Nightingale, Dasher Race to Runners of the Week

AMERICAN SOUTHWEST CONFERENCE CROSS COUNTRY RUNNERS OF THE WEEK

Meets: September 24, 2021

MEN’S RUNNER OF THE WEEK – Lorien Nightingale, Sr., LeTourneau

LeTourneau senior Lorien Nightingale (Njoro, Kenya) won for the third time in four races at the Concordia Classic, running an 8K ark of 25:43.3. He led the YellowJackets to a second-place finish. It is Nightingale’s third Runner of the Week of the year and sixth of his career. 

WOMEN’S RUNNER OF THE WEEK – Holly Dasher, Jr., Mary Hardin-Baylor

Mary Hardin-Baylor junior Holly Dasher (Katy, Texas) was the top Division III runner, finishing behind 13 Texas Longhorns at the Concordia Classic. She placed 14th with a 6K time of 24:27.8, helping the Cru finish third place. It is Dasher’s third Runner of the Week award of her career.

Canaba, Metcalf, O’Bannon Earn Volleyball Honors

AMERICAN SOUTHWEST CONFERENCE VOLLEYBALL PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

Matches: September 21-27, 2021

 

CO-OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Annika Canaba, S/MB, Sr., Sul Ross State

Sul Ross State senior setter/middle blocker Annika Canaba (Alpine, Texas) recorded 4.07 kills, 4.21 assists, and 2.00 digs per set as the Lobos went 3-1 on the week. She started the week with 25 kills, 22 assists, five digs, three blocks, and an ace while hitting .806 in a four-set win against Concordia Texas. Canaba also posted her fourth triple-double with 17 kills, 12 assists, ten digs, four aces, and two blocks in a sweep at Southwest. It is Canaba’s second Player of the Week of the season and seventh of her career.

CO-OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Kylie Metcalf, MB, Sr., Mary Hardin-Baylor

Mary Hardin-Baylor senior middle blocker Kylie Metcalf (Pflugerville, Texas) hit .426 over three wins for the No. 9 Cru. She had a season-high 12 kills at Schreiner and averaged 3.00 kills per set. Metcalf totaled 24 kills on 42 attacks with just two errors to go with seven blocks.

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Bailey O’Bannon, MB, Sr., East Texas Baptist

East Texas Baptist senior middle blocker Bailey O’Bannon (Redwater, Texas) averaged 1.63 blocks per set as the Tigers picked up a pair of road conference wins. She started the week with six blocks and four kills in a sweep at Belhaven, followed by seven more blocks and five kills in a five-set victory at Hardin-Simmons. It is O’Bannon’s second Player of the Week of the season and third of her career.

OTHER TOP PERFORMANCES

Offensive

UT Dallas sophomore outside hitter Abby Jones (Cleburne, Texas) averaged 3.30 kills per set while hitting a .241 clip in the Comets’ 2-1 outing last week. Jones opened the week with 11 kills and six digs Tuesday night in a 3-1 loss at Hardin-Simmons and added 13 kills, nine digs, and two blocks Friday night as the Comets swept Sul Ross State. Jones closed the week with nine kills and five digs in a road sweep of Howard Payne Saturday.

LeTourneau freshman right side/middle blocker Kaci Monk (Euless, Texas) hit .357 with 2.83 kills per set as the YellowJackets went 2-1 on the week. She tallied 15 kills in a win over Howard Payne and had 12 against Sul Ross State.

Hardin-Simmons junior outside hitter Alicia Becerra (Round Rock, Texas) started the week 15 kills and 13 digs as the Cowgirls defeated UT Dallas in four sets. She then had eight kills, 12 digs in a win over Belhaven, and another double-double of 10 kills/10 digs in a loss to East Texas Baptist. For the week, Becerra hit .182 with 2.75 kills, 2.92 digs, three blocks, and nine aces.

Concordia Texas junior outside hitter Sarah Ghormley (Bastrop, Texas) reached double-digit kills in all three of the Tornados’ matches, including a 20-kill performance in a four-set loss to Concordia Texas. She hit .222 with 5.20 kills per set, five aces, 26 digs, and seven blocks on the week.

Defensive

UT Dallas sophomore outside hitter Catherine Croft (Buda, Texas) had a solid all-around week with 2.80 kills and 4.30 digs per set while hitting a .246 clip for the Comets. She had 13 kills and 13 digs Tuesday night in a 3-1 road loss at Hardin-Simmons. She then had 21 digs (7.0 per set) Friday as the Comets bounced back with a Sul Ross State road sweep. Croft wrapped up the week with a nine-kill, nine-dig performance in a road sweep of Howard Payne Saturday.

