CORVALLIS, Ore. – The following eleven CCC student-athletes have been recognized as the Rize Laboratory Players of the Week for their performances during competition from Feb. 12 – 18, 2024.
Men’s Basketball – Player
No. 16-ranked Oregon Tech’s Jamison Guerra was named the Rize Laboratory Men’s Basketball Player of the Week for the second time this season.
Guerra, a junior guard from Sherwood, Ore., led the Owls to two more road wins over Corban University (79-74) and Bushnell University (95-88). He shot an impressive 66.7 percent from the field while draining all four shots from the three-point range and six free throws. He tallied 17 points in each contest and across the weekend he recorded 16 assists, five rebounds, and three steals in 75 minutes played.
Women’s Basketball – Player
No. 25-ranked Oregon Tech’s Tatum Schmerbach was named the Rize Laboratory Women’s Basketball Player of the Week.
Schmerbach, a freshmen guard from Medford, Ore., led the Owls to two more road wins over Corban University (74-62) and Bushnell University (67-57). She recorded 18 points in the first game and 13 points in the second. Over the weekend she shot 52.2 percent from the field and made all six of her free throws for a sum of 31 total points. She added 12 rebounds, 10 assists, four steals, and three blocks across 54 minutes played.
Men's Wrestling – Wrestler
No. 3-ranked Menlo College Rysan Leong was named the Rize Laboratory Men's Wrestler of the Week for the second time this season.
Leong, a 165lbs senior from Kailua, Hawaii., is ranked 5th individually and was named the Outstanding Wrestler of the Tournament during the 2024 CCC Championship. He finished day one with a 16-0 technical fall over Carlos Martinez (SU) and a 4-2 decision over No. 16 Devin Crawford (MSUN) to make it to the semifinals. There he won by 4-1 sudden victory over No. 4 Hunter Hobbs (UP). In the championship bout he defeated No. 1 Keller Rock (ERAU) by 3-0 decision.
Men’s Indoor Track & Field – Track Athlete
Eastern Oregon University’s Justin Ash was named the Rize Laboratory Men’s Indoor Track Athlete of the Week.
Ash, a junior runner from Baker City, Ore., recorded an “A” standard on Saturday at the EOU Last Chance Invite. He finished 1st with a time of 8:38.05 in the 3000m.
Men’s Indoor Track & Field – Field Athlete
Eastern Oregon University’s Mark Church was named the Rize Laboratory Men’s Indoor Field Athlete of the Week for the second time this season.
Church, a sophomore thrower from Fruitland, Idaho, recorded a new personal record on Saturday at the EOU Last Chance Invite. He threw a distance of 17.79m in the weight throw to finish 1st and reach an “A” Standard which ranks 18th in the NAIA this season.
Women’s Indoor Track & Field – Track Athlete
College of Idaho’s Abbey Shirts was named the Rize Laboratory Women’s Indoor Track Athlete of the Week for the second time this season.
Shirts, a senior runner from Weiser, Idaho, ran the 3rd fastest 1000m race in the NAIA this season at the EOU Last Chance Invite. She finished 1st with an “A” Standard time of 2:53.88.
Women’s Indoor Track & Field – Field Athlete
Lewis-Clark State College’s Sydnie Zywina was named the Rize Laboratory Women’s Indoor Field Athlete of the Week for the second time this season.
Zywina, a junior jumper from Orofino, Idaho, set two program records at the EOU Last Chance Invite. She reached a distance of 12.03m in the triple jump and 5.56m in the long jump. She finished 1st in both events with “A” Standards which rank in the top 10 in the NAIA this season.
Baseball – Player
University of British Columbia’s Mitchell Middlemiss was named the Rize Laboratory Baseball Player of the Week.
Middlemiss, a junior outfielder from Chilliwack, B.C., had an extradentary week for the T-Birds as they finished with a 4-1 record. He recorded 12 hits for a .571 batting average and a 1.000 slugging percentage. Across the week he tallied 13 RBIs, six runs, and two home runs while touching 21 total bases. Defensively, he was perfect in the field with five putouts.
Baseball – Pitcher
Oregon Tech’s Bronson Chapple was named the Rize Laboratory Baseball Pitcher of the Week.
Chapple, a junior from Herriman, Utah, had a tremendous appearance on the mound for the Owls. He threw seven shutout innings in OIT’s victory over University of Antelope Valley (4-0). He only allowed one hit and struck out eight batters to hold a perfect ERA.
Softball – Player
Southern Oregon University’s Piper Love was named the Rize Laboratory Softball Player of the Week.
Love, a junior utility player from Corvallis, Ore., led the Raiders to a 4-0 week in Arizona. She recorded eight hits with four doubles, for an outstanding .615 batting average and a .923 slugging percentage. She added four RBIs, three runs, a walk, and a stolen base. She topped off her stellar week with a perfect performance in the field with 14 putouts.
Softball – Pitcher
Southern Oregon University’s Katie Machado was named the Rize Laboratory Softball Pitcher of the Week for the second straight week.
Machado, a senior from Petaluma, Calif., led the Raiders to an undefeated week in Arizona. She allowed just one earned run in 14.2 innings pitched while striking out 10 batters to hold a 0.48 ERA.