ATLANTA, Ga. (September 26, 2022) – The Southern Athletic Association has announced its Players of the Week for Sept. 19-25 in the sports of football, field hockey, cross country, soccer, and volleyball.
MEN’S SOCCER
Offensive Player of the Week: Tyler Cozzie / Sewanee / So. / Raleigh, N.C.
Cozzie continued his hot streak and led the Tigers to a pair of wins last week. He scored the game winner and had a pair of shots on goal in Sewanee’s 5-0 romp over Huntingdon. Hosting Berry in the first SAA match of the season, Cozzie again tallied the game winner and assisted on the game’s second goal in a 3-0 win over the Vikings.
Defensive Player of the Week: Zack Roberts / Hendrix / Sr. / Houston, Texas
Hendrix posted a shutout of Birmingham-Southern in the SAA opener, riding a defense led by Roberts. He was instrumental in keeping the nation’s No. 4 scoring offense to just one goal and five shots on frame; the Panther’s lowest scoring output of the season. Roberts also assisted on the Warriors first goal of the game.
WOMEN’S SOCCER
Offensive Player of the Week: Mills Mullen / Centre / Sr. / Charleston, W. Va.
Mullen amassed 10 points in a busy, three-game week for the Colonels. She tallied two assists in a 3-1 win at Bob Jones. Opening SAA play hosting Oglethorpe, Mullen scored the second goal of the game and assisted on the third as Centre posted a 3-0 conference win. The next day, she went off for two goals, including the game winner, and added an assist during a 4-0 win over Wittenberg.
Defensive Player of the Week: Julia Massa / Berry / Fr. / Los Gatos, Calif.
For the second-straight week, Massa earned SAA Defensive Player of the Week honors. The goalkeeper posted a shutout over Sewanee in the conference opener. She played all 90 minutes and tallied a pair of saves, both in the second half, to preserve a 1-0 Vikings victory.
VOLLEYBALL
Offensive Player of the Week: Camryn Presley / Hendrix / Jr. / Greenwood, Ark.
Posting a hitting percentage of .309 over three matches, Presley was named SAA Offensive Player of the Week for the second time this season. She hit .464 with 16 kills in a 3-0 sweep over Rhodes before racking up 29 kills and hitting .304 in a close 3-2 loss to Sewanee. Presley closed the week with a 16-kill performance against Centre. For the week, she totaled 61 kills and added 36 digs and three service aces.
Defensive Player of the Week: Sophia Cendoya / Oglethorpe / Jr. / Alpharetta, Ga.
Cendoya led Oglethorpe to a SAA season-opening weekend split against Birmingham-Southern and Millsaps. She amassed 17 digs in a four-set loss to BSC and came back the next day to total 13 digs in leading the Stormy Petrels to a 3-0 win over Millsaps. She also had one ace in each match and tallied eight total assists.
FOOTBALL
Offensive Player of the Week: Luke Macias / Rhodes / Sr. / Fort Worth, Texas
Macias threw for 216 yards and a touchdown in leading Rhodes to a 56-6 win over Westminster. He hit on 14 of 17 passes, including a 26-yard TD throw in the third quarter to put the Lynx ahead 49-0. On the ground, Macias totaled three carries for 33 yards, including a 24-yard scramble.
Defensive Player of the Week: Garrett Smith / Birmingham-Southern / Sr. / Mobile, Ala.
Smith was all over the field for BSC in a 34-14 win over Point University. The senior defensive lineman totaled five tackles, including one for loss. In the fourth, he blew through the Westminster offensive line and recorded a strip sack to force a Point punt. Smith also filled the stat sheet with a pass breakup.
Special Teams Player of the Week: Zach Ford / Birmingham-Southern / Sr. / Calera, Ala.
Ford was perfect on all six kicking attempts in the Panthers win over Point University. He was 2-for-2 in field goals, including a 22-yarder and career-long 42-yard bomb in the third quarter, to give BSC a 13-point lead. Ford also hit all four PAT attempts.
FIELD HOCKEY
Offensive Player of the Week: Allyson Nichols / Marian / Fr. / Little Falls, N.Y.