LeTourneau senior right-side Natalie Connelly (Rowlett, Texas) averaged a block per set as the YellowJackets went 2-1 on the week. She had seven blocks in a four-set loss at Sul Ross State. Connelly also recorded 17 kills on the week.

Mary Hardin-Baylor sophomore outside hitter Hannah Frasca (Spring, Texas) averaged 5.1 digs per set in three wins for the No. 9 Cru. On Friday, she had a season-high 19 digs against Concordia Texas, then had a double-double in that match. Frasca added 12 digs against Schreiner and 15 versus Belhaven.

Concordia Texas freshman libero Avery Smith (Houston, Texas) ended the week with back-to-back double-digit dig performances, including 16 digs in a three-set loss to No. 9 Mary Hardin-Baylor. She averaged 3.86 digs per set on the week.

Sul Ross State sophomore libero Faith Herrera (El Paso, Texas) tallied 40 digs on the week as the Lobos went 3-1. She had double-digit performances in three of the four matches, including 11 in a sweep of Southwest.

 

Roland, Kuate Earn Men’s Soccer Players of the Week

AMERICAN SOUTHWEST CONFERENCE MEN’S SOCCER PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

Games: September 21-25, 2021

OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Harper Roland, D, Sr., Mary Hardin-Baylor

Mary Hardin-Baylor senior defender Harper Roland (Rockwall, Texas) scored game-winners in both of the Cru’s wins last week. He assisted the game-opening goal against East Texas Baptist, then hit the winner in the 68th minute of a 2-1 victory. Roland followed with the game-winner just 5:02 into a 2-0 win over LeTourneau. He also played all 180 minutes, allowing just nine shots on goal on defense.

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Jardel Kuate, D, Jr., UT Dallas

UT Dallas junior defender Jardel Kuate (Euless, Texas) lifted the Comets to a pair of shutout victories and a 2-0 start to ASC play last week. Kuate and the Comets limited Sul Ross State to just seven shots, two on goal, Thursday night as they blanked the Lobos, 5-0. UTD then held Howard Payne to just six shots, five on the frame, in a 4-0 win over the Yellow Jackets Saturday.

OTHER TOP PERFORMANCES

Offensive

UT-Dallas freshman forward Riley O’Donnell (Allen, Texas) scored three goals as he lifted the Comets to a 2-0 start in league play. He had the second goal of a 5-0 win over Sul Ross State on Thursday, then scored the first two goals during the 4-0 victory against Howard Payne.

Concordia Texas junior forward Marco Vazquez (Spring, Texas) tied a program record with three assists in the Tornados’ 6-1 win over LeTourneau.

Ozarks senior forward Lorfils Milord (Port-au-Prince, Haiti) helped the Eagles open the ASC schedule with a 2-0 record. He scored three shots in a 4-0 win over Howard Payne, then recorded two assists in a 2-1 victory against Sul Ross State.

Defensive

Mary Hardin-Baylor junior goalkeeper Dalton Lloyd (Flower Mound, Texas) made eight saves in a pair of conference road wins. He came up with a shutout in a 2-0 win against LeTourneau with four saves and made four saves in a 2-1 win over East Texas Baptist.

Concordia Texas senior defender Zack Kusack (New Braunfels, Texas) played nearly 200 minutes for the Tornados’ backline, allowing two goals as they went 1-0-1. He also scored a goal in a 6-1 win at LeTourneau.

Ozark’s freshman defender Brock Bernard (Rockwall, Texas) led the Eagles to a 4-0 shutout over Howard Payne and a 2-1 victory against Sul Ross State, with the lone goal coming on a penalty kick.

McKinney, Brown, Smith Named Football Players of the Week

AMERICAN SOUTHWEST CONFERENCE FOOTBALL PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

Games: September 25, 2021

 

OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Landon McKinney, QB, So., Howard Payne

Howard Payne sophomore quarterback Landon McKinney (Liberty City, Texas) led the Yellow Jackets to a 49-38 win over East Texas Baptist to remain undefeated. He was 23-of-38 passing for 405 yards with three touchdowns and one rushing. It is McKinney’s second Player of the Week of the season.

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Carlton Brown, DL, So., Belhaven

Belhaven sophomore defensive lineman Carlton Brown (Memphis, Tenn.) led the Blazers’ defense in a 41-14 win against Austin, holding the ‘Ross to just 169 yards of total offense and 2.6 yards per play. He picked up 3.5 tackles for a loss, including a pair of sacks.

