SSC Athletes of the Week: February 8 - 14
Weekly Honors in Basketball, Golf, Tennis, Lacrosse, Baseball, and Softball
Sunshine State Conference Athletes of the Week | February 8 - 14, 2016
Athletes of the Week are chosen from a pool of nominees for their performances during the week of February 8 - 14, 2016. Athletes are nominated by Sports Information Directors of member institutions.
Men's Basketball
Pat Bacon / University of Tampa / Fr. / Guard / Indianapolis, Ind.
Bacon is awarded his first SSC Player of the Week honor after guiding Tampa to two victories last week. In 72 minutes of action Bacon recorded 51 points, 13 rebounds, 11 assists, and five steals. In a conference victory over Nova Southeastern (86-71) he scored 24 points, shooting 8-15 from the field, recording six assists, five rebounds, and three steals. The Spartans also picked up a victory over Palm Beach Atlantic (81-67), Bacon shot 11-18 from the field scoring 27 points, bringing down eight rebounds, five assists, and two steals. Tampa is 9-14 on the season, 4-8 in SSC play.
Harrison Goodrick / Nova Southeastern University / Jr. / Center / Sydney, Australia
Goodrick is awarded SSC Defensive Player of the Week after leading Nova Southeastern defensively last week. The Sydney, Australia native scored 21 points, pulled in nine rebounds, and had three blocked shots and three assists in a 86-71 losing effort against Tampa. In a follow up performance, Goodrick scored 30 points, grabbed 13 rebounds (all defensive), had nine assists and two steals as the Sharks took down the Buccaneers (105-91). Goodrick was one assist shy of a triple-double. Nova Southeastern owns an overall record of 10-13, and 5-9 in SSC play.
Women's Basketball
Amra Elezovic / Barry Univeristy / Guard / Forward / Sr. / Manchester, NH
Elezovic earns her first SSC Player of the Week honors this season after helping Barry to its second victory over a Top-25 opponent this season. In the Buccaneers victory over a No. 13/14 Nova Southeastern (67-65), the senior picked up 23 more points, five steals, three rebounds and two assists. Against Florida Tech (68-62), Elezovic shot 4-14 from the field, scoring 13 points, five rebounds, two assists, and two steals. The Buccanners are 16-7 overall, 8-5 in SSC play.
Diamond Cooper / Florida Tech / Forward / Center / Sr. / Chicago, Ill.
Cooper captures SSC Defensive Player of the Week honors this season after averaging four defensive rebounds and three blocks across two conference games. Cooper blocked a shot and brought down three defensive rebounds in the 68-62 victory against Barry. She also had five blocks, five defensive rebounds, a steal, and an assist in the 65-60 loss at Rollins. Cooper leads the SSC with 36 blocks this season and boasts a league-best 1.6 blocks per game average. The Panthers are 16-7 overall, 10-4 in SSC play.
Baseball
Logan Browning / Florida Southern College / So. / RHP / Lakeland, Fla.
Browning is awarded SSC Pitcher of the Week after a six inning, eight strikeout performance for Florida Southern this past week. In the middle game of a three-game series against Claflin. He allowed two hits and a walk while allowing no runs. Browning gets the win after holding opposing batters to a .100 average in the 17-0 Florida Southern victory. Browning was also the designated hitter for the Moccasins. He batted 3-for-5 with a RBI and stolen base. Florida Southern has won four consecutive games and hold a 6-2 overall record.
Alexander DeGoti / Barry University / Sr. / Shortstop / Hialeah, Fla.
DeGoti recorded multiple RBIs in four of five games this week for Barry on his way to SSC Player of the Week. In a solo game against Colorado Christian, DeGoti went 1-for-4 with a home run, two RBIs, a stolen base, and three runs scored. During a four-game series against Wisconsin-Parkside, Degoti tallied seven hits in 14 at-bats with eight RBIs, six runs, and two sacrifice flies. DeGoti’s top game in the series came in the opening contest. He went 4-for-5 at the plate with three runs batted in and scored five times. Most of his production came of a pair of home runs. For the week, the Hialeah, Florida native registered a .444 batting average, 1.167 slugging percentage, and a .500 on base percentage. DeGoti and the Buccaneers are 6-2 to begin the 2016 season.
