Men's Cross Country 11/6/2012 11:58:00 AM Southern Conference October Athletes of the Month Announced SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The Southern Conference announced its October athletes of the month for football, men’s and women’s cross country, men’s and women’s soccer and volleyball Tuesday, highlighting excellence among student-athletes during the month. FOOTBALL OFFENSE Aaron Mellette, Elon, Jr., WR Elon wide receiver Aaron Mellette had 32 catches for 595 yards and eight touchdowns in just three games in October. The Sanford, N.C., native averaged 198.3 yards receiving per game and tied a career high with 237 receiving yards at Appalachian State to give him four straight 100-plus yard performances. He has also had at least two touchdowns in six consecutive outings. Over the course of the month, Mellette advanced his status on numerous Elon and SoCon record lists. He now has 3,966 receiving yards, the second-most in both Elon and SoCon history, while his 21 100-yard games and 41 TD grabs are also second. Mellette’s 285 receptions are tied for second-most ever in the SoCon and are second on Elon’s list. His 15 TD catches this year are the fourth-most ever in league history and he is just four shy of matching the mark of 19 set by Marshall’s Randy Moss in 1996. Other nominees: Steven Miller (Appalachian State), Jerick McKinnon (Georgia Southern), Fabian Truss (Samford), Jacob Huesman (Chattanooga) and Eric Breitenstein (Wofford). DEFENSE Jeremy Kimbrough, Appalachian State, Sr., LB Appalachian State linebacker Jeremy Kimbrough had at least nine tackles in all four of the Moutaineers’ October games, totaling 43 for an average of 10.75 per game. The Decatur, Ga., senior added four tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks and an interception over the course of the month. Kimbrough made 15 stops versus Wofford on Oct. 20 and recorded career highs with three sacks and 3.5 tackles for loss at Western Carolina on Oct. 27. Other nominees: Jonathan Spain (Elon), John Stevenson (Georgia Southern), Jaquiski Tartt (Samford), Davis Tull (Chattanooga) and Alvin Scioneaux (Wofford). MEN’S CROSS COUNTRY Paul Chelimo, UNCG, Jr. UNCG junior Paul Chelimo won his second straight Southern Conference title in October, winning the league’s championship 8K race in 23:42.22, more than 15 seconds ahead of his nearest competitor. With the win, Chelimo earned SoCon Runner of the Year honors for the second straight season and helped the Spartans to a third-place team finish. Chelimo also turned in a second-place finish at the NCAA Division I Pre-Nationals in Louisville, Ky., in October, turning in a time of 23:14.0. The Chebiemit, Kenya, native was named the SoCon’s runner of the week on Oct. 3 and student-athlete of the week on Oct. 31. WOMEN’S CROSS COUNTRY Lauren D’Alessio, Samford, Sr. Samford senior Lauren D’Alessio won her first individual Southern Conference title in October, turning in a time of 16:57.65 over the 5K course at the championship race in Mt. Pleasant, S.C., on Oct. 27. D’Alessio finished 22 seconds ahead of her nearest competitor and lowered her previous conference-best 5K time this season by more than 25 seconds. D’Alessio helped the Bulldogs to a third-place team finish en route to being named SoCon Runner of the Year. The Pelham, Ala., native also turned in a fifth-place finish at the Greater Louisville Classic and a runner-up finish in the Alabama Crimson Classic in October. MEN’S SOCCER Chris Thomas, Elon, Sr., F Senior forward Chris Thomas helped Elon to a 6-2-1 overall mark and a 4-2 Southern Conference mark in October as the Phoenix won their first regular-season title since 2008. The Snellville, Ga., native scored a league-best 19 points on the month on eight goals and three assists. He had a pair of multi-goal games in October, scoring twice in contests against No. 18 Wake Forest and College of Charleston. Thomas had a pair of game-winners against ranked opponents, scoring the lone goals in 1-0 wins over No. 25 Furman and No. 13 Wake Forest as the Phoenix went 3-0 against