SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The Southern Conference announced its February athletes of the month for baseball, men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s golf, men’s and women’s indoor track and field, men’s and women’s lacrosse, rifle, softball, men’s and women’s tennis and wrestling Wednesday, highlighting excellence among student-athletes during the month.
 
BASEBALL
Player
Brooks Carlson, Samford, Jr., 2B
Junior second baseman Brooks Carlson hit .528 in February, going 19-for-36 with 15 runs, 15 RBIs, 12 walks, two doubles and three home runs over the Bulldogs’ 10 games in February. The Mobile, Alabama, native had six multi-hit games, including four with at least three hits, during the month and had at least two RBIs in for of the contests. Carlson highlighted his month on Feb. 15 with a 3-for-4 outing with six RBIs to lead the Bulldogs past UNC Asheville 13-6. He was named the conference’s player of the week on Feb. 17.
 
Others nominated: Tilo Skole (The Citadel), Jake Lyle (ETSU), Colby Thomas (Mercer), Caleb Webster (UNCG), Will Knight (VMI), Daniel Walsh (Western Carolina) and Hudson Byorick (Wofford).
 
Pitcher
Landon Knack, ETSU, Sr., RHP
ETSU senior Landon Knack posted a 3-0 record for an outstanding start to the season. The right-hander from Johnson City, Tennessee, had a 1.42 ERA in the month of February over 19 innings with 35 strikeouts and just one walked batter. Knack allowed just seven hits and three runs over his three outings. Knack opened the month with 11 strikeouts over five innings on Feb. 14 against Toledo before punching out another 12 on Feb. 21 versus Rider. He closed the month with another 12 strikeouts in his last outing on Feb. 29 against Georgia State. Knack was named the league’s pitcher of the week twice for his efforts.
 
Others nominated: Cameron Reeves (The Citadel), Tanner Hall (Mercer), Jake Lewis (UNCG), Samuel Strickland (Samford), Adam Jewell (VMI), Zebby Matthews (Western Carolina) and Hayes Heinecke (Wofford).
 
 
MEN’S BASKETBALL
Carlos Dotson, Western Carolina, Sr., F
Western Carolina forward Carlos Dotson averaged a double-double in February, scoring 18.2 points per game and pulling down 11.7 rebounds per game. Dotson recorded at least 10 rebounds in eight of his nine games, while scoring in double digits in eight of nine, as well. Dotson, who notched seven double-doubles overall, surpassed the 20-point plateau four times in the month, including a career-high 32 points against UNCG on Feb. 12. Coupled with 24 points in a win over Wofford and 12 rebounds in each of those games, the Riverdale, Maryland, senior was named the SoCon Player of the Week presented by GEICO on Feb. 18.
 
Others nominated: Kaelon Harris (The Citadel), Tray Boyd III (ETSU), Noah Gurley (Furman), Jeff Gary (Mercer), James Dickey (UNCG), Robert Allen (Samford), Matt Ryan (Chattanooga), Travis Evee (VMI) and Nathan Hoover (Wofford).
 
 
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
Shannon Titus, Mercer, Jr., F
Mercer forward Shannon Titus averaged 15.3 points, 9.0 rebounds, 3.5 blocks and 2.9 steals per game in the month of February. She recorded double-digit points in six of eight games, including two 20-point games. The native of Johns Creek, Georgia, posted a pair of double-doubles, finishing with 17 points and 10 rebounds vs. Wofford on Feb. 6 and 20 points and 11 rebounds at Chattanooga on Feb. 20. Titus, the SoCon Defensive Player of the Year, recorded three or more blocks in six of the eight contests and had five or more steals in three games. Titus, the only player in the country with 50-plus blocks and 75-plus steals on the season, now ranks third in program history for steals (81) in a season and fourth for blocks in a season (55).
 
Others nominated: E’Lease Stafford (ETSU), Tierra Hodges (Furman), Sarah Myers (Samford), Nadine Soliman (UNCG), Bria Dial (Chattanooga), Lauren LaPlant (Western Carolina) and Da’Ja Green (Wofford).
 
 
MEN’S GOLF
Jonathan Brightwell, UNC Greensboro, Sr.
UNCG’s Jonathan Brightwell was a combined 17 strokes under-par in four February rounds. The senior from Charlotte, North Carolina, earned a second-place showing in the Spartans’ Martin Downs Collegiate, finishing with a 15-under 201. Brightwell opened that tournament with a program-record 10-under 62 in the first round before adding a 3-under 69 and a 2-under 70 to close things out and help UNCG to the team title. In UNCG’s next tournament, Brightwell was tied for 15^th at 2-under 70 after one round at the Dorado Beach Collegiate before the rest of the tournament was washed out.
 
