SPARTANBURG, S.C. ? The Southern Conference announced its Athletes of the Month today for the month of February. Athletes from the following winter sports were chosen: men’s and women’s basketball, wrestling, men’s and women’s track and field and the following spring sports: baseball, softball, men’s and women’s tennis and men’s and women’s golf. The athletes are chosen by the conference sports information directors for basketball, wrestling, baseball, softball, tennis and golf and the league head coaches in track and field.
Men’s Basketball
The Citadel’s Demetrius Nelson has been named Men’s Basketball Athlete of the Month. The senior averaged 19.3 points and 8.6 rebounds per game during the month and led the Bulldogs to a 6-1 record.
The John’s Island, S.C., native recorded double-digit scoring in 6-of-7 games in February, including a career-high 29 points against Western Carolina. Nelson also recorded the eighth double-double of his career with 22 points and 14 rebounds in the Bulldogs’ 64-46 victory over Davidson. In four out of the seven games, Nelson recorded 20 points or more. Against the Catamounts, Nelson converted a career-high 15-of-18 free throws en route to the 29-point effort.
Also nominated for this month’s award were Appalachian State’s Kellen Brand, Chattanooga’s Nicchaeus Doaks, College of Charleston’s Andrew Goudelock, Davidson’s Stephen Curry, Georgia Southern’s Ben Drayton III, Western Carolina’s Harouna Mutombo and Wofford’s Noah Dahlman.
Women’s Basketball
Samford’s Emily London has been named Women’s Basketball Athlete of the Month. In seven games during the month of February, the sophomore averaged 19.4 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game as the Bulldogs went 4-3 on the month to lock up the SoCon’s No. 2 seed in the conference tournament.
The Lexington, Ky., native scored at least 19 points in six of the seven games. She also made 60.9 percent of her shots from the floor, including 52.6 percent of her three-point attempts. London was a perfect 32-of-32 from the free throw line during the month.
Also nominated for this month’s award were Appalachian State’s Brittany Mixon, College of Charleston’s Jade Hughes, Davidson’s Mercedes Robinson, Furman’s Lee Stephens, Georgia Southern’s Ashley Melson, UNC Greensboro’s Gini Grimsley, Chattanooga’s Jenaya Wade-Fray, Western Carolina’s Lauren Powell and Wofford’s Liz Miller.
Wrestling
Appalachian State’s Chip Powell has been named Wrestler of the Month after going 4-0 in matches during the month, including 3-0 in the SoCon.
Powell began the month by earning a major decision victory over Davidson’s Carl Sandercock, 9-1. The sophomore next pinned VMI’s Eric Russo in 1:21, before earning a victory over The Citadel’s Keith Koziel, 11-5. The Greensboro, N.C., native closed the month with a 3-1 victory over Liberty’s Julian Colon.
Also nominated for this month’s award were Davidson’s Sam O’Hair, The Citadel’s Odie Delaney, UNC Greensboro’s Mikal McKee, Chattanooga’s Demetrius Johnson and VMI’s Josh Wine.
Men’s Indoor Track and Field
Track
Furman track athlete Patrick Morgan has been named Men’s Indoor Track Athlete of the Month.
Morgan won the mile run at the Rod McCravy Memorial Track and Field Meet hosted by the University of Kentucky with a time of 4:05.90. The time was a personal best and also a school record, which broke the previous 31-year old record by two seconds. The senior also placed third in the 800-meter run at the Tiger Invitational hosted by Clemson with a time of 1:54.11.
Also nominated for this month’s award were Appalachian State’s Josh Houser and Chris Moen, The Citadel’s Zach Johnson, Davidson’s Peter Bruton and Thad Sieracki, UNC Greensboro’s Joey Thompson, Samford’s Blaise Carie, Chattanooga’s Chris Berry, Western Carolina’s Manteo Mitchell.
Field
Appalachian State’s Mark Sturgis has been named Men’s Indoor Field Athlete of the Month.
Sturgis won the triple jump at the Niswonger Invitational (ETSU, Johnson City, Tenn.) with a NCAA Provisional mark of 15.52m/50' 11". He also placed eighth in the long jump with a mark of 22' 3 1/2". Sturgis also finished first in the 55-meter dash with a time of 6.49 and second in the 300-meter dash with a time of 35.99 at the Mountaineers’ Valentine Open.
Also nominated for this month’s award were Appalachian State’s Malcolm Styers, The Citadel’s Kevin Hardy and Quintin Turner, Samford’s Patrick Wells and Kyle Brown and Western Carolina’s Matt Evans.
Women’s Indoor Track and Field
Track
Appalachian State’s Meg Gaffney has been named Women’s Indoor Track Athlete of the Month.
Gaffney, a graduate student, won the mile run at the Tiger Paw Invitational in Clemson, S.C., in a time of 4:53.05, good for second place in Mountaineer history in the event.
Also nominated for this month’s award was Chattanooga’s Annelia Usy.
Field
Georgia Southern’s Lynndsey Hyter has been named Women’s Indoor Field Athlete of the Month.
Hyter, competing at the Carolina Invitational in Chapel Hill, N.C., jumped 19’7” in the long jump, good for first in the conference. The sophomore also moved into fifth place in the SoCon with a time of 9.10 in the 60-meter hurdles. The 60 race was just her second in the event.
Also nominated for this month’s award was Appalachian State’s Rebecca Hazeltine.
