Huntingdon’s Murphy and Brown recognized by USA South

Huntingdon’s Murphy and Brown recognized by USA South

FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. – Huntingdon's Jeremy Murphy and Alex Brown were recognized as two of the USA South Athletes of the Week on Monday.

Murphy, a senior defensive back, was named Football Defensive Player of the Week, and Brown, a junior goal keeper, was named Men's Soccer Defensive Player of the Week.

Murphy helped end two scoring threats in the football team's 35-21 win over Maryville on Saturday. He blocked a 32-yard field goal attempt at the end of the first half and intercepted a Maryville pass at the Huntingdon 14-yard line with less than four minutes to play in the game. He also had four tackles and three passes broken up.

Brown's play at keeper helped the Hawks win one conference game and tie one conference game over the weekend. In a 1-1 tie with Ferrum and a 5-0 win over William Peace, he recorded 19 saves in 185 minutes. He had nine saves against Ferrum and stopped all 10 shots on goal against Peace.

Below is the complete list of USA South Athletes of the Week.

 

Football Offensive Player of the Week
Marcus Morrast, Christopher Newport - The senior quarterback from Stafford, Virginia accounted for a school-record 501 total yards and was involved in all six Captain touchdowns as CNU defeated USA South foe Methodist, 51-48 in double-overtime, last week. Morrast was 16-of-31 passing for 310 yards with four touchdowns. On the ground, Morrast carried the ball 26 times for 191 yards and two scores, including a game-winning 25-yard touchdown run in the second overtime. Also Nominated: Graham Craig, LaGrange; Max Reber, Methodist; Brandon Couden, Averett; Jacques Alston, N.C. Wesleyan.

 

Football Defensive Player of the Week
Jeremy Murphy, Huntingdon - The Sylacauga, Alabama senior defensive back helped end two scoring threats in a 35-21 win over USA South foe Maryville last week. Murphy blocked a 32-yard field goal attempted at the end of the first half and intercepted a pass deep in Huntingdon's territory with less than four minutes remaining in the game. He also added four tackles and three pass breakups in the victory. Also Nominated: Joshua Krebs, Maryville; Scott Chewning, LaGrange; Dontae Gilbert, Averett; Mic Edwards, Christopher Newport.

 

Football Special Teams Player of the Week
Mason Studer, Christopher Newport - The Norfolk, Virginia senior place kicker/punter made one of his two field goal attempts, all six of his point-after-touchdown attempts and averaged 45.5 yards per punt in a 51-48, double-overtime, win over USA South foe Methodist. Studer's lone field goal was from 20 yards away. Also Nominated: None.

 

Men's Soccer Player of the Week
Joel Friesen, Covenant - The senior midfielder from Waxhaw, North Carolina tallied two goals in a 1-1 week for the Scots. In a 2-0 win over Berry, Friesen scored the eventual game-winning goal in the tenth minute. In a 2-1 loss at Birmingham Southern, Friesen tallied the contest's opening score in the 55th minute. Also Nominated: Payne Fisher, Maryville; David Flores, LaGrange; Christopher Koenig, Averett.

 

Men's Soccer Defensive Player of the Week
Alex Brown, Huntingdon - The junior goalkeeper from Bloomfield, Michigan led the Hawks to a 1-0-1 record last week versus USA South competition by stopping 19 out of 20 shots he faced in 185 minutes in net. In a 1-1 tie with Ferrum, Brown made nine saves. In a 5-0 victory over William Peace, Brown stopped all ten shots he faced in 75 minutes of action. Also Nominated: Sean Yoder, Maryville.

 

Women's Soccer Player of the Week
Morgan Funck, Ferrum - The Boones Mill, Virginia junior forward tallied four goals and five assists for 13 points in a 2-0 week for the Panthers versus USA South competition. In a 5-0 win over Huntingdon, Funck notched two goals and two assists. In a 5-0 victory over LaGrange, Funck scored the first, and eventual game-winning goal, along with one other score and three assists. Also Nominated: Lizzy Simmons, Maryville; Meredith McCarty, Meredith.

 

Women's Soccer Defensive Player of the Week
Jaisa Loch, Meredith - The Grimesland, North Carolina freshman goalkeeper helped the Avenging Angels to a 2-0 record last week versus USA South competition by making five total saves in 180 minutes in net. In a 2-0 win over Piedmont, Loch stopped all four shots she faced to record the shutout. In a 3-1 victory over Covenant, Loch made one save. Also Nominated: Mackenzie Hutton, Maryville; Michaela Gardner, Piedmont; Kim Josephson, Averett; Devin Thompson, William Peace.

 

Volleyball Player of the Week
Karlie Long, Meredith - The sophomore outside hitter from Roxboro, North Carolina averaged 4.0 kills, a .379 hitting percentage and 3.9 digs per set as the Avenging Angels posted a 3-0 record versus USA South Competition last week. In a 3-0 win over N.C. Wesleyan, Long notched a double-double of 17 kills and 14 digs to go along with two service aces, two blocks and one assist. In a 3-0 victory over Greensboro, Long tallied a double-double of 14 kills and 15 digs to go along with three service aces. Finally, in a 3-0 win over Mary Baldwin, Long saw action in just two sets and recorded one kill, two digs and two assists. Also Nominated: Mary Kate White, Maryville; Mallory Leary, Piedmont; Laura Bland, William Peace; Hannah Shields, Averett.

