’s opener with an RBI double. He then had another RBI double in Friday’s victory before ending with a 4 for 5 performance in Saturday’s second game, which included two runs scored and an inside the park home run.

Senior Max Holtzclaw earned Pitcher of the Week honors after earning three saves in the series, striking out eight of the 10 batters he faced in his three relief appearances. He struck out all three batters he faced Friday’s 6-3 victory. He then went 1.1 innings with three strikeouts, getting the Nighthawks out of a jam en route to the 7-1 victory. He then went scoreless in the ninth inning of the nightcap, striking out two in the 14-11 victory.

Montana State Billings swept the softball awards after going 2-2 in the Minot State Bubble Invite. Senior first baseman Brittanee Fisher was named the Softball Player of the Week after she batted .636 in the four games, going 7 for 11 with six runs, five RBI, one double and three home runs. Fisher went 3 for 3 with a double in Saturday’s 7-4 win over Mary before going 2 for 2 with a three-run homer in Friday’s 8-0 shutout of Minot State. She hit a solo home run in Sunday’s 6-4 loss to Minn.-Crookston before going 2 for 4 with two runs and a solo homer in Sunday’s 4-3 loss to Bemidji State.

Yellowjackets’ junior Alyssa Etheridge earned Pitcher of the Week honors after she threw a complete-game shutout in Saturday’s 8-0 win over Minot State, allowing three hits and two walks while striking out seven.

Northwest Nazarene junior Hannah Holloway earned the first Women’s Golf Player of the Week award of the spring after she led the Nighthawks with a two-round score of 163, with a low round of 81, at the Visit Stockton Cactus Thaw Invitational.

GNAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK SELECTIONS – WEEK 26
MEN’S BASKETBALL
Carrington Wiggins (Montana State Billings, G, 6-2, Jr., Flint, Mich. – Mott CC): Wiggins averaged 25.3 points per game in three games for the Yellowjackets, shooting 75 percent from the field and 69.2 percent from three-point range. Wiggins opened the week with 28 points in Monday’s 91-64 win at Western Washington, connecting on 11 of 12 from the field and 4 of 5 from long range. In Thursday’s rematch, Wiggins finished with 31 points on 10 of 16 from the field in the heartbreaking 83-80 overtime loss. He closed the week with a 17-point performance in Saturday’s 75-64 loss to Simon Fraser, going 6 of 8 from the field and a perfect 3 for 3 from beyond the arc. Also Nominated: David Rowlands (Alaska Anchorage), Xavier Smith (Central Washington), James Nelson (Northwest Nazarene), Brett Reed (Saint Martin's), Wilfried Balata (Simon Fraser), John Morrill-Keeler (Western Oregon), Jalen Green (Western Washington).

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
Samantha Bowman (Central Washington, C, 6-3, Jr., Zillah, Wash. - Zillah): Bowman averaged 22.5 points and 14.5 rebounds per game in a pair of wins for the Wildcats, shooting 73 percent from the field. Bowman led all players with 24 points and 14 rebounds on 11 of 14 from the field with four steals in Thursday’s 66-46 rout at Western Oregon. Bowman then led CWU with 21 points and 12 rebounds with five assists in Saturday’s 78-73 victory at Saint Martin’s, connecting on 8 of 12 from the field. Also Nominated: Tennae Voliva (Alaska Anchorage), Taryn Shelley (Montana State Billings), Teagan Thurman (Northwest Nazarene), Claire Dingus (Saint Martin's), Jessica Wisotzki (Simon Fraser), Meadow Aragon (Western Oregon), Emma Duff (Western Washington).

BASEBALL PLAYER
Grant Kerry (Northwest Nazarene, UT, 6-3, So., Wynward, England – Boise State Univ.): Kerry helped lead the Nighthawks to a four-game sweep of Canyon County rival College of Idaho, batting .533 with five runs, two doubles, a home run, five RBI, two walks and three stolen bases. Kerry went 3 for 4 in Thursday’s 11-2 victory with an RBI double. Kerry had one hit in Friday’s 6-3 victory, an RBI double in the third. He ended the week going 4 for 5 in Saturday’s 14-11 second-game win, which included two runs scored and an inside the park home run. Also Nominated: Austin Ohland (Central Washington), Cooper Dulich (Montana State Billings), Reid Little (Saint Martin's), Jackson Holstad (Western Oregon).

BASEBALL PITCHER
Max Holtzclaw (Northwest Nazarene, P, 6-3, Sr., Palo Cedro, Calif. – Shasta CC): Holtzclaw finished with an impressive three saves in the College of Idaho series. He did not allow a base runner and struck out eight of the 10 batters he faced. Holtzclaw struck out all three batters he faced in the ninth inning on Friday to earn the save in the 6-3 victory. He went 1.1 innings to save Saturday’s opener, 7-1, striking out three batters. He got a groundout to end the eighth with a 3-1 lead before the Nighthawks added on four runs in the home half of the frame. Holtzclaw then held the Coyotes scoreless in the ninth to win the nightcap, 14-11. Also Nominated: Jake Bradley (Central Washington), Matthew Houlihan (Montana State Billings), Justice Yamashita (Saint Martin's), Seth Kuykendall (Western Oregon).

SOFTBALL PLAYER
Brittanee Fisher (Montana State Billings, 1B, 5-9, Sr., Billings, Mont. – Billings Senior): Fisher batted .636 in the Yellowjackets’ 2-2 week at the Minot State Bubble Invite, going 7 for 11 with six runs, five RBI, one double and three home runs. Fisher went 2 for 3 with a double and a run scored in Saturday’s 7-4 win over Mary before going 2 for 2 with a three-run homer in the 8-0 win over Minot State. She started a late rally with a solo home run in Sunday’s 6-4 loss to Minn.-Crookston before going 2 for 4 with two runs and a solo homer in the 4-3 loss to Bemidji State. Also Nominated: Allie Thiessen (Central Washington), Sidney Booth (Northwest Nazarene), Janique Balcaen (Simon Fraser), Logan Carlos (Western Oregon), Ellie Jespersen (Western Washington).

SOFTBALL PITCHER
Alyssa Etheridge (Montana State Billings, P, 5-9, Jr., Grants Pass, Ore. – Grants Pass): Fisher went the distance in Saturday’s 8-0 shutout of host Minot State at the Minot State Bubble Invite. She allowed three hits and two walks while striking out seven to notch her second win of the season. She succeeded in leaving batters stranded as the Beavers went 0-6 with runners in scoring position. Also Nominated: Rhaney Harris (Central Washington), Charlotte Forniss (Northwest Nazarene), Chelsea Smith (Western Oregon), Joie Baker (Western Washington).

WOMEN’S GOLF
Hannah Holloway (Northwest Nazarene, Jr., Eagle, Idaho – Bishop Kelly): Hollway led Northwest Nazarene with a two-round score of 163 at the Visit Stockton Cactus Thaw Invitational. She shot a low round of 81 on the opening to finish in a tie for 56th place and led the Nighthawks to a 17th-place team finish in the opening tournament of the spring.