Men's Lacrosse Southern Conference

SoCon announces April athletes of the month

SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The Southern Conference announced its April athletes of the month for baseball, men’s and women’s golf, men’s lacrosse, men’s and women’s outdoor track and field, softball, and men’s and women’s tennis Thursday, highlighting excellence among student-athletes during the month.

BASEBALL
Player
Alex Lee, Samford, Jr., 1B
Samford first baseman Alex Lee hit .429 and slugged a SoCon-best .794 in April, helping the Bulldogs to a 13-4 overall record and 6-3 SoCon mark. The junior from Heflin, Ala., hit five home runs and eight doubles in April, scoring 17 runs and driving in 17. He also drew eight walks and had an on-base percentage of .507. Lee hit safely in 14 of his 17 contests, recording multiple hits nine times. His best outing came in a 15-4 win over ETSU on April 17, as he went 4-for-5 with two doubles, an RBI and three runs scored. He had three hits each in wins over UNCG (April 4) and Murray State (April 10), homering in both games and twice in both series. Lee tormented the Racers in Samford’s three-game sweep, hitting .600 with four RBIs and five runs scored and reaching base 10 times as the Bulldogs kicked off a nine-game winning streak. Lee closed his month with multiple hits in four of his final five contests, notching two each against Alabama State, Wofford (twice) and UAB. Lee did not go consecutive games without an extra-base hit in the month and scored three runs three times, doing so against UNCG and Troy in addition to ETSU.

Others nominated: Chris Ohmstede (Furman), Kyle Lewis (Mercer), Matt Winn (VMI), Matt Smith (Western Carolina) and Conor Clancey (Wofford).

Pitcher
Morgan Pittman, Mercer, Sr., LHP
Mercer middle reliever Morgan Pittman went 0-1 with a 1.40 ERA in six April appearances, helping the Bears to a 5-1 record in those contests. The senior left-hander held opposing batters to a SoCon-low .183 batting average in the month, allowing just 13 hits in 19 1/3 innings of work. He worked at least 2 1/3 innings in five of his six appearances and struck out 21 batters against just three walks. Pittman allowed just three earned runs, turning in three scoreless appearances. After working  a perfect eighth inning in a win over The Citadel on April 4, Pittman struck out a career-high 11 batters in 5 2/3 innings of work in a win over Western Carolina on April 10. He allowed just two hits and two walks and an unearned run in that appearance. Pittman also registered scoreless outings against Savannah State and UNCG, striking out four in 3 1/3 innings in a 3-2 win over the Tigers and not allowing a hit in 2 1/3 innings against the Spartans. The Newnan, Ga., native leads the SoCon with a 2.12 ERA and .221 opposing batting average this season.

Others nominated: James Reeves (The Citadel), Alex Ledford (Samford), Bryan Sammons (Western Carolina) and Will Stillman (Wofford).

MEN’S GOLF
Adrian Meronk, ETSU, Jr.
ETSU junior Adrian Meronk turned in three top-five finishes in April, fashioning a 69.4 stroke average across three tournaments. The SoCon Player of the Year, Meronk opened his month with a third-place finish at the Mason Rudolph Championship, turning in a 4-under-par 209 against a field that included eight top-50 teams and nine top-50 individuals. The Palmer Cup player from Wroclaw, Poland, followed that up with a fifth-place finish at the Greenbrier Collegiate, turning in a 36-hole total of 1-under 139 to help the Bucs win the weather-shortened event. Meronk then turned in a consistent 9-under 207 at the SoCon Men’s Golf Championship, firing three consecutive rounds of 3-under 69 to tie for the individual lead after 54 holes before falling in a sudden-death playoff to determine the medalist. Meronk’s strong showing helped ETSU to the team title, as the Bucs won a sudden-death playoff against UNCG to claim their record 18th SoCon title. For the month, Meronk shot par or better in all eight of his rounds and finished the month 14-under-par. He was named the SoCon Player of the Week on April 8 after his performance at the Mason Rudolph.

Other nominees: Wehman Hopke (Furman), Trey Rule (Mercer), Roy Dixon (UNCG), Wes Gosselin (Chattanooga), J.T. Poston (Western Carolina) and Brannan Hudson (Wofford).