Others nominated: Jack Rhea (ETSU), Keller Harper (Furman), Wesley Heston (Samford), Pierre Viallaneix (Western Carolina) and Ryan Marter (Wofford).
 
 
WOMEN’S GOLF
Natalie Srinivasan, Sr., Furman
Srinivasan earned medalist honors for the third time this season in her lone tournament of the month, taking the top spot at the Moon Golf Invitational at the Duran Golf Club in Melbourne, Florida. The senior from Spartanburg, South Carolina, opened the event with a 1-under-par 71 and followed with a 4-under 68 in round two. Srinivasan saved her best performance for the final round, which saw her card six birdies and shoot a 5-under 67 to secure the four-stroke win.
 
Others nominated: Tereza Melecka (ETSU), Payton Schanen (Mercer), Dorota Zalewski (Chattanooga), Madison Isaacson (Western Carolina) and Becca Earl (Wofford).
 
 
MEN’S INDOOR TRACK AND FIELD
Track
Titus Moore, Samford, So.
Samford’s Titus Moore was a two-time SoCon track athlete of the week in February, taking the honor on Feb. 5 after setting the school record in the 60-meter hurdles at the South Alabama Jaguar Invitational and again on Feb. 19 after reaching the semifinals in the event at the Toyota USATF Indoor Championships. The sophomore from Macon, Georgia, wrapped his month with by breaking the SoCon Indoor Track and Field Championship meet record in the preliminaries of the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 7.81 seconds on Feb. 29. He would go on to capture the title in that event the following day.
 
Field
Matt Cahoon, Samford, Jr.
Samford junior Matt Cahoon was also a two-time SoCon weekly award winner in February. The Cullman, Alabama, native earned his first honor on Feb. 5 after adding to his conference lead in both the shot put (15.47 meters) and weight throw (17.38 meters) at the Jaguar Invitational. Two weeks later, he earned the honor again, this time for his performance at the Samford Invite and Samford Bulldog Open. Cahoon threw a personal-best 15.80 meters in the shot put at the Samford Invite before finishing fourth in the high jump the following day. On day one of the SoCon Indoor Championship, Cahoon won the shot put with a personal-best throw of 16.06 meters.
 
 
WOMEN’S INDOOR TRACK AND FIELD
Track
Gabbi Jennings, Furman, Sr.
Furman senior Gabbi Jennings earned a pair of SoCon weekly awards for her February performances. At the Camel City Invitational, Jennings finished fifth overall and second among collegians in the women’s elite mile, turning in a converted school-record time of 4:34.74. The following week, the senior from Slidell, Louisiana, competed at the Husky Classic in Seattle, Washington, finishing 12th out of 81 women in the 3,000-meter run, an event stacked with collegiate and professional runners and won by Bowerman Track Club’s Emily Infeld in meet-record time. Jennings turned in a personal-best time of 9:11.65. At the SoCon Indoor Championships, Jennings had the top times in the preliminaries of both the mile and the 800-meter run on Feb. 29. She would go on to win the mile the next day and finish second in the 800-meter run.
 
 
Field
Maggie Johnston, Samford, Sr.
Samford senior Maggie Johnston was also a two-time SoCon weekly award winner in February. She earned her first honor for her performance at the Jaguar Invitational, where she turned in a pair of fourth-place finishes and personal-bests, breaking the school record in the weight throw with a heave of 18.62 meters. Two weeks later at the Samford Invite, the senior from Macon, Georgia, opened the meet with a fourth-place finish in the weight throw, turning in an effort of 17.21 meters, and earned a podium finish in the shot put, heaving the implement an indoor personal-best 14.03 meters. She closed her month with a second-place showing in the shot put at the SoCon Indoor Track and Field Championships with another personal-best throw of 14.42 meters.
 
 
MEN’S LACROSSE
Offense
Sean Goldsmith, Mercer, So., A
Mercer sophomore Sean Goldsmith recorded a SoCon-best 25 points on a league-leading 21 goals and four assists in February, helping the Bears to a 3-1 team start. The Jamestown, North Carolina, native recorded at hat trick in each game, opening the season with six goals against Florida Tech before adding three at No. 8 North Carolina. Goldsmith had five goals and an assist in a win over Hampton on Feb. 22 before closing the month with seven goals and three assists in a win over Wagner. His seven goals matched the SoCon and Mercer records, while his 10 points were second in a game in league history.
 
Others nominated: Brandon Dodd (Air Force), Brett Tenaglia (Furman), Asher Nolting (High Point), Evan Tyler (Jacksonville) and Ryan Perouty (VMI).
 