Baseball
Player
College of Charleston first baseman Joash Brodin has been named Baseball Player of the Month.
Brodin led the Cougars to a 4-2 record during the month of February while batting .455 with four home runs and 12 RBIs. He had 10 hits in 22 at-bats, while striking out just three times. The senior also fielded at a .984 clip. The Olympia, Wash., native had perhaps his best game in a 14-8 Cougar win over Miami (OH). After the Red Hawks scored a run to pull the game closer at 10-7, Brodin hit a grand slam in the bottom of the eighth to seal the game.
Also nominated for this month’s award were Appalachian State’s David Towarnicky, The Citadel’s Richard Jones, Davidson’s Chase FitzPatrick, Elon’s Pat Irvine, Georgia Southern’s Phillip Porter, Samford’s Mason Meredeth, Western Carolina’s Ross Heffley and Wofford’s Konstantine Diamaduros.
Pitcher
Western Carolina pitcher Garrett Ozar has been named Baseball Pitcher of the Month.
Ozar appeared in only two games for the Catamounts during the month, but made the most of his opportunities by going 2-0 and recording a 0.00 ERA. The senior allowed only four hits, all singles, during 7.1 innings of work, and fanned 11 batters.
Also nominated for this month’s award were Appalachian State’s Andrew Webster, The Citadel’s Zach Garrett, Davidson’s Matt Sliwiak, Elon’s Ken Ferrer, Georgia Southern’s Chris Mederos, Samford’s Kyle Nichols and Wofford’s Scott Summers.
Softball
Player
Appalachian State utility player Katie Boyd has been named Softball of the Month.
Boyd started out the 2009 softball season on a strong note as she batted .514 with five home runs and 15 RBIs during the month of February. The sophomore also tallied seven doubles and 18 hits. The Walkertown, N.C., native played her best game in the season opener against Miami (OH) where she clubbed two home runs and drove in all three of the Mountaineers’ runs.
Also nominated for this month’s award were College of Charleston’s Kristie Shifflett, Elon’s Brandi Jones, Georgia Southern’s Robyne Siligia, UNC Greensboro’s Mary Catherine Vercoe, Samford’s Katie England, Chattanooga’s Toni Hutchison and Western Carolina’s Stephanie Beatty.
Pitcher
Furman pitcher Lana Mackey has been named Softball Pitcher of the Month.
Mackey posted a 3-2 record and 2.76 ERA over the first month of the season while holding the opposition to a .230 batting average. The junior tossed a complete game allowing only one run to earn a 2-1 victory over Georgia Tech in the season opener before fanning seven in a complete-game victory against Eastern Kentucky. Mackey threw a third complete game in a 5-2 victory over ETSU, fanning six without issuing a walk. She limited opponents to just 28 hits in 33 innings while striking out 24 in six appearances.
Also nominated for this month’s award were Appalachian State’s Ashley Stubbs, College of Charleston’s Terri Mesko, Georgia Southern’s Brianna Streetmon and Samford’s Stephanie Royall.
Men’s Tennis
Appalachian State’s Bobby Lake has been named Men’s Tennis Athlete of the Month.
Lake posted a record of 5-1 over the month of February while competing at the No. 1 singles spot. The Boone, N.C., native earned straight-set victories over opponents from UNC Asheville, Lees McRae, Liberty and South Carolina’s Diego Cubas, who was ranked No. 97 in the country at the time.
Also nominated for this month’s award were The Citadel’s Yufo Sutantio, Elon’s Damon Gooch, Furman’s Andy Juc, Georgia Southern’s Joris De Weerdit, Chattanooga’s Peter Sauska and Wofford’s Tinus Van Wyk.
Women’s Tennis
Furman’s Laura Gioia has been named Women’s Tennis Athlete of the Month.
Gioia went 4-1 during the month of February while competing at the No. 1 singles position. The senior defeated two ranked opponents including No. 59 Sasha Kulikova of Wake Forest, while her lone loss came to No. 4 Ani Mijacika of Clemson. Gioia also competed at number one doubles, scoring wins against tandems from No. 55 South Florida and No. 64 Winthrop.
Also nominated for this month’s award were Davidson’s Virginia Berry, Elon’s Anna Milian and Georgia Southern’s Melanie Rolle.
Men’s Golf
Georgia Southern’s Joe Monte has been named Men’s Golfer of the Month.
The sophomore played six rounds, averaging 72.83 strokes in the two tournaments during the month. Monte finished tied for 50th at the spring opening Gator Invitational, before picking up a sixth-place finish at the John Hayt Invitational. The Eagle shot a 218 three round total (72-74-72) at the Gator Invitational before completing the John Hayt Invitational, with a 3-over par 219.
Women’s Golf
College of Charleston’s Steffi Kirchmayr has been named Women’s Golfer of the Month.
The two-time reigning Southern Conference Golfer of the Year, Kirchmayr fired a final round 70 to move into a tie for third place at the Edwin Watts/Kiawah Island Classic in Kiawah Island, S.C. Her three-round total of 220 (+4) was just two strokes off the lead in a field of 215 golfers. Buoyed by the performance of the senior from Pocking, Germany, the Cougars finished sixth out of 43 teams ? 21 of which were ranked in the top 100 nationally.
Other top performers during the month were The Citadel’s Alanna-Jean Keith, Samford’s Heather Arnold, Western Carolina’s Blaire Minter, and Wofford’s Erin Wells.