WOMEN’S GOLF
Taylor Totland, Furman, So.
Furman sophomore Taylor Totland won her third straight monthly honor after posting a 71.2 stroke average in two April tournaments. After tying for 13th with a 3-over-par 219 in a loaded Rebel Intercollegiate field that included five top-50 teams, Totland won the SoCon Women’s Golf Championship with a tournament-record 8-under 208. Totland shot under par in all three rounds at the SoCon event, turning a 1-under 71 on the opening day before firing a 3-under 69 in the second round to move into a tie for first. She then matched the tournament record with a 4-under 68 on the final day of the tournament to claim a four-stroke win and help the Paladins to their first team title since 2009. Totland, who is ranked 20th nationally and was voted the SoCon Player of the Year at the tournament, helped the Paladins shatter the tournament record with a three-day team mark of 858. Five of Totland’s six April rounds were under par, including three in the 60s. Heading into NCAA East Regional play, the Tinton Falls, N.J., native’s 71.6 stroke average is the best single-season average in school history.

Other nominees: Kellie Anderson (The Citadel), Bailey Gray (Samford), Emily McLennan (Chattanooga) and Lauren Dunbar (Wofford).

MEN’S LACROSSE
Offense
J.P. Forester, Richmond, So., Attack
Richmond attackman J.P. Forester repeated as SoCon Offensive Player of the Month after recording 19 points on 11 goals and eight assists in April. Forester, whose point and assist totals were tied for the league lead in the month, scored at least three points in each of his five April contests, helping the Spiders to a 5-0 mark. The sophomore from Bloomfield Hills, Mich., opened his month with two goals and an assist against Furman before turning in his best game of the month with four goals and two assists against High Point. He added two goals and two assists against Bellarmine on April 18 en route to being named the SoCon Offensive Player of the Week before notching three assists against Mercer. Forester got back in the goals column in the semifinals of the SoCon Men’s Lacrosse Championship, scoring three times in an 8-7 win over Furman, including the eventual game-winner.

Other nominees: Jonah Moore (Furman).

Defense
Brendan Hynes, Richmond, So., Defense
Richmond defenseman Brendan Hynes scooped up a league-best 38 ground balls and caused 11 turnovers in five April contests as the Spiders went 5-0. The SoCon Defensive Player of the Year, Hynes was also a three-time SoCon Defensive Player of the Week in April, taking the honor on April 7, 14 and 21. Hynes recorded at leave five ground balls in each contest, including a season-high nine with three caused turnovers against Furman on April 4. The sophomore from Mahopac, N.Y., had a career day at High Point on April 11, recording eight ground balls and causing two turnovers in addition to scoring his first career hat trick and adding an assist for a career-high four points. That performance earned Hynes National Defensive Player of the Week honors from the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association. Hynes had eight ground balls and three caused turnovers against Bellarmine and notched eight ground balls and two caused turnovers in the SoCon Men’s Lacrosse Championship semifinals against Furman. Hynes also held Furman’s leading goal-scorer without a goal as the Spiders edged the Paladins 8-7 to reach the title game.

Other nominees: Reilly McDermott (Furman).

MEN’S OUTDOOR TRACK AND FIELD
Track
Brandon Hazouri, Samford, Jr.
Samford middle-distance runner Brandon Hazouri picked up his second straight monthly honor after being named the Most Outstanding Track Performer at the SoCon Outdoor Track and Field Championships and helping the Bulldogs to their second straight team title. Hazouri won a pair of events at the meet, taking the 800-meter run (1:50.62) and the 1,500-meter run. His time of 3:47.05 in the 1,500m stands as the third-best in the conference this season. Earlier in the month, Hazouri was part of the distance medley relay team that took third place and established a school record at the Pepsi Florida Relays with a time of 9:56.50. The junior from Birmingham, Ala., then broke his own school record in the 800m at the Alabama vs. Mississippi Border Clash on April 10, winning the event with a time of 1:48.12, which is the best in the SoCon this season. He was named the SoCon Track Athlete of the Week on April 15 for that performance.

