Jaylen Hall Named C-USA Special Teams Player of the Week
After a big game in which he scored three touchdowns against Rice, WKU wide receiver Jalen Hall has been named Conference USA Special Teams Player of the Week. Hall is the fifth Hilltopper to win a player of the week award this season, and the second to win Special Teams Player of the Week. Punter Tom Ellard won the award earlier in the season after the Tops defeated Middle Tennessee. On special teams, Hall returned a punt 46 yards for a touchdown to put the nail in the coffin in the team’s 45-10 victory. It was WKU’s first punt return for a touchdown since the 2016 season. Additionally, Hall caught seven passes for 102 yards and two touchdowns. His touchdowns were from 25 and two yards out.
Demetries Ford, Jevon Jackson pick up ASUN Weekly Awards
Austin Peay State University defensive back Demetries Ford and running back Jevon Jackson were named the ASUN Conference’s Defensive and Freshman Player of the Week, respectively, the league announced Monday. Ford, who is tied for second in the FCS in passes defended per game (1.8) and is tied for the lead in pass breakups (18), earned Defensive Player of the Week honors after intercepting a pair of passes in the Governors’ 31-14 win at Kennesaw State. The South Miami, Florida native added three tackles against the Owls as well. The two-pick performance was the first multi-interception game of Ford’s career and made him the first Gov with two interceptions in a game since Shamari Simmons accomplished the same feat against Tennessee Tech (11/20/21). Ford’s 18 passes defended are the second most in a season in program history behind Corey Phillips’ 19 passes defended in 2002. Jackson led the Governors’ offense to another 200-yard rushing performance with 10 carries for 79 yards and two touchdowns – all in the second half. It was the first multi-touchdown game of Jackson’s career, with him finding the endzone from six and 23 yards out. A Decatur, Alabama native, Jackson leads ASUN freshmen with 564 yards and four rushing touchdowns, he ranks 11th and tied for 13th overall, respectively, in those categories. Ford’s first ASUN Defensive Player of the Week award makes him the second Governor to earn the award this season, joining Antoine Williams. Jackson’s second Freshman of the Week award marks the sixth time and the second-straight week that the Govs have claimed that honor. The Governors have won the ASUN Freshman of the Week award in six of the 12 weeks it has been award this season, with Jackson, Kam Thomas, and Kellen Stewart all picking up the honors twice.
Grome Wins Eighth SEC Honor of 2022, Named SEC SOW, POW
Sophomore setter Emma Grome was named the Southeastern Conference’s Setter of the Week and overall Player of the Week on Monday, the league office announced. The honors for Grome mark her seventh and eighth weekly awards this season from the SEC office.
Matthews and Bauer Earn C-USA Weekly Nods
Conference USA announced volleyball’s weekly award winners Monday, after WKU won the regular season title, going a perfect 14-0 after taking over No. 21 Rice 3-2 in Diddle Arena on Thursday. After remarkable performances, Lauren Matthews was named the league’s Offensive and Defensive Player of the Week, along with Callie Bauer earning Co-Freshman of the Week.
Jones and Van Lith Named to Wooden Award Preseason Top 50 Watch List
The awards continue to pile in for a pair of Louisville women’s basketball players as Morgan Jones and Hailey Van Lith were both named to Wooden Award Women’s Preseason Top 50 Watch List Tuesday. Jones and Van Lith have already been named to the Preseason All-ACC team, the Naismith Award Preseason Women’s Watch List and were each named on their positional watch list (Van Lith – Drysdale Award; Jones – Miller Award) prior to the season starting last week.
Reed Named Davey O’Brien Award Semifinalist
WKU quarterback Austin Reed has been named a semifinalist for the 2022 Davey O’Brien Award, the award’s national selection committee announced Tuesday. The Davey O’Brien Foundation was created in 1977, and the National Quarterback Award, the oldest and most prestigious college quarterback award, was first issued in 1981. In 1938, O’Brien, who was a star quarterback for TCU, became the first player ever to win the Heisman Trophy, Maxwell Award and Walter Camp Award in the same year. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1955. Through 11 games this season, Reed has thrown for 3,550 yards and 31 touchdowns while completing 67.8 percent of his passes. The Florida native ranks second in the country in passing yards, third in the country in points responsible, third in passing touchdowns and fifth in total offense. Reed has also been a factor in WKU’s rushing attack as he leads the Hilltoppers with seven touchdowns on the ground.
