PORTLAND, Ore. -- The following Cascade Collegiate Conference student-athletes were recognized as conference Players of the Week in their respective sports for the period Oct. 19-25:
Women’s Soccer
Offensive – Oregon Tech’s Crystal Foster (Redmond, Ore.), a 5-7 freshman midfielder, picked up her team-leading 16th point of the season on two goals and one assist during a weekend sweep. Foster had a pair of goals in a win over Northwest Christian and added an assist in a win over Corban. Other nominees: Chelsea Heffner, College of Idaho; Jennifer Smalley, Eastern Oregon; Jessica Ramback, Concordia; Alexis Mahoney, Southern Oregon; Rachel Cole, Corban.
Defensive – College of Idaho’s Colleen Smith (Boise, Idaho), a 5-9 junior defender, anchored the Coyote defense that upset No. 5-ranked Concordia 2-1 in overtime. Smith also helped C of I to a 1-0 win over Warner Pacific to clinch a share of the CCC regular season title. The win over WPC gave the Yotes a school-record 13th win and 10th shutout. Other nominees: Allison Seymour, Eastern Oregon; Megan Ross, Oregon Tech; Jennifer Bassett, Corban.
Men’s Soccer
Offensive – Oregon Tech’s Dylan Durrell (Sherwood, Ore.), a 6-0 junior midfielder, scored three goals and assisted on another as the Hustlin’ Owls knocked off Northwest Christian in their lone game last week. Other nominees: Mason Bochner, Northwest; Kazuki Murata, College of Idaho; Chris Miller, Evergreen; Cody St. John, Warner Pacific.
Defensive – Northwest’s Brian Swanson (Everett, Wash.), a 6-1 senior goalkeeper, collected his third shutout of the year in a 1-0 win over league leader Warner Pacific. In 166 minutes of action last week, he allowed just one goal and totaled four saves. Other nominees: Nathan Salveson, Evergreen; Aaron Franklin, Corban; James Gaynor, Concordia.
Volleyball
Hitter – Corban’s Morgan Hirzel (Fullerton, Calif.), a 6-2 freshman, helped lead the Warriors to a 1-1 record, as the first-year Warrior registered a combined 35 kills in two matches. Hirzel hit .247 over 10 sets, while also recording two assists, three digs, and a combined three blocks. Other nominees: Marcella Hernandez, College of Idaho; Grace Deboodt, Eastern Oregon; Raluca Dinca, Concordia; Leah Bergstrom, Southern Oregon.
Setter – College of Idaho’s Naomi Reimer (Killarney, Manitoba), a 5-7 junior setter, totaled 64 digs as the eighth-ranked Yotes posted wins over NCAA Division II Northwest Nazarene, Evergreen and Northwest. Reimer had 64 assists, 22 kills, and 27 digs. Other nominees: Jessica Lea, Eastern Oregon; Meghan De La Rosa, Evergreen; Megan Dees, Corban; Skyler Kamaka, Concordia.
Libero – Northwest Christian’s Mercedes Leclaire (Mapleton, Ore.), a 5-2 senior libero, posted a season-high 32 digs vs. Warner Pacific and added 13 vs. Concordia. Leclaire ranks second in the CCC in digs per set. Other nominees: Whitney Owen, College of Idaho; Kaitlyn Duncan, Eastern Oregon; Kim Lindow, Concordia; Becky Johnstone, Southern Oregon; Rebecca Franke, Corban.
Cross Country
Men – Southern Oregon’s David Laney (Portland, Ore.), a senior, earned the honor for the third time this season. Laney, the No. 1 runner on the nation’s No. 2-ranked team, led the Raiders to a team victory at the Oregon State Beaver Invitational, beating a field of 145 other runners while clocking a winning time of 24:26 over the 8K course. Other nominees: Greg Montgomery, College of Idaho; DJ Flores, Eastern Oregon; Kym Hunt, Corban.
Women – Eastern Oregon’s Karlee Coffey (La Grande, Ore.), a freshman, captured the individual title at the Coyote Twilight in Caldwell, Idaho, beating out NCAA Division I runners from Boise State and entrants from the NAIA’s sixth-ranked College of Idaho squad. Coffey clocked a time of 16:56 and was nearly one minute faster than the runner-up. Other nominees: Seena Frantz, Southern Oregon; Kayla Perry, Warner Pacific; Courtney Welling, Corban.