Softball
Rachel Pence / Florida Tech / Jr. / Pitcher / Jacksonville, Fla.
Pence earns her second SSC Pitcher of the Week honors after leading Florida Tech to five victories last week. In the first game of a double header against Spring Hill Pence threw a complete game, facing 24 batters, striking out three, giving up six hits and 0 runs as the Panthers won 3-0. In game two, Pence threw four innings, picking up three more strikeouts, giving up three hits and an earned run as Florida Tech got the win, 6-5. In her second of four complete games thrown on the week, Pence walked one, gave up an earned run and allowed nine hits, while striking out six batters in the Panthers 5-2 victory over Washburn. In a morning game against Georgia Southwestern she threw her third complete game on the week. Pence gave up a home run for her only earned run of the game, however she struckout ten Hurricanes in a 4-1 FIT win. Later that afternoon in an 8-2 victory over Armstrong, Pence threw her fourth complete game of the week. She struck out five giving up two runs on six hits. For the week, Pence tallied at 0.65 ERA in 32 innings pitched across five games picking up 27 strikeouts. She held opposing batters to a .231 average. Pence is now 9-0 on the season and the Panthers are 10-2 overall.
Samantha Ohmie / Saint Leo University / Jr. / Infielder / Simi Valley, Calif.
Ohmie is SSC Player of the Week following Saint Leo’s two wins over Colorado Christian. Ohmie went 5-for-6 (.833) with three RBI, three runs, and four extra base hits giving her a slugging percentage of 2.000. She hit two doubles, a triple, and a home run giving her 12 total bases on the weekend. The Lions beat Colorado Christian, 7-0 and 9-1. Saint Leo is 6-0 on the season.
Golf
Liam Ainsworth / Saint Leo University / Sr. / London, England
Ainsworth is this week’s SSC Golfer of the Week as he finished first at the Matlock Collegiate Classic first and helped Saint Leo to a first place team finish. The London, England native recorded rounds of 70 (-2) + 70 (-2) + 75 (+3) in the two days (Feb. 8-9). Ainsworth tied for fourth after the first round and then jumped to tied for first heading into the final round Tuesday. Ainsworth carded eight birdies for the tournament as he went on to win by one stroke.
Brittany LaPadula / Florida Tech / Jr. / Port St. Lucie, Fla.
LaPadula is named this week’s SSC Golfer of the Week as she finished second at the World Golf Invitational. In a field full of 10 nationally ranked programs, third-ranked Florida Tech cruised to a 14-stroke win at the World Golf Invitational. Leading the way was LaPadula, who tied for first overall, but eventually fell on the third playoff hole to Keiser's Elsa Westin. The transfer from Limestone posted consecutive rounds of one-over 73 in the tournament. Her 10 combined birdies in the 36-hole event were four more than the second-highest total.
Tennis
Alberto Barroso-Campos / Saint Leo / University / Fr. / Montijo, Spain
Barroso-Campos is named SSC Men’s Tennis Player of the Week as he went 2-0 on the weekend in both doubles and singles play. In the match against ABAC, Barroso-Campos dominated Elvyn Nguyen in singles play, downing him 6-0, 6-2. He paired with Alex Theiler
for a win over Elvyn Nguyen and Eymeric Chevalier, 8-1. Against ASA College Miami, Barroso-Campos topped Callum Poland-Smith, the No. 2 singles player in all of Junior College, in a battle to seal the win for the Lions, 7-6 (11), 6-4. Saint Leo took the win in the No. 1 doubles spot seeing Barroso-Campos and Thieler pair up to take down Callum Poland-Smith and Federico Gomez in exciting fashion, 9-8 (3), in tie-break. The Saint Leo men’s tennis team went 2-0 on the day after facing Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College and ASA College Miami. ABAC is nationally ranked No. 12 at the junior college level, while ASA Miami holds the down the No. 1 spot in all of junior college.
Klaudia Boczova / Nova Southeastern University / Jr. / Bratislavia, Slovakia
Boczova is this week's SSC Women’s Tennis Player of the Week honors this season. Boczova played Lena Lutzeiner from Armstrong State, according to the latest update on ITA National Div. II individual singles rankings (Nov. 23, 2015) Lutzeiner is ranked No. 4 nationally. Boczova, who is not ranked in singles, defeated Lutzeiner 6-3 and 6-0 on Friday afternoon. Although Armstrong defeated the Sharks in the end, Boczova was the only Nova Southeastern student-athlete to win in the singles match in the contest.
