Sunshine State Conference Athletes of the Week | February 29 - March 6, 2016
Athletes of the Week are chosen from a pool of nominees for their performances during the week of February 29 - March 6, 2016. Athletes are nominated by Sports Information Directors of member institutions.
Baseball
Tyler Deel / Florida Tech / Jr. / LHP / Jacksonville, Fla.
Deel is named SSC Pitcher of the Week after a nearly flawless outing in Florida Tech's 9-0 win over Assumption Saturday afternoon. Deel faced just two batters over the minimum in a season-high eight innings of work. His perfect game was broken up in the fifth inning after a leadoff double, and that would be the only hit Deel would surrender. In addition to just the one hit allowed, Deel tallied eight strikeouts for the second consecutive start and has held opponents scoreless in his last 18.1 innings on the mound. Florida Tech is 13-6 on the season, 2-1 in SSC Play.
Matt Piatt / University of Tampa / Jr. / OF / Seminole, Fla.
Piatt earns SSC Player of the Week after hitting over .800 for Tampa across four games this week. In a solo game against Seton Hill, he went 2-for-2 with pairs of runs, runs batted in, and walks. In the first of three games against Albany State, Piatt went 2-for-3 with three runs batted in and two runs scored. Piatt’s top game came in the first game of a Saturday double header against Albany-State, where he went 4-for-5 at the plate with three RBI’s and a run scored. In his final game of the week, the Seminole, Florida native went 1-for-1, scored three times, and drew three walks. Piatt registered nine hits in 11 at-bats and scored eight times for the Spartans. He also drove in 10 runs and drew five walks. Piatt posted a .818 batting average and a 1.545 slugging percentage this week as Tampa was victorious in all four games played. The Spartans are now 15-1 overall, 3-0 in SSC play.
Softball
Alana Tabel / Saint Leo University / Sr. / Pitcher / Loxahatchee, Fla.
Tabel earns SSC Pitcher of the Week after picking up her fifth and sixth victories on the season last week. The Loxahatchee, Florida, native threw seven innings against No. 14 West Virginia Wesleyan striking out five, allowing five hits and a walk while not giving up a run in the 1-0 victory. The Lion’s senior then pitched five and a third innings against SSC opponent Eckerd. Tabel gave up three hits and struck out two in the 5-0 victory. Saint Leo is 16-1 overall and 5-1 in SSC play.
Tiffany Thompson / Saint Leo University / Sr. / Coral Springs, Fla.
Thompson is awarded SSC Player of the Week honors following her nine hits on the weekend against No. 14 West Virginia Wesleyan and at SSC opponent Eckerd. The Coral Springs, Florida native served as the leadoff hitter for the Lions in all five games played this week. Thompson’s top game against the Bobcats came in the second game of a double header where she went 2-2 at the plate and recorded a stolen base. Scored a run in each of the Lions wins over the Tritons, 5-0, 6-1. The Senior recorded multiple hits in each of the Lion’s three games against the Tritons totaling seven hits, and scoring two runs as Saint Leo went 2-1 against Eckerd on the weekend. Saint Leo is 16-1 overall and 5-1 in SSC play.
Golf
Martin Cancino / Lynn University / Jr. / Chicureo, Chile
Cancino claims this week’s SSC Men’s Golfer of the Week honors after a first place team finish and a fifth place individual finish at the Division II Super Regional South/Southeast Preview. Two days later he was back on the course and posted a career-best, and the ninth-lowest 54-hole score in program history, 208, to win the Gary Freeman B-CU Spring Invitational, a predominantly Division I tournament. The victory was the first in Cancino's career and marked the first time in his career he had posted back-to-back top-five finishes.
Aldana Foigel / Nova Southeastern University / Fr. / Plottier, Argentina
Foigel is this week’s SSC Women’s Golfer of the Week after leading Nova Southeastern to a team victory at last week's Peggy Kirk Bell Invitational. The Sharks freshman tied for second alongside teammate Jamie Freedman, shooting consistent round scores of 73-75-72 to finish just a stroke out of first. The Plottier, Argentina native is Nova Southeastern’s lowest scorer this year, with three top-10 finishes.
Tennis
Alberto Barroso-Campos / Saint Leo University / Fr. / Montijo, Spain
Barroso-Campos is named SSC Men’s Tennis Player of the Week for the second time this season as he went 2-0 in singles and doubles. The Lion freshman helped take down No. 3 Armstrong State and SSC foe Eckerd. The Montijo, Spain native paired with teammate Alex Theiler to win both doubles matches 8-2. In singles action, ITA No. 3 Barroso-Campos topped ASU’s ITA No. 2 Pablo Gor, 6-3, 2-6, 7-6 (4). Against Eckerd, the freshman won handily, 6-1, 6-1.
Pauline Helgesson / Saint Leo University / Sr. / Tranas Sweden
Helgesson is this week’s SSC Women’s Tennis Player of the Week after helping the Lions go 3-0 over the week taking down Division I Seton Hall, #1 Armstrong State, and SSC opponent Eckerd. Helgesson went 3-0 in doubles action, pairing with Marine Beugre-Guyot, and 2-0 in singles action, including registering the deciding point in the take down of #1 Armstrong State. Versus Seton Hall, Helgesson and Beugre-Guyot won 8-0, vs. Armstrong State the pair won 8-5, and vs. Eckerd they swept 8-0. In singles action vs. Seton Hall, she came from behind to take down Julia Keenan 4-6, 6-4, 1-0 (5). Against #1 Armstrong State she sealed the win for the Lions, dominating the match, winning 6-0, 6-2.