With a hat trick in Marian’s first SAA game, a win over Concordia, Nichols earned offensive player of the week honors for the second time this season. After Concordia tied the score in the third, Nichols scored the eventual game winner on a breakaway on the right side of the box. She added a penalty stroke goal five minutes later and completed the hat trick with a goal late in the fourth.
Defensive Player of the Week: Carlie McKenry / Centre / So. / Wilmington, Del.
McKenry was spectacular in goal as Centre nearly pulled off an upset of 18
th-ranked Lynchburg, falling 1-0. The sophomore was tested the entire game, racking up 10 saves over the full 60 minutes. Lynchburg scored early in the third, but it proved to be the game’s only goal as McKenry went on stop four more shots the rest of the way.
CROSS COUNTRY
Men’s Runner of the Week: Patrick Elliott / Millsaps / Jr. / Covington, La.
Elliott led Millsaps men’s cross country to a sixth-place finish at the 13-team Mississippi College Watson Cross Country Classic. The junior finished the 8k course in a time of 27:28 to take 37
th, second among Division III runners, in a field of 121 student-athletes.
Women’s Runner of the Week: Sarah Strickland / Millsaps / So. / Spanish Fort, Ala.
Strickland was the top Millsaps runner and led the Majors to a fifth-place finish at the 10-team Mississippi College Watson Cross Country Classic. She posted a time of 27:06 over the 6k course and was the top Division III finisher at the race.
2022-23 Players of the Week Archive
MEN’S SOCCER (Offensive; Defensive)
Sept. 6 - Will Hawgood (Sewanee); Mitchell Fenton (Rhodes)
Sept. 12 - Coleman Jennings (BSC); JP Furman (Sewanee)
Sept. 19 – Coleman Jennings (BSC); Zach Shunnarah (Sewanee)
Sept. 26 – Tyler Cozzie (Sewanee); Zack Roberts (Hendrix)
WOMEN’S SOCCER (Offensive; Defensive)
Sept. 6 - Abby Walker (Birmingham-Southern); Lacey Carder (Sewanee)
Sept. 12 - Megan Propp (Rhodes); Emily Lozano (Millsaps)
Sept. 19 – Alexis Kronenthal (Centre); Julia Massa (Berry)
Sept. 26 – Mills Mullen (Centre); Julia Massa (Berry)
VOLLEYBALL (Offensive; Defensive)
Sept. 6 - Camryn Presley (Hendrix); Maggie Mathis (Rhodes)
Sept. 12 - Josie Grace-Mudd (Centre); Madi Barron (Centre)
Sept. 19 – Peyton Breissinger (Berry); Kate Whittle (Berry)
Sept. 26 – Camryn Presley (Hendrix); Sophia Cendoya (Oglethorpe)
FOOTBALL (Offensive; Defensive; Special Teams)
Sept. 6 - Jon Lewis (Birmingham-Southern); Brock Skinner (Berry); Matthew Syverson (Berry)
Sept. 12 - BJ Steward (Trinity); Caleb Harmel (Trinity); Tondarrius Stallion (Millsaps)
Sept. 19 – Michael McGhee (Sewanee); Brock Skinner (Berry); BJ Stewart (Trinity)
Sept. 26 – Luke Macias (Rhodes); Garrett Smith (BSC); Zach Ford (BSC)
FIELD HOCKEY (Offensive; Defensive)
Sept. 6 - Allyson Nichols (Marian); Brenna Abrahamson (Marian)
Sept. 12 - Lorri Pitock (Concordia); Carlie McKendry (Centre)
Sept. 19 – Peyton Gahm (Centre); Erin Bozdech (Centre)
Sept. 26 – Allyson Nichols (Marian); Carlie McKenry (Centre)
CROSS COUNTRY (Men's; Women's)
Sept. 6 - Ashton Deriso (Oglethorpe); Emma Grace Hendrickson (Sewanee)
Sept. 12 - Reeve VanDemark (Centre); Meghan Owens (Centre)
Sept. 19 – Bradshaw Lathbury (Berry); Sophie Bouldin (Centre)
Sept. 26 – Patrick Elliott (Millsaps); Sarah Strickland (Millsaps)