Defense
Braden Host, Air Force, Jr., GK
Air Force goalkeeper Braden Host posted a 10.41 goals-against average in five February games, adding a league-leading .580 save percentage. The junior from Aurora, Colorado, opened the season with 17 saves in a win over No. 5 Duke that propelled the Falcons into the national rankings. The following week, he recorded a career-best 20 saves in a loss to No. 9 Denver. Host allowed just eight goals in a 9-8 win over Utah on Feb. 15 and just four in 48-plus minutes in an 11-5 win over St. Bonaventure.
 
Others nominated: Alec Van de Bovenkamp (Furman) and Ashton Wood (Mercer).
 
WOMEN’S LACROSSE
Offense
Hailey Rhatigan, Mercer, So., M
Mercer midfielder Hailey Rhatigan led the Mercer attack as the Bears secured three wins in the month of February. The sophomore form Holbrook, New York, led the team with 19 goals over five games with eight assists for 27 points. She opened the month with three goals on Feb. 7 against High Point before exploding for five goals and two assists for seven points in a win over Gardner-Webb on Feb. 14. She followed with four more goals in a win over Campbell and another three against California on Feb. 21. Rhatigan capped off the month with another seven-point performance, scoring four goals and assisting three in a win over Winthrop Feb. 29. She currently leads the conference in goals (19), points (27), Shots (39) and game-winning goals (two).
 
Others nominated: Jessica Schuchardt (Central Michigan), Grace Pollack (Furman) and Elisabeth Ralph (Wofford).
 
Defense
Michaela Lucas, Mercer, Sr., D
Mercer senior defender Michaela Lucas led Mercer to three wins over the month of February, leading the Bears’ defensive unit. The Kensington, Maryland, native helped her team to its first victory of the season on Feb. 14 at Gardner-Webb as the Bears held their opponent to just six goals in the match. Lucas spearheaded the defense once again on Feb. 16 against Campbell as Mercer held its opponent to single-digit goals for a second straight game. Lucas leads the team with 15 draw controls while she has also scooped up 10 ground balls and scored one goal.
 
Other nominated: Hope Murray (Central Michigan) and Meghan Deehan (Furman).
 
 
RIFLE
Smallbore
Sophia Flores, UAB, So.
UAB’s Sophia Flores recorded two of her best scores in UAB’s two matches in February. The sophomore from Vacaville, California, set a new personal record in the smallbore on Feb. 1 at Wofford, with Flores firing a 576 to finish first out of 19 shooters and lead her team to a win. Flores just missed her personal best once again on Feb. 22 at the NCAA Qualifier. She shot a 575, one point shy of her record, to finish second out of 31 shooters.
 
Others nominated: Max Brabston (The Citadel) and Kimberlee Nettles (North Georgia).
 
Air rifle
Tobin Sanctuary, North Georgia, Sr.
North Georgia’s Tobin Sanctuary fired two of his best matches of the season in the Nighthawks’ three contests during the month of February. The senior from Alstead, New Hampshire, finished second in air rifle out of 16 participants on Feb. 1 with a 581, leading his team to a win over The Citadel. Sanctuary then fired a 576 on Feb. 8 at Georgia Southern to finish fourth and lead the Nighthawks to another team victory. He saved his best performance for last at the NCAA Qualifier, where Sanctuary fired a 582 to finish 10th out of 30 shooters.
 
Others nominated: Lilly Vonderau (UAB) and Alexander McAlear (The Citadel).
 
 
SOFTBALL
Player
Danielle Castleberry, Mercer, R-Jr., IF/OF
Mercer infielder/outfielder Danielle Castleberry hit a blistering .419 in the month of February, tallying a league-high 26 hits and adding 17 runs, 12 RBIs and eight stolen bases. The native of Ellenwood, Georgia, recorded a hit in 14 of the Bears’ 20 contests and had multiple hits in 11 of those, including eight consecutive games from Feb. 16-28. Castleberry, a redshirt junior, reached based in 13 straight games.
 
Others nominated: Kelly Warren (ETSU), Whitney Hinton (Samford) and Emily Coltharp (Chattanooga).
 
Pitcher
Morgan Scott, UNCG, Fr.
UNC Greensboro pitcher Morgan Scott finished the month with a 5-3 record and a 2.96 ERA, helping the Spartans to an 11-6 record, a league best. The freshman from Irmo, South Carolina, pitched 54 1/3 innings, totaling four complete games. She tallied 62 strikeouts and allowed just 20 walks in the span. Scott had double-digit strikeouts in two contests as she tallied 12 in an 11-7 win over Holy Cross on Feb. 16 and 11 in a 1-0 win over Oakland on Feb. 29, garnering her SoCon Pitcher of the Week honor for her performance against the Grizzlies.
 
