SPARTANBURG, SC -- The Southern Conference announced today the Athletes of the Month for September. One athlete is chosen from each fall sport: football, men’s and women’s soccer, volleyball, men’s and women’s cross country, and men’s and women’s golf.

Chattanooga senior Ian Mayne was named SoCon cross country runner of the week twice during the month of September. Mayne ran a personal-best 15:12 over the Mocs home 5K course to win the Chattanooga invitational. Mayne continued his torrid ways two weeks later when he finished fourth out of a field of 307 at the Greater Louisville Challenge with a time of 24:31.

Davidson’s Brenna Burns, the women’s athlete of the month in September, finished second at both the Covered Bridge Inivitational at Appalachian State and the Lew Onesty Invitational, which was hosted by the University of Virginia. Burns, a sophomore, ran a time of 17:44 at the University of Virginia course.

Appalachian State’s Richie Williams averaged nearly 300 yards of total offense in the Mountaineers first four games. The senior completed 62-percent of his passes for 837 yards through the air. The Walter Payton Award candidate also notched 279 yards on the ground to accumulate a conference-leading 1,116 yards of total offense. Williams has yet to throw an interception on the season, remaining unscathed in the department on 144 consecutive attempts, dating back to last year’s season finale against Western Carolina.

Defense

Elon junior inside linebacker Chad Nkang was the catalyst for a Phoenix squad that finished the month of September, 3-1, overall. He finished the month with 49 total tackles: seven for a loss. Nkang also garnered four sacks, a pass deflection, four quarterback hurries and a forced fumble. At the end of the month, his 12.3 tackles per contest ranked him first in the SoCon. The Phoenix defense overall finished the first month of the season ranked first in the league in both rushing defense (81.0 per game) and total defense (274.8).

Men’s Soccer

UNC Greensboro’s Randi Patterson has started the 2005 season the way that he ended his All-American campaign last season. Patterson has picked up 20 points (nine goals, two assists) in the Spartans first nine games, with three of his nine goals going for game-winners. The nine shots to hit the back of the net have moved the junior into eighth-place all-time in UNCG history for goals scored.

Furman’s Andre’a Morrison just keeps adding to the grandeur of her career with the Lady Paladins in 2005, ending the month of September with a league-leading 10 goals to total a conference-high 23 points. The highlights for the senior during the month of September included scoring the game-winner against then No. 10 Ohio State and tallying her fourth career hat trick in a Furman win over The Citadel.

Volleyball

Georgia Southern’s Iulia Porumbescu was twice named SoCon volleyball player of the week in September. At the end o f the month, Porumbescu led the league in kills (5.16) by more than one per game. Porumbescu finished the month leading the SoCon in overall points with 5.59 per game. The senior was also in the top ten in the league in hitting percentage and digs.

Men’s Golf

Western Carolina’s Matt Cook played in two events in September, earning crowns in both. The sophomore took the title in the Francis Marion/Raines Development Group Intercollegiate and the Elon/Sea Trail. Cook shot better than par in each of his six rounds over the course of the month to finish September with a scoring average of 69.67.

Women’s Golf

Western Carolina senior Ashley Hovda tallied two top 10 finishes in the month of September, helping the Catamounts claim their first two tournement championships of 2005. Hovda claimed the title at the Elon/Sea Trail Intercollegiate after firing a then school-record two-day total of 138.