SSC Weekly Awards Presented by Pollo Campero: March 2 - 8
Athletes of the Week | March 2 - 8
A.J. Vazquez, Communications Contractor
Sunshine State Conference Athletes of the Week are chosen from a pool of nominees for their performances during the week of March 2-8, 2026. Athletic Communication Directors of member institutions nominate athletes.
Baseball Player of the Week
Blake Opie, Barry University
Junior - Outfield - Clearwater, Florida
Opie was a key piece in Barry’s 3-1 week at the Russ Matt Baseball Classic, batting .500 with seven extra-base hits, two home runs, seven RBI, and five runs scored. Against St. Michael's he broke the school record with four doubles, adding a home run to go 5-for-5. His 12 total bases also tied the program record. He slugged 1.188 and walked once for a .529 on-base percentage and 1.717 OPS.
Baseball Pitcher of the Week
Jacob Pino, Florida Tech
Senior - Pitcher - Apopka, Florida
Pino pitched six shutout innings in Friday’s 3-1 win over Sioux Falls, striking out a career-high 12 and picking off two runners. He accounted for 14 of the 18 outs and is tied for the SSC lead in strikeouts, fourth in ERA, and fifth in innings pitched. This marks Pino’s third weekly honor of his career.
Softball Player of the Week
Miranda Schwartz, Florida Tech
Senior - Third Base - Lutz, Florida
Schwartz led the Panthers to a 6-0 week, going 9-15 (.600) with 13 runs, 1 double, 1 home run, and 8 RBI. She had a .750 on-base percentage courtesy of four walks and five hit by pitches. She had multiple hits and RBIs in run-rule wins over Wilmington University, a perfect 3-for-3 outing against Goldey-Beacom College, and a three-run homer in the sweep over Adelphi University, tying her with the program record of 20 career home runs.
Softball Pitcher of the Week
Olivia Dougherty, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
Sophomore - Pitcher - Norwalk, Iowa
Dougherty made four appearances and earned three wins across 14.1 innings pitched. She posted a 0.98 ERA, allowing just two runs on 12 hits during the week. She totaled 19 strikeouts, highlighted by two games with seven strikeouts in wins over Wilmington and Assumption University. Dougherty leads the team with 58 strikeouts, which ranks third in the SSC.
Men’s Lacrosse Offensive Player of the Week
Nate Paulo, Rollins College
Redshirt Junior - Attacker - Parker, Colorado
In Rollins’ win over Palm Beach Atlantic, 13-6, Paulo’s offensive efforts were crucial as he contributed to six of the Tars’ goals in the match. He recorded five goals and added an assist, while also collecting four ground balls. This marks the second weekly honor of Paulo’s career.
Men’s Lacrosse Defensive Player of the Week
Jax Francisco, Florida Tech
Redshirt Senior - Goalkeeper - Westminster, Maryland
Francisco’s efforts between the posts were pivotal for Florida Tech to defeat Belmont Abbey College, 14-2. He recorded 11 saves on 31 shots, and allowed only two goals, which is a program record for fewest goals allowed in a game.
Men’s Lacrosse Specialist of the Week
Jacob Czyz, Florida Southern College
Senior - Faceoff - Baldwinsville, New York
Czyz opened the week winning 23-of-24 (.958) faceoff opportunities versus Adams State University, while setting a new program record with 19 ground balls in the contest. He then won 19-of-22 (.864) versus No. 11 Colorado Mesa University, and also scored a goal. He currently leads all of NCAA Division II with 12.86 ground balls per game and is sixth in faceoff winning percentage (.711). This is his tenth weekly honor of his career and the second of the season.
Women’s Lacrosse Offensive Player of the Week
Mary Kate Person, University of Tampa
Graduate Student - Attack - Jericho, New York
Kate Person scored five goals against Lander University, while adding two assists in the Spartans’ 22-6 win. She followed this performance by recording six goals and four assists on the road at No. 25 Mercy University. Kate Person was involved in more than half of Tampa’s goals in their 19-7 victory.