Men's Lacrosse
Dylan Yonts / Saint Leo University / Sr. / Attack / Penn Yan, N.Y.
Yonts is tabbed SSC Offensive Player of the Week following his performance in Saint Leo’s 9-8 win over No. 13 Pfeiffer. The Lions’ captain scored five goals, netting at least one in each quarter during the victory. With his two assists, Yonts was a part of seven of the team’s nine goals Yonts went 5-for-5 on his shots on goal. The Penn Yan, New York native also picked up three ground balls. Saint Leo is 3-1 on the season.
A.J. Arnold / University of Tampa / Jr. / Goal / Southborough, Mass.
Arnold is selected SSC Defensive Player of the Week after two wins in goal for the Spartans this week. Arnold hauled in 25 saves, turning in a save percentage of .657, including a performance against No.4 Lake Erie where he amassed 15 saves on 22 shots and posted a save percentage of .681 against a potent Storm offense that averages 11 goals per game. The Southborough, Mass. native tallied 10 saves, and .625 save percentage against Chestnut Hill. Arnold also logged eighteen minutes in goal in a losing effort against No. 1 Limestone. Tampa is 5-1 on the season.
Joseph Biondi / Florida Southern College / Fr. / Midfielder / Orange, Conn.
Biondi is named SSC Specialist of the Week after helping Florida Southern to a 12-10 win over Chestnut Hill. Biondi took 17 of 24 (71%) faceoffs in the game and picked up 11 ground balls in the Moccasins victory. The 17 face-off wins were the most by a Moccasin player this season. With the win, Florida Southern moves to 5-2 overall.
Women's Lacrosse
Sara Grenier / Florida Tech / So. / Attack / Oakland, Maine
Grenier, for the second time this season, is the SSC Offensive Player of the Week after leading the Panthers to victories over Chestnut Hill and Indiana (Pa.). The Oakland, Maine native scored four goals and had an assist on ten shots in Florida Tech’s 14-6 victory over Chestnut Hill. The sophomore scored three goals on seven shots and had three assists in a 15-11 victory over Indiana (Pa.). Florida Tech is 3-0 overall and begins SSC play April 9th.
Taylor Gillis / Florida Southern College / Jr. / Goal / Bel Air, Md.
Gillis is named this week’s SSC Defensive Player of the Week after limiting opponents, Gannon and No. 14 Mount Olive, to just four goals in over 80 minutes played. The Moccasin junior made four saves on seven shots faced while allowing one goal in the second half of the 13-4 victory over Gannon. The Bel Air, Maryland native faced nine shots making five saves and allowing four goals while getting the victory for Florida Southern over No. 14 Mount Olive, 17-6. Florida Southern is 2-2 on the season and will begin SSC play April 2nd.
2016 SSC Baseball Award Winners (Pitcher; Player)
Feb. 1: Ty Cohen, Florida Tech, Carlos Matamoros, Barry
Feb. 8: Christopher Williams, Tampa; Tyler Fairbanks, Rollins
Feb. 15: Logan Browning, Florida Southern; Alexander DeGoti, Barry
Feb. 21: Alex Mateo, Nova Southeastern; Peter Nicoletto, Rollins
Feb. 29: Frank Grandinette, Lynn; Casey Scoggins, Tampa
Mar. 7: Tyler Deel, Florida Tech;
Matt Piatt, Tampa
2016 SSC Softball Award Winners (Pitcher; Player)
Feb. 1: Rachel Pence, Florida Tech; Krista Patterson, Florida Tech
Feb. 8: Stephanie Adkins, Saint Leo; Brooke Samios-Uy, Saint Leo
Feb. 15: Rachel Pence, Florida Tech; Samantha Ohmie, Saint Leo
Feb. 21: Stephanie Adkins, Saint Leo; Brooke Samios-Uy, Saint Leo
Feb. 29: Alyssa Bache, Tampa; Sommer Pollard, Saint Leo
Mar. 7: Alana Tabel, Saint Leo;
Tiffany Thompson, Saint Leo
2016 SSC Tennis Award Winners (Men; Women)
Feb. 8: Pavel Mojha, Lynn; Grace Mpassy, Lynn
Feb. 15: Alberto Barroso-Campos, Saint Leo; Klaudia Boczova, Nova Southeastern
Feb. 21: Ahmed Triki, Barry; Zuza Maciejewska, Barry
Feb. 29: Mehdi Laalej, Lynn; Grace Mpassy, Lynn
Mar. 7: Alberto Barroso-Campos, Saint Leo; Pauline Helgesson, Saint Leo
2016 SSC Men's Lacrosse Award Winners (Offense; Defense; Specialty)
Feb. 8: Justin Diamond, Rollins; Jake Hogan, Rollins; Travis Wunder, Florida Tech
Feb. 15: Connor Whipple, Tampa; Matt Lalli, Florida Southern; Travis Wunder, Florida Tech
Feb. 21: Andrew Kew, Tampa; A.J. Ferraro, Tampa; Alex Patton, Tampa
Feb. 29: Justin Diamond, Rollins; Matt Lalli, Florida Southern; Will Cothron, Saint Leo
Mar. 7: Dylan Yonts, Saint Leo; AJ Arnold, Tampa, Joseph Biondi, Florida Southern