Men's Lacrosse
Conor Whipple / Univeristy of Tampa / Jr. / Att / Tampa, Fla.
Whipple is awarded the SSC Offensive Player of the Week award after leading Tampa to a season opening victory over Tusculum. Whipple accounted for just over half of the Spartans offense as he had a hand in nine of the team's 17 goals. Whipple scored five goals on seven shots on goal (nine shots total) and assisted on four additional goals in the 17-9 Spartan victory.
Matt Lalli / Florida Southern College / Jr. / Goal / New Milford, Conn.
Lalli takes SSC Defensive Player of the Week a top defensive effort in goal for Florida Southern last week. Lalli recorded 12 saves and allowed three goals in the Moccasins 10-3 victory over Young Harris. Additionally, Lalli picked up three ground balls and caused one turnover in the victory. With the win Florida Southern moves to 1-1 on the year.
Travis Wunder / Florida Tech / Jr. / M-FO / Westminster, Md.
Wunder repeats as SSC Specialist of the Week following his continued faceoff dominance. The Westminster, Maryland native won 13-of-15 draws (87%) in a tight victory over North Greenville. Wunder also gathered a game high seven ground balls as Florida Tech won the game 10-5. With the play of Wunder, the Panthers start off 2016 with a 2-0 record.
2015-16 SSC Men's Basketball Award Winners (Player; Defense)
Nov. 16: Caleb Stewart, Saint Leo;
Corbin Jackson, Florida Tech
Nov. 23: Dylan Travis, Florida Southern;
Corbin Jackson, Florida Tech
Nov. 30: Fred Landers, Lynn;
Obi Kyei, Eckerd
Dec. 7: Marcus Dewberry, Saint Leo;
Deion Clark, Rollins
Dec. 14: Drushaun McLauren, Eckerd;
Yunio Barrueta, Barry
Dec. 21: Kevin Walsh, Eckerd;
Dylan Travis, Florida Southern
Jan. 4: Yunio Barrueta, Barry;
Corbin Jackson, Florida Tech
Jan. 11: Marcus Dewberry, Saint Leo;
EJ Moody, Eckerd
Jan. 18: Jerrick Stevenson, Eckerd;
Duke Shelton, Tampa
Jan. 25: Yunio Barrueta, Barry;
David Johnson, Lynn
Feb. 1: Marcus Dewberry, Saint Leo;
Tray Leonard, Barry
Feb. 8: Yunio Barrueta, Barry;
Jarel Spellman, Florida Southern
Feb. 15: Pat Bacon, Tampa;
Harrison Goodrick, Nova Southeastern
2015-16 SSC Women's Basketball Award Winners (Player; Defense)
Nov. 16: Sydni Payne, Florida Southern;
Monaye Merritt, Nova Southeastern
Nov. 23: Shequana Harris, Florida Tech;
Sydni Payne, Florida Southern
Nov. 30: Jensen Blassage, Florida Southern;
Mariah Harris, Florida Southern
Dec. 7: Shequana Harris, Florida Tech;
Monaye Merritt, Nova Southeastern
Dec. 14: Charla Nelson-James, Lynn;
Kimbreli Flournoy, Barry
Dec. 21: Kayla Wright, Nova Southeastern;
Angela Alvarez, Tampa
Jan. 4: Ines Kerin, Barry;
Alysia Johnson, Saint Leo
Jan. 11: Kayla Wright, Nova Southeastern;
Jensen Blassage, Florida Southern
Jan. 18: Molly Blomer, Nova Southeastern;
Mariah Harris, Florida Southern
Jan. 25: Juliana Callavaro, Tampa;
Angela Alvarez, Tampa
Feb. 1: Irene Sanchez, Barry;
Kaila Britten, Barry
Feb. 8: Monaye Merritt, Nova Southeastern;
Kimbreli Flournoy, Barry
Feb. 15: Amra Elezovic, Barry;
Diamond Cooper, Florida Tech