Messick and Still earn USA South Athlete of the Week honors
FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. – Huntingdon seniors Katy Messick and Hannah Still were recognized as USA South Athletes of the Week on Monday.
Messick was named the conference Softball Pitcher of the Week and Still was named the conference Women's Tennis Player of the Week.
Messick was 2-0 on the mound for the Lady Hawks and pitched complete games against Covenant and Piedmont. In 14 innings, she struck out 11, walked eight, scattered 14 hits and allowed three earned runs. Messick earned a shutout against Covenant. The Andalusia native also went 3-for-6 and had a stolen base in the two games.
For the season, Messick is 9-5 with a 2.75 ERA and 71 strikeouts in 86 2/3 innings.
Still earned two wins at No. 1 singles and two wins at No. 1 doubles in wins over Covenant and Piedmont. Still won 7-5, 6-0 against Covenant and 7-5, 6-3 against Piedmont. In doubles, she teamed with Sarah Warren to win 8-6 against Covenant and 8-3 at Piedmont.
For the season, Still is 10-0 at No. 1 singles and 10-0 at No. 1 and No. 2 doubles.
Below is the complete list of USA South Athletes of the Week.
Players of the Week
Baseball Player of the Week
Nick Dean, Maryville - The senior infielder from Mineral Bluff, Georgia went a combined 11-for-22 (.550) with a .591 on-base percentage and a 1.050 slugging percentage to go along with ten RBI, seven runs scored, two doubles, one triple, two home runs, one walk and three stolen bases as the Scots posted a 3-1 record last week. In a 10-1 win over Sewanee, Dean was 3-for-5 with one run scored, one run batted in and one stolen base. In capturing two out of three games over USA South foe N.C. Wesleyan, Dean was a combined 8-for-15 with nine RBI, six runs scored, two doubles, one triple, two home runs, one walk and two stolen bases. Also Nominated: Ciro Norzagaray, N.C. Wesleyan; Cain Sauls, LaGrange; Taylor Davis, Averett; Breck Davidson, Piedmont; Anthony Spivey, Huntingdon; Stephen Nalls, Methodist; Andrew Hernandez, Greensboro.
Baseball Pitcher of the Week
Michael Inman, Methodist - The Tar Heel, North Carolina senior earned a victory in a 10-1 victory over USA South foe Piedmont in his only appearance on the mound last week for the Monarchs. Inman pitched the first six innings and did not allow a run on just two hits with five walks and one strikeout. Also Nominated: Joshua Hatcher, Averett.
Softball Player of the Week
Mary Beth Smith, Averett - The junior outfielder from Elon, North Carolina went a combined 8-for-11 (.727) with a .769 on-base percentage and a 1.545 slugging percentage to go along with ten RBI, three runs scored, three doubles, two home runs, two walks and one stolen base as the Cougars posted a 3-1 record last week versus USA South competition. In a doubleheader split with Ferrum, Smith was a combined 1-for-3 with one double and one walks. In a doubleheader sweep of William Peace, Smith was a combined 7-for-8 with ten RBI, three runs scored, two doubles, two home runs, one walk and one stolen base. Additionally, Smith posted a 2-1 record in the pitching circle with a 0.00 ERA and nine strikeouts in three appearances. Also Nominated: Tiffany Manning, N.C. Wesleyan; Caitlyn Hogg, Maryville; Abby Smith, Piedmont; Gabby Alcantar, Huntingdon; Lindsay Tippett, Methodist; Allyson Yeager, Greensboro.
Softball Pitcher of the Week
Katy Messick, Huntingdon - The Andalusia, Alabama senior appeared in two games last week, both starts, and posted a 2-0 record with a 1.50 ERA by tossing 14.0 innings, allowing three runs on 14 hits with eight walks and 11 strikeouts versus USA South competition. In a 2-0 win over Covenant, Messick earned a complete-game shutout by allowing seven hits with six walks and seven strikeouts. In a 5-3 victory over Piedmont, Messick went the distance, allowing three runs on seven hits with two walks and four strikeouts. Additionally, at the plate, Messick was a combined 3-for-6 (.500) with one walk and one stolen base. Also Nominated: Jasmine Edgren, N.C. Wesleyan.
Lacrosse Player of the Week
Maggie McDaniel, Piedmont - The Newnan, Georgia junior midfielder tallied 20 points on 12 goals and eight assists to go along with ten draw controls, four ground balls and three caused turnovers as the Lions posted a 2-0 record last week. In a 22-7 win over Berry, McDaniel totaled six goals, four assists and eight draw controls. In a 17-8 victory over Centre, McDaniel scored six goals, dished out four assists, grabbed four ground balls, caused three turnovers and collected two draw controls. Also Nominated: Danielle Lee, Meredith; Kirstin Norris, Greensboro.
Lacrosse Defensive Player of the Week
Blake Forrest, Piedmont - The St. Johns, Florida sophomore goalkeeper posted a 7.50 goals against average and a .500 save percentage while playing 120 minutes in goal and stopping 15 shots in a 2-0 week for the Lions. In a 22-7 win over Berry, Forrest totaled six saves. In a 17-8 victory over Centre, Forrest collected nine saves. Also Nominated: Ashlynn Parks, Greensboro; Alyssa Codispoti, Meredith; Amanda Cheney, Ferrum.
