SSC Athletes of the Week | August 28 - September 3, 2023
Sunshine State Conference Athletes of the Week are chosen from a pool of nominees for their performances during the week of August 28 - September 3, 2023. Athletic Communication Directors of member institutions nominate athletes.
Volleyball Offensive Player of the Week
Kalli Cors - Tampa
Junior - Outside Hitter/Right Side - St. Petersburg, Florida
Cors picks up Offensive Player of the Week following her play at the Courtyard by Marriott Tampa Volleyball Classic. Against a Central Missouri squad receiving votes in the AVCA poll, Coors registered 15 Kills, eight digs, and two blocks in a four-set win. The St. Petersburg native followed with nine kills, six digs, and two blocks in a sweep of Missouri S&T. In the finale, Cors helped UT sweep No. 24 Gannon with 13 kills, six digs, and two blocks. Cors recorded a .457 hitting percentage on the week, with 37 kills in 70 attempts with just five errors. The weekly award is the fourth of her career.
Volleyball Defensive Player of the Week
Jaida Clark - Eckerd
Junior - Middle Blocker - Murfreesboro, Tennessee
Clark wins Defensive Player of the Week as Eckerd opened the season 3-0 at the NSU Shark Invitational. The Murfreesboro, Tennessee native averaged 1.55 blocks and 2.27 kills per set while attacking at a .327 percentage. The junior led the Tritons to wins over Dominican (3-0), Seton Hill (3-1), and Bentley (3-1). She totaled 17 blocks, including a solo block, seven digs, and 25 kills across the three contests.
Volleyball Setter of the Week
Natalie Horsley - Rollins
Junior - Bluffdale, Utah
Horsley claims Setter of the Week following Rollins' 4-0 start to the season. The Bluffdale, Utah product averaged 9.93 assists over 15 sets while leading the Tars to a .295 team-hitting percentage at the PSAC East Kickoff Tournament. For the week, Horsley provided Rollins with 149 assists, 15 digs, eight aces, seven blocks, and four kills. She's the first Tar athlete to win Setter of the Week. She's also the first Rollins volleyball player to win a weekly award since Alexis Yeager in November 2019.
Men's Soccer Offensive Player of the Week
Patrick Horan - Rollins
Junior - Midfield - Fort Myers, Florida
Horan is awarded Offensive Player of the Week honors with six points in Rollins' two wins over Top-25 opponents. The midfielder from Fort Myers, Florida, began the week with two goals at No. 14 Wingate. Horan scored the opening goal in the 28th minute and found the back of the net again in the 57th minute as Rollins handed Wingate a 3-2 loss. In a neutral site contest, the junior scored in the 50th minute, helping the Tars secure a 2-2 tie against No. 24 Lander.
Men's Soccer Defensive Player of the Week
Aidan Leak - Eckerd
Junior - Goalkeeper - Cape Town, South Africa
Leak garners Defensive Player of the Week with a clean sheet against Delta State. The South African helped the Tritons to a 2-0 win over DSU following six saves while facing nine total shots. His six saves stand as a career-high.
Women's Soccer Offensive Player of the Week
Marem Ndiongue - Florida Tech
Senior - Midfield/Forward - Sicily, Italy
Ndiongue is honored as Offensive Player of the Week after leading Florida Tech to a pair of road wins to start the season. In a 4-0 win at Auburn-Montgomery, Ndiongue assisted the game's first goal by Halla Helgadottir's in the 31st minute and followed with her own score in the 40th minute. In a 3-0 win at Union, Ndiongue converted a PK in the 26th minute that proved to be the game-winner. The Italian also scored in the 63rd minute to cap the game in the Panthers' favor.
Women's Soccer Defensive Player of the Week
Brooke Auth - Lynn
Freshman - Goalkeeper - Highlands Ranch, Colorado
Auth takes home Defensive Player of the Week accolades by piloting Lynn to a pair of shutouts last week. The Highland Ranch, Colorado product had four saves as the Fighting Knights were victorious, 1-0, against St. Anslem. Auth went on to stop four shots and pick up a clean sheet in a 1-0 win against Thomas More.
Men's Cross Country Runner of the Week
George Alexander - Tampa
Junior - Ashburn, Virginia
Alexander receives Runner of the Week accolades by winning the Mocs Kick-off in Lakeland. The junior from Ashburn, Virginia, finished the 6K race with a personal best time of 18:49.49. The finish stands as his first individual title. The weekly award is the second of his career.
Women's Cross Country Runner of the Week
Olivia Harp - Tampa
Grad Student - Novi, Michigan
Harp secures Runner of the Week laurels with a win at the Mocs Kick-off in Lakeland. The Novi, Michigan native finished the 4.2k race with a time of 15:12.47. Harp bested the field by two seconds in her first race as a Spartan.
Week-by-Week Winners
2023 SSC Volleyball Award Winners (Offensive; Defensive; Setter)
Sept. 4: Kalli Cors (Tampa); Jaida Clark (Eckerd); Natalie Horsley (Rollins)
2023 SSC Men's Soccer Award Winners (Offensive; Defensive)
Sept. 4: Patrick Horan (Rollins); Aidan Leak (Eckerd)
2023 SSC Women's Soccer Award Winners (Offensive; Defensive)
Sept. 4: Marem Ndiongue (Florida Tech); Brooke Auth (Lynn)
2023 SSC Cross Country Award Winners (Men's; Women's)
Sept. 4: George Alexander (Tampa); Olivia Harp (Tampa)