Field
Sidney Jordan, Samford, R-Sr.
Samford thrower Sidney Jordan was named the Most Outstanding Field Performer and Most Outstanding Athlete at the SoCon Outdoor Track and Field Championships after taking titles in the discus (47.44 meters), hammer (58.02 meters) and shot put (16.17 meters) to help the Bulldogs to their second straight team title. His marks in the shot and hammer are the best in the SoCon this season. Jordan, a redshirt senior from Mobile, Ala., was named the SoCon Field Performer of the Week on April 9 for his efforts at the Hilltop Twilight Classic, where he took second in the hammer with what was then a personal-best heave of 57.16m. He also finished ninth in the discus with a throw of 49.19m.

WOMEN’S OUTDOOR TRACK AND FIELD
Track
Demeteria Edgecombe, ETSU, Sr.
ETSU sprinter Demeteria Edgecombe was named the Most Outstanding Track Performer and shared Most Outstanding Athlete honors at the SoCon Outdoor Track and Field Championships. The senior from Spartanburg, S.C., turned in four top-four performances at the meet, highlighted by winning the 100-meter hurdles in a SoCon-record time of 13.35 seconds. Edgecombe finished second in the 100 meters (11.89) and fourth in the 200 meters (25.05) and was also part of ETSU’s second-place 4x100-meter relay team (47.12). Earlier in the month, Edgecombe set what was then a school record with a time of 13.42 seconds in the 100m hurdles at the Pepsi Florida Relays.

Field
Alisha Bradshaw, Western Carolina, Sr.
Western Carolina thrower Alisha Bradshaw was named the Most Outstanding Field Performer at the SoCon Outdoor Track and Field Championships, helping the Catamounts to their fourth team title in the last eight seasons. The senior from Salisbury, N.C., turned in a trio of top-three finishes at the conference meet, including setting a SoCon meet record with a throw of 44.62 meters to win the discus. Bradshaw took second in the hammer throw with a toss of 50.41 meters and claimed third in the shot put with a distance of 14.07 meters. At the Pepsi Florida Relays earlier in the month, Bradshaw unleashed a school-record throw of 49.81 meters to win the discus in the prestigious event. She finished third in the hammer with a season-best throw of 52.00 meters at the Beynon Sports Surfaces Catamount Classic Track & Field Invitational on April 10 and finished second in the discus (44.31m) and third in the shot put (13.53m) the following day.

SOFTBALL
Player
Sieara Bishop, Furman, Jr., SS
Furman shortstop Sieara Bishop hit .421 with 14 RBIs, 12 runs scored and SoCon-leading .542 on-base percentage in April, helping the Paladins to a 13-5 overall mark, an 8-4 SoCon record and a nine-game winning streak. Bishop, the SoCon Player of the Year, slugged .614 with five doubles and two home runs among her league-best 24 hits in the month, adding 13 walks. The junior from Hendersonville, N.C., had seven multi-hit games, recording three hits three times. Bishop had consecutive three-hit games against Mercer early in April, going 3-for-5 on April 3 and 3-for-4 with a pair of doubles and two RBIs the following day. She also had three hits in game one of a doubleheader sweep of Gardner-Webb on April 29, adding two more in game two. Bishop had a pair of four-RBI contests, hitting a three-run homer and an RBI single in a 6-5 win over Charlotte on April 8 and recording a solo homer and a three-run double in a 12-0 win over ETSU on April 18. Bishop drew multiple walks in four contests, including three against Chattanooga on April 12 in a contest in which she scored the winning run on a walk-off sacrifice fly.

Others nominated: Riley Carter (Mercer), Megan Dowdy (Samford), Sarah Beth Roberts (Chattanooga) and Crystal Cyr (Western Carolina).

Pitcher
Kirsten Stevens, Mercer, So., LHP
Mercer left-hander Kirsten Stevens repeated as SoCon Pitcher of the Month, going 5-1 with a league-best 1.41 ERA in seven April starts. The SoCon Pitcher of the Year struck out 38 batters and walked just 12, highlighted by a 12-strikeout, two-walk performance in a win over Furman to open the month. Stevens allowed two earned runs or fewer in each appearance, including a pair of complete-game shutouts. The Crystal Lake, Ill., sophomore allowed just three hits and a walk in a 2-0 win over Samford on April 18 and allowed just two hits and did not walk a batter in an 8-0 win over Chattanooga on April 26. Stevens picked up a pair of wins against the league-champion Mocs in that series as the Bears handed Chattanooga its first series loss of the season. Stevens went at least five innings in each of her seven starts and struck out at least five batters four times. Stevens was named the SoCon Pitcher of the Week on April 20 after a pair of solid outings against Samford.

