SPARTANBURG, S.C. ? The Southern Conference announced today the Athletes of the Month for October. One athlete is chosen from each of the following sports: football (offensive and defensive), men’s and women’s soccer, volleyball, and men’s and women’s golf.
Football
Offense
Junior running back Kevin Richardson averaged 152 total yards and two touchdowns per game in October. He helped lead Appalachian State to a 4-0 record by rushing for more than 100 yards on three occasions and added over 150 total receiving yards to notch 608 all-purpose yards for the month. In the Mountaineers 27-20 double-overtime win over Georgia Southern on October 21, he scored the winning touchdown and added a career-high 101 receiving yards. Richardson ended the month tallying 173-yards and four touchdowns in a 40-7 win over No. 8 Furman on October 28.
Defense
Elon’s Chad Nkang currently leads the league in total tackles per game for the third consecutive season. He recorded a league-high 47 tackles including 24 solo stops during October. The senior middle linebacker notched one forced fumble, one pass break-up and four tackles for a loss totaling nine yards during Elon’s 2-2 month. He was also named the September Defensive Player of the Month last month.
Men’s Soccer
Appalachian State’s Arie Muniz scored five goals in his last five matches during the month. He recorded 13 points on six goals and one assist for the Mountaineers. The freshman forward scored two goals in the Mountaineers’ 4-1 over College of Charleston in the first round of the Southern Conference Tournament on October 28. He was named the Men’s Soccer Player of the Week for October 24.
Women’s Soccer
Freshman Suzanne Sittko led Davidson to a 6-2-1 record for the month. The forward notched 15 points on six goals and three assists for the Wildcats. She wrapped-up the regular season leading the league in game-winning goals with four. Two of those game-winners came back-to-back in 1-0 wins over College of Charleston on October 19 and Western Carolina on October 29. She earned the Women’s Soccer Player of the Week for October 24 and was named the Co-Southern Conference Freshman of the Year.
Furman’s Anna Betton recorded nine goals and two assists to help the Lady Paladins to a 6-3-1 record during October. She finished the season as the league’s leading scorer with 11 goals and notched deciding goals in victories over Davidson, Appalachian State and The Citadel. The junior forward gathered a streak of six straight matches with a goal from October 5-18 and earned first team all-conference honors.
Volleyball
Sophomore Nicole Palazzo tied a Southern Conference record last month after recording 17 total blocks in Furman’s 3-2 loss to College of Charleston on October 28. The 17 total blocks ranks as the seventh-highest total in NCAA history and ties the middle blocker for second-place in the NCAA in total blocks during the rally-scoring era (2001-present). Palazzo finished the month with 111 kills and 53 total blocks leading the Lady Paladins to a 7-2 record in October. She was named the Volleyball Athlete of the Month for September and the Molten Volleyball Player of the Week for the weeks of October 2 and 30.
Women’s Golf
Elon’s Danielle Mills placed in the top-10 in two events played in October. She finished fifth at the Great Smokies Women’s Collegiate on October 1 firing rounds of 72 and 73 for a 145. The sophomore placed 10th out of 105 golfers at East Carolina’s Lady Pirate Invitational on October 22 shooting 71, 78 and 72 for a221 total. Mills shot an average of 73.2 per round during the month.
Men’s Golf
Western Carolina junior Matt Cook claimed the top-rated men’s golfer spot in NCAA Division I, according to Golfstat.com, after winning the two events he played in October. He won the Liberty/Frank Landrey Invitational on October 17 after shooting a school-record 65-67?132 in 36 holes. His individual win at Liberty helped the Catamounts claim the team title as well. He claimed his third straight individual title on October 31 at the CSU Fall Invitational after firing a school-record 68-70-68?206. He was also named the September Men’s Golf Athlete of the Month.