Tyson Summers Nominated for Broyles Award
WKU Defensive Coordinator Tyson Summers has been selected to represent WKU as a nominee for the 2022 Broyles Award. The Broyles Award recognizes the top assistant coach in college football. Summers is currently leading one of the best defenses in all of college football as the Hilltoppers rank first in the nation in forced turnovers (30), first in the nation in defensive touchdowns (6), first in the nation in interceptions (17) and second in the nation in fumbles recovered (13). Combined with WKU’s offensive efforts, the Tops sport the third-best turnover margin in college football at +13. Under Summers’ leadership, the WKU defense has held its opponents to 17 points or less in six of 11 games played this season. The Tops shutout FIU earlier in the year and have surrendered just 17 points in the last two games.
Claire Chaussee Named ACC Player of the Week
University of Louisville outside hitter Claire Chaussee has been named the ACC Volleyball Player of the Week for the second week in a row. The graduate student had a career-high 27 kills and her fourth double-double of the season adding 10 digs to lead the No. 5 University of Louisville volleyball team to a comeback win over No. 13 Georgia Tech after dropping the first two sets on Friday in Atlanta. On Sunday, she tallied 10 kills, an ace and a season-high four blocks to lead the Cardinals to a 25-22, 25-11, 25-18 win over North Carolina. The 10 kills helped her to her 19th outing with double digit kills for the native of Sun Prairie, Wisc. The Cardinals (24-2, 15-1) are back in action on Friday when they host Pitt to battle for a shot at least a share of the ACC title. The match begins at 6 p.m. in L&N Federal Credit Union Arena.
Four Cardinals Earn Academic All-District Honors
Four University of Louisville men’s soccer student-athletes were recognized on Tuesday for their work in the classroom as College Sports Communicators released their Academic All-District® teams. Parker Forbes, Josh Jones, Sander Roed and Bradley Sample were all selected and move on to the CSC Academic All-America® ballot.
Women’s Soccer Places Three on CSC Academic All-District List
College Sports Communicators unveiled its 2022 women’s soccer Academic All-District selections on Tuesday with Kentucky’s Hannah Richardson, Peyton Rimko and Emilie Rhode each earning a spot on the distinguished list. Academic All-District honorees advance to the CSC Academic All-America ballot. First, second and third-team Academic All-America honorees will be announced in early December.
Two Earn MVC Scholar-Athlete Honors
Murray State women’s soccer players Lauren Payne and Saraya Young were named to the Missouri Valley Scholar-Athlete Team for the 2022 season as announced by the conference on Tuesday afternoon. The criteria for the honor parallels the CSC (formerly CoSIDA) standards for Academic All-America voting. Payne earned First-Team honors with a 3.82 GPA while majoring in exercise science. The senior midfielder scored four goals this season as part of the Racers run to the MVC Championship and was named All-MVC Third Team. Young, an All-MVC First Team performer has been named as an Honorable Mention on the Scholar-Athlete team. The senior has earned a 3.56 GPA as an exercise science major. Young scored four goals and dished out eight assists on the year to lead the league.
Baumgardt, McPhie, Case named to CSC Academic All-District® Team
Austin Peay State University women’s soccer student-athletes Alec Baumgardt, Tori Case and Anna McPhie have been named to the College Sports Communicators Academic All-District® Women’s Soccer Team.
Matthews Named C-USA Player of the Year in Back-to-Back Campaigns; Six Hilltoppers Earn Season Recognition
WKU Volleyball saw six different Hilltoppers honored on Thursday as Conference USA announced its All-Conference teams, All-Freshman Team and superlative awards. Lauren Matthews becomes just the third player in league history to earn the newly renamed, Alyssa Cavanugh Player of the Year Award, earning . Head coach Travis Hudson was tabbed the C-USA Coach of the Year. Matthews, Paige Briggs and Callie Bauer all collected First Team All-Conference recognition. Katie Isenbarger landed on the Second Team All-Conference Team for the third time of her career, while Bauer and Abby Schaefer earned All-Freshman Team honors.