Women’s Lacrosse Defensive Player of the Week
Kolby Cohen, Florida Southern
Junior - Midfield - Memphis, Tennessee
Kolby Cohen led No. 2 Florida Southern in two wins over No. 15 Regis University and Lander, totaling seven points (3 goals, 4 assists) while dominating the draw with 16 controls. She also caused three turnovers and picked up two ground balls, including a career-high 12 draw controls against Regis.
Men’s Tennis Player of the Week
Lawson Prather, Rollins College
Freshman - Tulsa, Oklahoma
Prather recorded two singles wins on line one during the week, highlighted by a straight-sets victory over Barry’s Yan Kodjoed, the nation’s No. 1 singles player. He also secured a 7-5 doubles win on line three against the University of Charleston to help seal the doubles point.
Women’s Tennis Player of the Week
Dana Heiman, Barry University
Senior - Ketsch, Germany
Heiman helped the No. 3 Bucs to a three-match sweep this week as Barry did not drop a single point, including wins over No. 9 Embry-Riddle, Davenport University and NCAA Division I Temple University. She went 3-0 in singles and 2-0 in doubles, with one match left unfinished due to the clinch.
Men’s Golfer of the Week
Max Barile, Florida Southern College
Redshirt Senior - Land O’ Lakes, Florida
Max Barile fired a career-low 65 to claim the individual title and lead No. 4 Florida Southern to a fourth-place finish at the Las Vegas Desert Classic at Boulder Creek Golf Course in Boulder City, Nevada. Barile shot a 14-under 202 (68-69-65), including a 7-under 65 in the final round. He moved to No. 1 in the Scoreboard by Clippd rankings following the victory. This is Barile’s second weekly honor of the season.
Beach Volleyball Pair of the Week
Hailey Wolfe, University of Tampa
Senior - York, Pennsylvania
Nevaeh Wolfe, University of Tampa
Senior - York, Pennsylvania
Hailey and Nevaeh Wolfe went 3–1 on the weekend as Tampa’s top pair. Their lone loss came to the University of South Florida, 24–22, 21–15, at the Tampa Beach Brawl. The twins bounced back by sweeping Palm Beach Atlantic, 21–17, 21–18, before winning again on Saturday, 21–13, 21–13. They closed the weekend with a 21–16, 21–17 victory over Eckerd’s No. 1 pair as the Spartans finished 3–1 with wins over SSC opponents Palm Beach Atlantic and Eckerd. This marks the twins’ seventh weekly honor as a pair.
Men’s Outdoor Track & Field Sprints/Hurdles Athlete of the Week
Filippo Bessi, Florida Tech
Sophomore - 400-meter hurdles/4x400-meter relay - Merone Lombardia, Italy
Bessi won the 400 hurdles at the Eagle Invite with a time of 54.47, finishing a full second ahead of the field. He also helped the 4x400 relay team post a 3:13.80, a national provisional mark that ranks third in Division II and set a school record.
Men’s Outdoor Track & Field Distance Athlete of the Week
Taye Newman, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
Freshman - 800-meter/1500-meter - Irvine, California
At the Embry-Riddle Eagle Invite, Newman won the 800- and 1500-meter events with times of 1:53 and 3:56.17, respectively.
Women’s Outdoor Track & Field Sprints/Hurdles Athlete of the Week
Kate Carter, University of Tampa
Sophomore - 100-meter hurdles - Commerce, Michigan
Carter won the 100-meter hurdles at the Embry-Riddle Eagle Invite in 14.46 to be ranked fourth all-time on the program’s all-time top 10 list.
Women’s Outdoor Track & Field Distance Athlete of the Week
Jessica Lombardo, Lynn University
Sophomore - 800-meter/1500-meter/4x400-meter relay - Southington, Connecticut
Jessica Lombardo led Lynn at the Embry-Riddle Eagle Invite with a new personal best and win in the 1500 meters (4:48.14), placed fifth in the 800 meters with another new personal best (2:19.70), and contributed to a 4x400-meter relay victory (4:03.47).
Women’s Rowing Boat of the Week
Varsity 8+, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
The Embry-Riddle Varsity 8+ boat won their 2000-meter race on Saturday morning against Rollins and Barry with a time of 7:06.1.
LINKS: SSC Player of the Week Database / SSC Award Database