Others nominated: Kelly Schmidt (ETSU), Bailey Pattison (Mercer), Abby Swaney (Samford) and Celie Hudson (Chattanooga).
 
 
MEN’S TENNIS
Olivier Stuart, Mercer, Sr.
Mercer’s Olivier Stuart was 4-1 in both singles and doubles play, all at the top spot in the lineup. The senior from Bussey-Saint Georges, France, won all of his singles matches in straight sets, all at the top spot in the lineup. In singles action, Stuart had wins against Georgia Southern (6-3, 6-1), Alabama A&M (6-3, 6-2), Stetson (7-5, 6-2) and Georgia State (6-1, 7-6). In doubles play, Stuart and teammate Hugo Lobo began the month with a 6-3 upset win over Georgia Southern’s top duo, ranked No. 47 nationally. The pair added a 6-4 win over Alabama A&M, a 6-4 win against Stetson and a 7-5 win over North Florida. Stuart was named the SoCon Player of the Week on Feb. 18 and Feb. 25.
 
Others nominated: Zvonko Bencedic (The Citadel), Dimitri Badra (ETSU), Clarke Wilson (Furman), Niklas Gerdes (Chattanooga) and Omar Williams (Wofford).
 
 
WOMEN’S TENNIS
Katarina Kozarov, Furman, Sr.
Furman senior Katarina Kozarov helped Furman, ranked No. 35 nationally in the latest ITA poll, to a 9-0 record in the month of February. The Novi Sad, Serbia, native, ranked 14th in singles and 27th in doubles, was 4-0 at flight one singles and 3-0 at flight one doubles on the month. In singles, Kozarov won every match in straight sets. She collected wins over Louisville (6-4, 6-4), Middle Tennessee (6-0, 6-0), Marshall (6-3, 6-3) and VCU (6-4, 7-6 (4). In doubles play, Kozarov and teammate Julia Adams won against Louisville as the Cards’ duo retired and added a 6-2 win over Middle Tennessee and a 6-3 win over VCU. Kozarov was the SoCon Player of the Week on Feb. 11.
 
Others nominated: Laylo Bakhodirova (ETSU), Emma Van Hee (Chattanooga) and Georgia Fischer (Wofford).
 
 
WRESTLING
Thomas Flitz, Appalachian State, Jr., 174 pounds
Appalachian State’s Thomas Flitz was a force on the mat for the Mountaineers last month, posting a 4-0 record over four dual matches. The junior from Monroe, North Carolina, opened February with wins over Chattanooga’s Hunter Fortner and The Citadel’s Kyle Kretzer, with his win over Kretzer coming by way of a pin. Flitz then defeated Austin Kraisser of Campbell on Feb. 13 in a 6-3 decision. His biggest victory of the month came on Feb. 23 against VMI when he defeated 16th-ranked Neal Richards 12-11 in a close bout at 174 pounds. Flitz has now won 12 straight matches and is 28-10 overall this season.
 
Others nominated: Andrew Morgan (Campbell), Rodney Jones (Chattanooga) and Neal Richards (VMI).
 
 
Southern Conference February Athletes of the Month
Baseball – player                                    Brooks Carlson, Samford
Baseball – pitcher                                   Landon Knack, ETSU
Men’s basketball                                    Carlos Dotson, Western Carolina
Women’s basketball                               Shannon Titus, Mercer
Men’s golf                                              Jonathan Brightwell, UNCG
Women’s golf                                         Natalie Srinivasan, Furman
Men’s indoor track and field – track          Titus Moore, Samford
Men’s indoor track and field – field           Matt Cahoon, Samford
Women’s indoor track and field – track     Gabbi Jennings, Furman
Women’s indoor track and field – field      Maggie Johnston, Samford
Men’s lacrosse – offense                        Sean Goldsmith, Mercer
Men’s lacrosse – defense                        Braden Host, Air Force
Women’s lacrosse – offense                   Hailey Rhatigan, Mercer
Women’s lacrosse – defense                   Michaela Lucas, Mercer
Rifle – smallbore                                    Sophia Flores, UAB
Rifle – air rifle                                         Tobin Sanctuary, North Georgia
Softball – player                                     Danielle Castleberry, Mercer
Softball – pitcher                                    Morgan Scott, UNCG
Men’s tennis                                           Olivier Stuart, Mercer
Women’s tennis                                      Katarina Kozarov, Furman
Wrestling                                               Thomas Flitz, Appalachian State