ranked opponents and jumped into the national polls for the first time since 2006. Thomas became Elon’s all-time leading goal-scorer and set the school record for single-season goals in the win over WVU. The nation’s leading scorer, Thomas was the SoCon player of the week on Oct. 9 and earned a spot on the College Soccer News National Team of the Week that week. Other nominees: Harrison Delbridge (Appalachian State), Sean de Silva (College of Charleston), Michael Gandier (Furman), Hunter Norton (Georgia Southern) and Carlos Dominguez Gonzalez (Wofford). WOMEN’S SOCCER Jamie Simmons, UNCG, Fr., GK Freshman goalkeeper Jamie Simmons posted six consecutive shutouts against league opponents in October, helping the Spartans to a 6-1-1 mark that included a 6-0-1 record in SoCon play as the Spartans won the regular-season title. Simmons posted a miniscule 0.24 goals against average in the month, allowing just two goals in 740 minutes of action. She turned in 36 saves in October, a season-high 15 of which came in a 1-1 draw with Furman on Oct. 5. The Houston, Texas, native then rattled off shutout wins over Wofford, Davidson, Georgia Southern, Samford, Chattanooga and Elon, with the first four in that run coming by 1-0 scores. Simmons had four stops in the win over Samford as the Spartans snapped the Bulldogs’ 22-match unbeaten streak against league opponents and overtook them for the top spot in the SoCon. Simmons was the SoCon player of the week on Oct. 9. Other nominees: Julia Holz (Appalachian State), McCallie Jones (College of Charleston), Mariana Garcia (The Citadel), Stephanie Piperno (Davidson), Kate Murphy (Elon), Stephanie DeVita (Furman), Alex Murphy (Georgia Southern), Melissa Montgomery (Samford) and Maggie Bosley (Wofford). VOLLEYBALL OFFENSE Chandler Ambrester, Furman, Sr., OH Furman senior outside hitter Chandler Ambrester helped the Paladins to an 8-2 record in October (7-2 SoCon), turning in double-doubles in six of her eight contests on the month. The Pine Mountain, Ga., native finished her month with back-to-back 20-20 efforts, recording 23 kills and 20 digs against Wofford on Oct. 26 and a career-high 26 kills and 23 digs against Chattanooga on Oct. 27. Ambrester turned in 151 kills and averaged 4.87 per set in October, hitting .251 on the month. She also had 118 digs, good for 3.81 per set. She was named the SoCon offensive player of the week on Oct. 8. Other nominees: Lindsey Sauls (Appalachian State), Rachael Ferrell (The Citadel), Darcy Dorton (College of Charleston), Caroline Brown (Davidson), Megan Gravley (Elon), Meredith Paskert (Georgia Southern), Karrian Chambers (UNCG), Michaela Reesor (Samford), Jordan Timmermann (Western Carolina) and Wendy Burnett (Wofford). DEFENSE Celia Rose Eddy, Elon, Sr., MB Elon senior middle blocker Celia Rose Eddy helped the Phoenix to a 6-2 mark on October, all in league play. The Gulf Breeze, Fla., native tallied 38 total blocks in the month, including eight solo blocks, as she averaged 1.23 per set. As a team, Elon out-blocked its opponents 79.5-60 in the month, with Eddy accounting for nearly half of the Phoenix’s total. Eddy had a career-high nine blocks in a 3-1 win over Davidson, helping her earn SoCon defensive player of the week honors on Oct. 15. Eddy also averaged 2.03 kills per set and hit .253 in the month. Other nominees: Dalton Tolliver (Appalachian State), Erin Bucherl (The Citadel), Emily Shelton (College of Charleston), Molly Crenshaw (Davidson), Elle Ross (Furman), Alexandra Beecher (Georgia Southern), Kellie Orewiler (UNCG), Alexis Bauer (Samford), Paula Passmore (Chattanooga), Morgan Cochran (Western Carolina) and Wendy Burnett (Wofford). Southern Conference September Athletes of the Month Football – Offense Aaron Mellette, Elon Football – Defense Jeremy Kimbrough, Appalachian State Men’s Cross Country Paul Chelimo, UNCG Women’s Cross Country Lauren D’Alessio, Samford Men’s Soccer Chris Thomas, Elon Women’s Soccer Jamie Simmons, UNCG Volleyball – Offense Chandler Ambrester, Furman Volleyball – Defense Celia Rose Eddy, Elon -www.SoConSports.com-