Seven Student-Athletes Honored for Excellence in Competition
SPARTANBURG, S.C. - The Southern Conference announced its November athletes of the month today, highlighting excellence among student-athletes during the month. The athletes of the month are nominated by each member institution and selected by the conference office.
FOOTBALL - OFFENSE
Scott Riddle, Elon, Sr., QB
Playing in the final two games of his record-setting career, Riddle passed for 763 yards and six touchdowns while leading the Phoenix to its fourth straight winning season. He threw for 311 yards and a score in a victory over Furman on November 13 and then passed for a season-best 452 yards and 5 TDs in Elon's season-ending win over Western Carolina. Riddle posted an efficiency rating of 168.54 during the month.
Other Nominees: DeAndre Presley (Appalachian State), Ben Dupree (The Citadel), J.J. Wilcox (Georgia Southern), Sidney Rhodes (Western Carolina) and Eric Breitenstein (Wofford).
FOOTBALL - DEFENSE
Brent Russell, Georgia Southern, So., DL
Russell was a key part of Georgia Southern's defense which helped lead the team to a 4-0 record and an FCS playoff berth in November. The Eagle defense held the top-ranked Appalachian State Mountaineers to 114 yards on the ground and a season low 323 yards of total offense in a 21-14 overtime win on Nov. 6. Russell shared the team lead for tackles in that game with six, including 2.5 tackles for loss for 12 yards. Russell recorded seven tackles in Eagles' win at Western Carolina with 3.5 tackles for loss for a total of 22 yards. The sophomore also registered four assisted tackles in comeback victory at Furman and helped keep the Paladins scoreless in the fourth quarter. In the FCS playoff game against 11th-ranked South Carolina State, he tallied four tackles with one tackle for a loss of nine yards. Russell forced a fumble that led to an Eagle recovery and return for touchdown. For the month, he recorded 22 tackles, 8.0 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks.
Other Nominees: D.J. Smith (Appalachian State), Tolu Akindele (The Citadel), Brandon Wiggins (Elon), Angelo Brown (Western Carolina), Mike Niam (Wofford).
MEN'S BASKETBALL
Donald Sims, Appalachian State, Sr., G
Sims racked up 40 points at Mississippi State and topped 20 points in three out of four games in November with his lowest output of 18 points coming in the season-opening win at Tulsa. Sims led the conference in scoring (26.5 ppg), three-pointers (4.0 pg), and free-throw shooting (93.8) percent and ranked second in assists per game (4.5 apg). The Nov. 23 league player of the week led the Mountaineers in scoring three times and dished out seven assists at Tulsa and recorded four or more in three games for the month. Sims became the sixth player in program history to top the 1,600-point mark at Mississippi State and then moved into fifth place in ASU history with 27 points at Vanderbilt the following week.
Other Nominees: Andrew Goudelock (College of Charleston), Cameron Wells (The Citadel), Jack Isenbarger (Elon), Amu Saaka (Furman), Ben Drayton III (Georgia Southern), Korey Van Dussen (UNCG), Mike Williams (Western Carolina) and Noah Dahlman (Wofford).
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Sam Ramirez, Appalachian State, Sr., G
Ramirez, a senior from Fayetteville, N.C., scored in double-figures in five of six games during the month of November, leading the Mountaineers to a 5-1 record in the month, totaling the most wins in the month for the program since the 1981-1982 season. Ramirez began the season with 20 points in a win over Marshall in the Longwood Tournament, and she followed that performance in the next game with a career-high 28 points in a win over Campbell. Ramirez, the lone senior on the Mountaineers' roster, scored 12 points in Appalachian State's first win at East Tennessee State since 2003, 20 points in the school's first-ever defeat of Gardner-Webb and 19 points in the conference-opening win over Elon. The Mountaineer guard shot 51.9 percent from the field and averaged a team-best 17.3 points per game for the month of November.