Men's Tennis Player of the Week
Robert Kjellberg, N.C. Wesleyan - The senior from Vetlanda, Sweden earned a three-set singles victory over the top-ranked player in the Atlantic South Region from second-ranked Emory, Alex Ruderman, last week for the Bishops. In doubles action, Kjellberg teamed with Sebastian Sikh to defeat Emory's Atlantic South Region top-ranked doubles team. Also Nominated: Alexander Terentiev, Averett; Nathan Metzger, Piedmont; Sebastian Riveros Florez, Huntingdon; Teal Howard, Methodist.
Women's Tennis Player of the Week
Hannah Still, Huntingdon - The senior from Wesley Chapel, Florida earned a 2-0 record at both the number-one singles and doubles positions against USA South competition last week for the Hawks. In singles action, Still earned wins over opposition from Covenant and Piedmont. In doubles play, Still teamed with Sarah Warren to grab the two victories. Also Nominated: Annie DeLuca, Covenant; Hannah Mattson, Averett; Natalia Lopez, N.C. Wesleyan; Morgan McDonald, LaGrange; Nicole Parrish, Piedmont; Abigail Randoloh, Methodist; Molly O'Keeffe, Greensboro
Rookies of the Week
Baseball Rookie of the Week
Caleb Narron, N.C. Wesleyan - The freshman infielder from Cherryville, North Carolina went a combined 5-for-9 (.556) with two runs scored, one run batted in and two doubles in a 1-3 week for the Bishops versus USA South competition. In a 15-11 loss to Covenant, Narron was hitless in two at-bats. In a three-game series in-which Maryville took two wins, Narron appeared in two of the games going a combined 5-for-7 with two runs scored, one run batted in and two doubles. Also Nominated: Kyle Vidano, Averett; Evan Ezell, Maryville.
Softball Rookie of the Week
Kaitlyn Checkan, N.C. Wesleyan - The freshman outfielder from Cary, North Carolina went a combined 7-for-17 (.412) with ten runs scored, five RBI, three doubles, four walks and one stolen base in a 4-2 week for the Bishops versus USA South competition. In a doubleheader split with Maryville, Checkan was a combined 2-for-7 with one run scored, one walk and one stolen base. In a doubleheader split with Meredith, Checkan was a combined 1-for-5 with three runs scored, two RBI and one walk. Finally, in a doubleheader sweep of Mary Baldwin, Checkan was a combined 4-for-5 with six runs scored, three RBI, three doubles and two walks. Also Nominated: Laura Young, Averett; Jessica Bagwell, Piedmont; Lindsey Selph, Huntingdon; Kristen Bailly, Methodist.
Softball Rookie Pitcher of the Week
Courtney Rudd, Ferrum - The Burlington, North Carolina freshman posted a 1-1 record with one save in four appearances, two starts, with a 0.40 ERA last week for the Panthers versus USA South competition. In 17.2 innings pitched, Rudd allowed just one run on nine hits with three walks and 21 strikeouts. In an 11-0, five-inning, win over Meredith, Rudd earned a complete-game shutout by allowing three hits with one walk and six strikeouts. In a 7-2 victory over previously unbeaten Averett, Rudd tossed two and two-thirds innings of scoreless relief. Rudd's lone loss came in a 1-0 defeat to nationally-ranked Averett as she went the distance and allowed one run on four hits with one walk and eight strikeouts. Finally, in a 1-0 victory over Greensboro, Rudd tossed the final three innings without allowing a run to collect the save. Also Nominated: Logan Lowery, N.C. Wesleyan.
Lacrosse Rookie of the Week
Carlee Joseph, Meredith - The Hollywood, Maryland freshman attacker tallied eight points on eight goals to go along with five ground balls, two caused turnovers and two draw controls in a 2-0 week for the Avenging Angels versus USA South competition. In a 20-18 win over Greensboro, Joseph notched four goals with two caused turnovers and one ground ball. In a 17-4 win over Methodist, Joseph totaled four goals, four ground balls, two caused turnovers and two draw controls. Also Nominated: Logan Ruck, Piedmont; Natalie Ritchey, Greensboro.
Men's Tennis Rookie of the Week
R.J. Clement, Methodist - The freshman from Sugar Hill, Georgia earned a straight-set win at the number-one singles position last week versus his opponent from William Peace in his only action last week. In doubles-action, Clement teamed with Teal Howard at the top-spot to earn a win over opponents from William Peace. Also Nominated: James Wright, Averett; Nathan Metzger, Piedmont.
Women's Tennis Rookie of the Week
Ran Zhang, Meredith - The freshman from Kumming, China earned a 2-0 record in singles and a 1-1 mark in doubles action last week for the Avenging Angels versus USA South competition. In singles play, Zhang earned wins at the number-two position over opposition from N.C. Wesleyan and Methodist. In doubles action, Zhang teamed with Catherine Bryant at the number-one position to collect a win over N.C. Wesleyan. Also Nominated: Annie DeLuca, Covenant; Hannah Mattson, Averett; Maria Fernanda Orona, N.C. Wesleyan; Caroline McBroom, Huntingdon; Davi Barbour, Methodist.