Others nominated: Lindsey Bert (Furman), Mollie Hanson (Samford) and Jordan Garrett (Western Carolina).

MEN’S TENNIS
David Biosca, ETSU, So.
ETSU sophomore David Biosca went undefeated in April, leading the Bucs to a 9-0 record and the SoCon Men’s Tennis Championship title and earning SoCon Player of the Year and tournament Most Outstanding Player honors along the way. Biosca was 6-0 at both No. 1 singles and No. 1 doubles with partner Rogerio Ribeiro. Biosca earned five of his six singles wins in straight sets, highlighted by a dominant 6-0, 6-0 performance against Chattanooga’s Lucas Plesky. The Sant Fruitos de Bage, Spain, native also topped nonconference opponents from Appalachian State and Georgia State in addition to picking up wins over the top singles players from SoCon opponents Mercer, Furman and Samford. Biosca’s only three-set singles match in April came in the semifinals of the SoCon tournament, when he rebounded from a first-set loss to top Samford’s Fares Kilani by a 3-6, 6-2, 6-3 score. Biosca just missed two more singles wins, as he had won the first set and held the lead in the second in a pair of matches that were abandoned in the SoCon tournament. In doubles play, Biosca and Ribeiro rolled to an 8-0 win over Georgia State’s Zack Kennedy and Sofiane Chevallier and picked up three more wins in which they didn’t surrender more than three games. The duo also held the lead in three doubles matches that were abandoned. Biosca was named the SoCon Player of the Week on April 14 after going 4-0 in wins over Mercer and Chattanooga.

Other nominees: Ben Horst (Furman), Austin Akers (Samford) and Luke Saunders (Chattanooga).

WOMEN’S TENNIS
Alex Moreno-Kaste, Furman, Sr.
Furman senior Alex Moreno-Kaste went a combined 13-1 in singles and doubles action in April, helping Furman to a 5-2 mark. In singles play, the Wesley Chapel, Fla., native went 7-0 at Nos. 1 and 2. She was 6-1 at No. 1 doubles with teammate Ansley Speaks. Moreno-Kaste opened her month with four singles matches at No. 2, winning each of them in straight sets. She beat her counterparts from Western Carolina, Mercer, Wofford and ETSU, surrendering just three games in a 6-2, 6-1 win over the Bears’ Grace Korta. Moreno-Kaste moved up to the top flight for her final three matches, ending the regular season with a 7-6 (7-5), 7-5 win over UNCG’s Kayla Gammie to clinch the 4-3 win and earn SoCon Player of the Week honors. Moreno-Kaste topped Gammie again in straight sets (6-1, 6-4) in the opening round of the SoCon Women’s Tennis Championship and closed her month with a 6-4, 5-7, 7-5 win over SoCon Player of the Year Stephanie N’tcha of Samford in the semifinals of the tournament. In doubles action, Moreno-Kaste and Speaks held their opponents to four games or fewer in five of their seven matches, highlighted by an 8-0 shutout of Mercer’s Korta and Roxy Bartz. The Furman duo’s lone loss came to Samford’s N’tcha and Carita Moolman in the SoCon tournament.

Other nominees: Stephanie N’tcha (Samford) and Kaya Jones (Chattanooga).


Southern Conference April Athletes of the Month
Baseball – player    Alex Lee, Samford
Baseball – pitcher    Morgan Pittman, Mercer
Men’s golf    Adrian Meronk, ETSU
Women’s golf    Taylor Totland, Furman
Men’s lacrosse – offense    J.P. Forester, Richmond
Men’s lacrosse – defense    Brendan Hynes, Richmond
Men’s outdoor track and field – track    Brandon Hazouri, Samford
Men’s outdoor track and field – field    Sidney Jordan, Samford
Women’s outdoor track and field – track    Demeteria Edgecombe, ETSU
Women’s outdoor track and field – field    Alisha Bradshaw, Western Carolina
Softball – player    Sieara Bishop, Furman
Softball – pitcher    Kirsten Stevens, Mercer
Men’s tennis    David Biosca, ETSU
Women’s tennis    Alex Moreno-Kaste, Furman

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