 

Volleyball Defensive Player of the Week
Karly Klimas, Methodist - The junior defensive specialist from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina averaged 5.3 digs per set as the Monarchs posted a 3-0 record versus USA South competition last week. In a 3-2 win over William Peace, Klimas totaled 25 digs, six assists and one service ace. In a 3-2 victory over Mary Baldwin, Klimas posted 30 digs, six assists and one service ace. Finally, in a 3-0 win over Greensboro, Klimas contributed 14 digs, one assist and one service ace. Also Nominated: Mallory Bonee, Maryville; Katie Faith, Piedmont; Christiana Summa, Averett.

 

Men's Cross Country Runner of the Week
Eliot Kaufmann, Covenant - The freshman from New York, New York placed ninth out of 65 runners at the University of North Georgia Invitational last week. Kaufmann completed the 8K course in a time of 27:29, helping the Scots to a fourth place team finish. Also Nominated: Sean Hagstrom, Maryville; Cody Parker, Piedmont.

 

Women's Cross Country Runner of the Week
Ruthie Cargill, Covenant - The junior from Lancaster, Pennsylvania placed 22nd out of 103 runners at the University of North Georgia Invitational last week. Cargill completed the 5K course in a time of 20:38, helping the Scots to a sixth place team finish. Also Nominated: Emily Guillaume, Maryville; Carrie Ruis, Piedmont.

Rookies of the Week

Football Offensive Rookie of the Week
Travis Jones, Averett - The freshman running back from Danville, Virginia rushed for 172 yards and one touchdown in a 30-29 loss to USA South foe LaGrange last week. Jones carried the ball 20 times for an average of 8.6 yards per attempt. He also added one pass reception for six yards. Also Nominated: None.

Football Defensive Rookie of the Week

 Anthony Shepard, LaGrange - The freshman defensive back from Daytona Beach, Florida grabbed an interception and collected five total tackles in a 30-29 win over USA South foe Averett last week. Shepard tallied four solo tackles with one assisted take down and returned his lone interception 26 yards in the victory. Also Nominated: Jaylon Johnson, N.C. Wesleyan; Jalen Holloman, Methodist; Jordan Bobo, Averett.

 

Men's Soccer Rookie of the Week
David Flores, LaGrange - The freshman midfielder from Roswell, Georgia tallied three goals as the Panthers posted an 0-2-1 record last week. In a 2-2 tie with Florida College, Flores scored the contest's opening goal in the fourth minute. In a 3-2 loss at USA South rival William Peace, Flores brought LaGrange within one with a score in the 82nd minute. Finally, in a 3-2 loss at USA South foe Ferrum, Flores again made the difference one goal with a score in the final minute of play. Also Nominated: Ryan Herbert, Piedmont; Randy Reichenburger, Maryville.

 

Women's Soccer Rookie of the Week
Olivia DeBellis, Meredith - The Danbury, Connecticut freshman defender helped the Avenging Angel defense allow just one goal in a 2-0 week versus USA South competition. Additionally, DeBellis assisted on the eventual game-winning goal in a 3-1 victory over Covenant. Also Nominated: Rachel Taylor, Maryville; Abbey Dunlop, Piedmont.

 

Volleyball Rookie of the Week
Hannah Shields, Averett - The freshman outside hitter from Keeling, Virginia averaged 4.3 kills, a .371 hitting percentage and 2.7 digs per set as the Cougars posted a 3-1 record last week. In a 3-1 win over USA South foe Mary Baldwin, Shields posted a double-double of 21 kills and 11 digs to go along with one assist, one service ace and one block. In a 3-0 loss to nationally-ranked Christopher Newport, Shields totaled nine kills, five digs, two service aces and one assist. In a 3-0 victory over USA South rival William Peace, Shields notched a double-double of 11 kills and ten digs to go along with three service aces. Finally, in a 3-0 win over USA South foe N.C. Wesleyan, Shields contributed 15 kills, nine digs, three service aces and two assists. Also Nominated: Hannah Blaylock, Meredith; Rachel Kozemko, Maryville; Grace Crawford, Methodist; Katelyn Durmire, Piedmont; Ginny Moore, Covenant.

 

Men's Cross Country Rookie of the Week
Eliot Kaufmann, Covenant - The freshman from New York, New York placed ninth out of 65 runners at the University of North Georgia Invitational last week. Kaufmann completed the 8K course in a time of 27:29, helping the Scots to a fourth place team finish. Also Nominated: Rily Passini, Piedmont.

 

Women's Cross Country Rookie of the Week
Margaret Fitch, Covenant - The freshman from San Antonio, Texas placed 29th out of 103 runners at the University of North Georgia Invitational last week. Fitch completed the 5K course in a time of 21:08, helping the Scots to a sixth place team finish. Also Nominated: None.