Men's Cross Country Southern Conference

SoCon Announces September Athletes of the Month

SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The Southern Conference announced its September 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
Alex Lakes, Mercer, R-Fr., RB
Mercer running back Alex Lakes ran for 434 yards and seven touchdowns in four September games, helping the Bears to a 3-1 record. The redshirt freshman from Newman, Ga., had 58 carries in the month, good for an average of 7.5 yards per carry. Lakes scored at least one touchdown in each game, with multiple scores against Stetson and VMI. Lakes, who was named the SoCon freshman of the week for his 151-yard, three-touchdown performance in a win over Stetson on Sept. 13, had 109 yards and a touchdown against Ave Maria on Sept. 20 and just missed another 100-yard performance with 98 yards and two scores against VMI on Sept. 27. Lakes leads the league with 100.0 yards per game and is fifth in the FCS with nine rushing scores on the year.

Other nominees: Aaron Miller (The Citadel), Denzel Williams (Samford), Tommy Hudson (Chattanooga), Detrez Newsome (Western Carolina) and Lorenzo Long (Wofford).

DEFENSE
Gary Wilkins, Furman, Sr., DE
Furman defensive end Gary Wilkins was a two-time SoCon defensive player of the week in September while helping Furman pace the league in scoring defense (17.0 points per game), total defense (281.0 yards per game), passing defense (118.0 ypg), and sacks (14). In four September games, Wilkins made 19 tackles, with four of them going for loss. He had two sacks in the month for 14 yards. The senior from Covington, Ga., had 10 tackles and a 19-yard interception return for a touchdown in 25-20 win over Mercer on Sept. 6 and had two tackles for loss against Presbyterian the following week. Against South Carolina State on Sept. 20, Wilkins forced a fumble. He had one of his two pass breakups in the month against Western Carolina on Sept. 27.

Other nominees: Tevin Floyd (The Citadel), Tyler Ward (Mercer), Justin Cooper (Samford), Davis Tull (Chattanooga), Daniel Riddle (Western Carolina) and Jaleel Green (Wofford).

MEN’S CROSS COUNTRY
Tripp Hurt, Furman, Sr.
Furman senior Tripp Hurt finished off the month of September with a fifth-place showing with an 8K time of 24:11.52 at the Virginia/Panorama Farms Invitational on Sept. 26, helping lift Furman to a runner-up finish, just four points behind No.13 Virginia and ahead of No.12 Iona, Auburn, Duke and William & Mary. He was named SoCon runner of the week on Oct. 1 for that performance. Hurt, a native of Bogart, Ga., also placed seventh at the 8K Furman Invitational on Sept. 13 to help lead the Paladins to the team victory.

WOMEN’S CROSS COUNTRY
Teghan Henderson, Chattanooga, Jr.
Chattanooga junior Teghan Henderson successfully defended her title at the Powerade Invitational in the season-opening meet with a time of 10:30 for the two-mile race. The following week, at the Vanderbilt Commodore Classic, she set a new 5K personal record with a time of 16:53.25 to win her second straight race this season. The Pickering, Ontario, Canada, native was named SoCon cross country runner of the week for both performances (Sept. 10 and Sept. 17). Henderson was also named the SoCon Student-Athlete of the Week on Sept. 10.

MEN’S SOCCER
Sven Lissek, Furman, Jr., GK
Furman goalkeeper Sven Lissek allowed just one goal in six September contests, turning in five shutouts and a near spotless 0.15 goals against average to lead the Paladins to an undefeated month (3-0-3). The highlight of Lissek’s month was his seven-save shutout of No. 8 Coastal Carolina on Sept. 12, after which Furman jumped into the national rankings at No. 19. After allowing his only goal of the month in a 2-1, overtime win over North Florida on Sept. 5, Lissek notched five straight shutouts, blanking Georgia State, Coastal Carolina, Kentucky, James Madison and UNCG in order. The junior from Sewau, Germany, was working with no margin for error in the final three contests, all scoreless draws. Lissek made 24 saves in the month and leads the SoCon with a 0.31 GAA and a .912 save percentage on the season.