SPECIAL TEAMS OF THE WEEK – Selah Smith, KR, Jr., Howard Payne

Howard Payne junior kick returner Selah Smith (Marshall, Texas) returned a kickoff 81 yards for a touchdown right after a Yellow Jacket safety, giving HPU a 22-17 lead at the start of the third quarter. Smith also caught three passes for 31 yards in a 49-38 road win.

OTHER TOP PERFORMANCES

Offensive

Mary Hardin-Baylor senior wide receiver Brandon Jordan (Santa Barbara, Calif.) helped the No. 1/2 Cru erase a 21-point deficit to beat No. 6/7 Hardin-Simmons 34-28. He caught UMHB’s first touchdown of the second half and had a 42-yard grab that led to the tying score. In the fourth quarter, Jordan caught two more passes, including a 14-yard leaping grab to but the Cru up. Overall, he had six catches for 101 yards and two TDs.

Southwestern senior wide receiver Austin Castilleja (San Antonio, Texas) set career-highs with 193 yards on eight catches, including a 70-yard touchdown in the Pirates’ loss at McMurry.

Belhaven senior running back Brad Foley (Memphis, Tenn.) led the Blazers’ ground attack with 19 carries for 126 yards and a touchdown in the Blazers’ 41-14 win against Austin. He also caught a pass for 13 yards.

McMurry sophomore quarterback Dexter Wyble (Humble, Texas) made his first career start and led the War Hawks to a 41-31 win over Southwestern. He was 16-for-28, passing for 235 yards and a touchdown with no picks. He also ran nine times for 21 yards and a score.

Howard Payne sophomore linebacker Dai’Sahwn Fisher (Waco, Texas) anchored a Yellow Jacket defense that held East Texas Baptist to 97 yards rushing in a 49-38 win on the road. He finished with eight tackles, including two for a loss and safety to start the second half.

Sul Ross State sophomore quarterback Tyler DeShields (Beloit, Ohio) led the Lobos on a game-winning, 16-play, 87-yard drive that ended with a 10-yard touchdown with four seconds left to cap a 12-10 victory over Texas Lutheran. For the game, he was 25-of-40 passing for 222 yards and a TD.

Defensive

Hardin-Simmons sophomore linebacker Matt Mitchell (Wimberly, Texas) posted 11 tackles and recovered a fumble in the No. 6/7 Cowboys’ 34-28 loss at No. 1/2 Mary Hardin-Baylor.

Mary Hardin-Baylor senior linebacker Jacob Mueller (Fort Worth, Texas) led the No. 1/2 Cru’s defense to help erase a 21-point deficit in a 34-28 win over No. 6/7 Hardin-Simmons. In the third quarter, he had a pass break-up to force a punt, then recorded a tackle for a loss, forcing a 3rd-and-18. Mueller recorded five tackles on the Cowboys’ final drive, including one for a four-yard loss to force a 4th-and-13. Overall, Mueller had ten tackles, 2.5 for a loss, and a break-up.

Southwestern junior safety Peyton Ludemann (Austin, Texas) totaled 14 solo tackles with one pass break-up in the Pirates’ loss at McMurry.

McMurry junior linebacker Xavier Gayle (Rowlett, Texas) played every defensive snap and recorded seven tackles, six solos, one for a loss of 17 yards, and two pass break-ups in the War Hawks’ 41-31 victory against Southwestern. In addition, he made a tackle on third down that forced the Pirates to punt late in the second half, leading to a McMurry score.

 

Sul Ross State junior linebacker Hunter Bunch (Sonora, Texas) had six tackles, 1.5 sacks, and a forced fumble in the Lobos’ 12-10 win over Texas Lutheran.

Special Teams

Belhaven freshman kicker Constantine Hontzas (Hoover, Ala.) was 2-for-2 on field goals, including a 38-yarder, and 5-for-5 on extra points as the Blazers defeated Austin 41-14. He also averaged 54.0 yards per kickoff.

McMurry junior kicker Jared Mendoza (Fort Worth, Texas) accounted for 15 points in the War Hawks’ 41-31 win over Southwestern. He was 4-for-5 on field goals, hitting from 40, 38, 21, and 47 yards, and was 3-for-3 on extra points. Mendoza also averaged 63 yards per kickoff with five touchbacks.

 Sul Ross State senior kicker Jaden Brown (Andrews, Texas) was 2-for-3 on field goals with 35 and 25-yard conversions in the Lobos’ 12-10 win over Texas Lutheran.