Other Nominees: Tonia Gerty (College of Charleston), Sophia Aleksandravicius (Davidson), Kelsey Evans (Elon), Jamie Navarro (Georgia Southern), Amanda Leigh (UNCG), Emily London (Samford), Whitney Hood (Chattanooga), Caitlin Hollifield (Western Carolina) and Mahagony Williams (Wofford).
VOLLEYBALL - OFFENSE
Elyse Chubb, College of Charleston, Jr., MB
Chubb, a junior from Peachtree City, Ga., helped lead the Cougars to a 7-1 record in the month of November, including a 5-0 record in conference play. In a road win against Georgia Southern that helped clinched the South Division for Charleston, Chubb had 14 kills on 19 attempts for a .737 hitting percentage. The middle blocker also had 13 kills and a .526 attack percentage in a win against Furman. In the championship match of the SoCon tournament, Chubb hit .565 with 13 kills in the loss to Georgia Southern.
Chubb was named First Team All-Conference and was named to the All-Tournament team in the SoCon Volleyball Championship.
Other Nominees: Alison Blasingame (Appalachian State), Sarah Schermerhorn (Elon), Bethany Sanford (Georgia Southern), Ariel Newman (UNCG), Lauren Hutchinson (Samford) and Paloma Alvarez (Western Carolina).
VOLLEYBALL - DEFENSE
Sarah Gildersleeve, Georgia Southern, Sr., MH
Gildersleeve, a middle hitter from Naples, Fla., helped the Georgia Southern Eagles win the SoCon Tournament Championship with her defensive efforts. In the first round of the tournament, the senior recorded a career-high nine block assists against the host Appalachian State. In the semifinals against Elon, Gildersleeve recorded six more block assists. In the 3-0 sweep of the College of Charleston in the championship match, she tallied four more block assists. Gildersleeve led the Eagles with 25 total blocks in November, as they had a 7-1 record for the month.
Gildersleeve was named to the All-Tournament team in the SoCon Volleyball Championship.
Other Nominees: Courtney Rhein (Appalachian State), Sarah Havel (College of Charleston), Sarah Schermerhorn (Elon), Kayren Finney (UNCG), Alexis Bauer (Samford) and Paloma Alvarez (Western Carolina).
WRESTLING
Ivan Lopouchanski, UNCG, So., 149 pounds
Lopouchanski had a great month of November as he won a pair of tournament titles and defeated three nationally-ranked wrestlers, including No. 6 Kurt Kinser from Indiana. He also won both Southern Conference Wrestler of the Week honors in the month. Lopouchanski began his season at the Hokie Open where he went a perfect 5-0, including a pin against Iowa State's Nate Carr (who is now ranked No. 16) in the semifinals. In the finals, he defeated Virginia Tech's Brian Stephens, then-ranked No. 16, 9-4. He followed that up the next weekend by winning the NC State Open with a pair of 16-0 technical falls and two other wins.
UNCG then began the dual match portion of its schedule and Lopouchanski started off with a 9-7 victory over No. 16 Cole Schmitt from No. 4 Wisconsin. Two days later, he dropped his only match of the season in a rematch with Virginia Tech's Brian Stephens, 9-7, in overtime. He rebounded later in the day with a win against North Carolina.
The Spartans then went to the Hoosier Duals over Thanksgiving weekend and Lopouchanski continued to shine as he defeated No. 6 Kurt Kinser from Indiana, 6-2. He also had a pair of wins later in the day.
Other Nominees: Austin Trotman (Appalachian State), Turtogtokh Luvsandorj (The Citadel) and Alex Radsky (Davidson).
Southern Conference November Athletes of the Month
Football (Offense) Scott Riddle, Elon
Football (Defense) Brent Russell, Georgia Southern
Men's Basketball Donald Sims, Appalachian State
Women's Basketball Sam Ramirez, Appalachian State
Volleyball (Offense) Elyse Chubb, College of Charleston
Volleyball (Defense) Sarah Gildersleeve, Georgia Southern
Wrestling Ivan Lopouchanski, UNCG