Other nominees: Will Bagrou (Mercer), Joao Ramalho (ETSU) and Matthew Aurednik (Wofford).

WOMEN’S SOCCER
Chesney White, UNCG, Jr., F
UNCG forward Chesney White scored eight goals and added an assist for 17 points in September, leading the Spartans to a 3-2-3 overall mark and a 1-0-1 start in SoCon play. The junior from Franklin, Tenn., had three multi-goal games in the month, scoring twice each in draws against Indiana State and NC State and in a win over The Citadel in which she also had an assist. In addition to notching the game-winning goal against the Bulldogs, White also turned in game-winners in consecutive victories over High Point and James Madison in the month, earning SoCon player of the week honors on Sept. 23 for her efforts. White is currently tied for second in the league in goals with a career-high 10 on the season.

Other nominees: Hannah Short (ETSU), Lauren Gassie (Mercer), India Robinson (Furman), Malcanisha Kelley (Samford) and Christina White (Western Carolina).

VOLLEYBALL

OFFENSE
Vicky Harley, UNCG, Sr., MH
UNCG middle hitter Vicky Harley averaged 3.12 kills per set and turned in a league-best .384 hitting percentage in September, helping the Spartans to a 7-4 overall mark and 2-0 SoCon start. The senior from Columbia, S.C., reached double digits in kills in eight of her 11 matches in the month, highlighted by her 21-kill performance in a win over USC Upstate at the Liberty Invitational on Sept. 5. In a win over Howard the following day, Harley had 15 kills and a career-high-tying 10 blocks. She hit .714 for the match, setting a new Vines Center facility record and surpassing the school record in a four-set match. In wins over Western Carolina and Mercer last weekend, Harley hit .418. She also recorded at least one block in 10 matches and reached at least six in four September contests, averaging 1.02 per set in the month, fourth-most in the league.

Other nominees: Bailey Kernodle (The Citadel), Meredith Hardy (ETSU), Ashton Gregory (Furman), Molly Locke (Mercer), Kristy Wieser (Chattanooga), Caitlin Piechota (Western Carolina) and Taylor Baird (Wofford).

DEFENSE
Meredith Hardy, ETSU, Sr., MB
ETSU middle blocker Meredith Hardy posted a league-leading 1.15 blocks per set in 14 September matches, paced by her 12-block effort in a win over George Mason at the Patriot Invitational on Sept. 5. Her total in that contest matched her career high and was a school record in a three-set match, as were her 11 block assists. Hardy, who had at least three total blocks in 10 of the Bucs’ 14 matches, has recorded at least one in 110 consecutive matches. She also hit double figures in kills in six September matches, notching her 1,000th career kill against Utah on Sept. 12 and logging a season-high 19 in a win over Chattanooga on Sept. 27. Hardy also recorded eight blocks against the Mocs to become ETSU’s career leader. The senior from Kingsport, Tenn., was recognized at each of the three tournaments in which she competed in September, earning “Best Blocker” honors at the Patriot Invitational and earning all-tournament honors at the Lipscomb Invitational and the VCU Invitational.

Other nominees: Amanda Rudnik (The Citadel), Meg DeMaar (Furman), Tori Penrod (Mercer), Katherine Santiago (UNCG), Lauren Gainer (Chattanooga), Elyssa Mulheron (Western Carolina) and Jessica Graham (Wofford).  

Southern Conference September Athletes of the Month
Football – offense    Alex Lakes, Mercer
Football – defense    Gary Wilkins, Furman
Men’s cross country    Tripp Hurt, Furman
Women’s cross country    Teghan Henderson, Chattanooga
Men’s soccer    Sven Lissek, Furman
Women’s soccer    Chesney White, UNCG
Volleyball – offense    Vicky Harley, UNCG
Volleyball – defense    Meredith Hardy, ETSU

-www.SoConSports.com-