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. 13–19 2023.
Men’s Basketball – Player
(RV) Eastern Oregon. University’s Phillip Malatare was named the Rize Laboratory Men’s Basketball Player of the Week.
Malatare, a senior guard from Arlee, Mont., closed out the season with another big weekend, helping his team secure two more wins. He averaged 20.5 points, 5 assists, and 4.5 rebounds while shooting over 70% from the field and beyond the arc. Malatare also scored his 1,000 point as a Mountaineer on Friday evening.
Women’s Basketball – Player
(RV) Southern Oregon University’s Kami Walk named the Rize Laboratory Women’s Basketball Player of the Week for the second time this season.
Walk, a junior forward from Eugene, Ore., helped the Raiders secure a third place seeding in the upcoming conference tournament. She recorded her sixth and seventh double-doubles in SOU's last 10 games. She scored a season-high 24 points on Friday against Corban University and then grabbed a career-high 17 rebounds on Saturday over Bushnell University.
Men’s Wrestling – Wrestler
No. 7 Menlo College’s Gullomjon Abdullaev was named the Rize Laboratory Men’s Wrestler of the Week.
Abdullaev, a 133-lb freshman wrestler from Uzbekistan is ranked No. 4 in the NAIA and has an overall individual record of 8-0. This weekend he came out with four victories at the Cascade Collegiate Conference Championship. His results included two technical falls, a pin, and a 14-4 Major Decision in the championship match over his teammate, No. 6-ranked Jovan Garcia. Abdullaev was also voted outstanding wrestler of the tournament.
Men’s Indoor Track & Field – Track Athlete
Eastern Oregon. University’s Hunter Nichols was named the Rize Laboratory Men’s Indoor Track Athlete of the Week.
Nichols, a senior runner from Heppner, Ore., was all over the track posting a strong weekend while competing in four separate events at the EOU NAIA Last Chance Invite. Highlights came in the 4x800 meter relay (7:53.74) and the 1,000 meter run (2:31.27) where he posted two "A" standards winning each event. Nichols also finished first in the 4x800 meter relay with a time of 3:34.93.
Men’s Indoor Track & Field – Field Athlete
Eastern Oregon. University’s Israel Miles was named the Rize Laboratory Men’s Indoor Field Athlete of the Week.
Miles, a redshirt junior from Oregon City, Ore. competed in the Heptathlon at the EOU NAIA Last Chance Invite. He posted a season-high score of 4,732 points, received an “A” standard, and won the event.
Women’s Indoor Track & Field – Track Athlete
College of Idaho’s Ellyse Tingelstad was named the Rize Laboratory Women’s Indoor Track Athlete of the Week.
Tingelstad, a junior runner from Joseph, Ore., dominated at the EOU Last Chance Invite. She finished first in the mile with a time of 5:19.61 and was the anchor leg in the 4x800m relay team which set a "B" standard with its time of 9:48.47.
Women’s Indoor Track & Field – Field Athlete
Eastern Oregon. University’s Maggie Ledbetter was named the Rize Laboratory Women’s Indoor Field Athlete of the Week for the fourth time this season.
Ledbetter, a graduate student thrower from Cove, Ore., finshed out the indoor regular season with her strongest performance of the year at the EOU Last Chance Invite. She got two “A” standards and won in the Shot Put (14.06m) and the Weight Throw (16.76m).
Baseball – Player
College of Idaho’s Alex McFarland-Smith was named the Rize Laboratory Baseball Player of the Week.
McFarland-Smith, a junior utility player from Boise, Idaho, had an amazing weekend at the plate. He hit .444 on the weekend vs. NCAA DII Northwest Nazarene University. He racked up a double, a triple, a home run, and nine RBI's with 14 total bases and an overall slugging percentage of .778. McFarland-Smith was also errorless in the field.
Baseball – Pitcher
Lewis-Clark State College’s Trevin Hope was named the Rize Laboratory Baseball Pitcher of the Week for the second time this season.
Hope, a sophomore pitcher from Lynden, Wash., held back a strong University British-Columbia offensive on Friday. He went five innings and struck out seven without allowing a run. Hope just walked one batter to grab his second win of the season.
Softball – Player
Oregon Tech’s Lexi Klum was named the Rize Laboratory Softball Player of the Week.
Klum, a junior outfielder from Tigard, Ore., hit safely in all four of the Owl’s games in California and scored a run in every contest. She went 5-for-8 with three doubles and three RBI in Saturday's sweep of Simpson University and Menlo College. Klum was also perfect on defense.
Softball – Pitcher
Oregon Tech’s Kacie Schmidt was named the Rize Laboratory Softball Pitcher of the Week.
Schmidt, a sophomore pitcher from Beaverton, Ore., had two dominant performances in the circle this weekend. She struck out 10 batters and allowed only two hits in a win over Menlo College. Schmidt also racked up a career-high 11 Ks in a complete game 2-hitter against Simpson University.