CORVALLIS, Ore. –
The following ten CCC student-athletes have been recognized as the Rize Laboratory Players of the Week for their performances during competition from March 20 – 26 2023.
Baseball – Player
Oregon Tech's Julien Jones was named the Rize Laboratory Baseball Player of the Week.
Jones, a junior outfielder from Washougal, Wash., led the Owls to three victories over (RV) College of Idaho. He recorded a .421 on base percentage over the weekend with three doubles, two triples, and two walks. He went 5-for-14 at the plate, knocking in 11 runs and scoring three while leading OIT with 12 total bases in the series. He also hit the go-ahead 3-run double in the eighth inning of game four to secure the Owl's last win. Defensively, Jones had 10 total putouts in the field.
Baseball – Pitcher
University of British Columbia's Sean Heppner was named the Rize Laboratory Baseball Pitcher of the Week.
Heppner, a sophomore pitcher from Points Roberts, Wash., completed a shutout against No. 3 Lewis-Clark State College. On Friday, he tailed 10 strikeouts in seven innings, only letting the Warriors get three hits to lead to the 4-0 victory. He did not allow a walk or an earned run to end the game with a perfect ERA. The T-Birds went on to win two more times to take the series from the only nationally ranked team in the CCC.
Softball – Player
Oregon Tech's Maggie Buckholz was named the Rize Laboratory Softball Player of the Week for the second consecutive week.
Buckholz, a senior outfielder from Silverton, Ore., had another dominant weekend against Northwest University, leading the Owls to four more wins. This weekend she drew two walks, six hits, three doubles, and three home runs for a .462 batting average. She tallied five runs and 11 RBIs while taking 18 total bases. Defensively, she was errorless with eight putouts.
Softball – Pitcher
Oregon Tech's Kacie Schmidt was named the Rize Laboratory Softball Pitcher of the Week for the second time this season.
Schmidt, a sophomore pitcher from Beaverton, Ore., only allowed one earned run in 12 total innings against Northwest University. She recorded an impressive 17 strikeouts in two of the Owls' four victories over the Eagles. She only walked one batter on the weekend and recorded a shutout in her Sunday outing to end the weekend with a 0.58 ERA.
Women's Golf – Golfer
Lewis-Clark State College's Alexandra Schmidt was named the Rize Laboratory Women's Golfer of the Week.
Schmidt, a senior from Regina, Saskatchewan, had a busy week with two top-two tournament finishes. The senior won the LCSC Warrior Spring Invite for the second victory of her career on Tuesday. She finished 1-under with rounds of 71 and 22 for a 143-two-round total. She also participated in the UPS Spring Invitational as an individual on Sunday and finished a stroke behind the leader with a 154 two-round total.
Men's Golf – Golfer
Lewis-Clark State College's Jorgen Lie Viken was named the Rize Laboratory Men's Golfer of the Week for the second time this spring season.
Viken, a senior from Kongsberg, Norway, had a dominant week with back-to-back wins in less than seven days. He took the LCSC Warrior Spring Invitational title on Tuesday, with a 7-under total of 209 to win by two strokes. He then competed at the UPS Spring Invitational on Sunday where he shot an LC State career-low round of 66 to win the tournament with a 4-under 138 for the two-round tournament to grab his second first-place finish of the week.
Women's Outdoor Track & Field – Track Athlete
College of Idaho's Sage Martin was named the Rize Laboratory Women's Outdoor Track Athlete of the Week.
Martin, a junior from Meridian, Idaho, posted an NAIA "A" qualifying mark in the 5,000m run with a winning time and school record of 16:48 at the Lewis & Clark Friday Night Lights Meet.
Women's Outdoor Track & Field – Field Athlete
Eastern Oregon University's Maggie Ledbetter was named the Rize Laboratory Women's Outdoor Field Athlete of the Week.
Ledbetter, a graduate student from Cove, Ore., earned an NAIA "A" qualifying mark of 14.11m in the Shot Put, an EOU program record and is currently ranked second in the NAIA. To close out the Lewis & Clark Friday Night Lights Meet, she received second place in the Discus with a throw of 35.77m.
Men's Outdoor Track & Field – Track Athlete
University of British Columbia's Dylan Uhrich was named the Rize Laboratory Men's Outdoor Track Athlete of the Week.
Uhrich, a sophomore from Vancouver, B.C., competed in his first 3000m Steeplechase of the season at the UBC Open on Sunday. He finished first with an "A" Standard by more than 21 seconds, with a time of 9:02.93. This is currently the fastest time in NAIA this season by 16 seconds over his teammate in the same race.
Men's Outdoor Track & Field – Field Athlete
Lewis-Clark State College's Christian Bothwell was named the Rize Laboratory Men's Outdoor Field Athlete of the Week.
Bothwell, a senior from Hailey, Idaho, had a dominating "A" standard win in the decathlon at the Bucs Scoring and Multi Meet. He is currently ranked No. 1 in the NAIA with 6,322 points. The total is a career-high and includes a huge career-best mark of 4.45m in the pole vault.