River States Players of the Week - Sept. 9-15
MIDDLETOWN, Ohio - The River States Conference is pleased to announce the Player of the Week honorees for the past week.
All awards represent contests played from Monday, September 9 through Sunday, September 15.
Men's Soccer Players of the Week
Defensive Player of the Week
Guilherme Bitencourt, Shawnee State | Jr. - Center Back - Sao Paolo, Brazil
Junior captain Guilherme Bitencourt was tremendous all week long on the backline -- helping Shawnee State post an 11-2 goal margin and a 43-8 shot advantage in the Bears' victories over UC-Clermont and Michigan-Dearborn this week. In the latter half of Shawnee State's 4-1 victory over Michigan-Dearborn, Bitencourt got an opportunity to convert on the offensive end, connecting on a 79th minute penalty kick after fellow teammate Cameron Thompson was fouled in the box. Bitencourt and the SSU defensive backline did not allow Michigan-Dearborn to get a shot off over the first 28 minutes of Saturday's contest as well as the last 28 minutes of Saturday's affair. SSU held Cincinnati-Clermont to just one shot over the entire second half in its 7-1 victory earlier in the week.
Offensive Player of the Week
Nikos Pontikis, Shawnee State | Jr. - Right Back - Athens, Greece
Junior captain Nikos Pontikis was an absolute force all week for Shawnee State -- as the Athens, Greece product helped Shawnee State claim a massive 33-3 shot advantage in a 7-1 victory over Cincinnati-Clermont. Pontikis scored the game's first goal in the 28th minute, assisted on a 71st minute goal that allowed fellow teammate Marco Riva to claim a hat trick, and scored again himself in the 73rd minute to conclude matters. On Saturday against Michigan-Dearborn, Pontikis scored the game-winning goal by sneaking in a 38th minute conversion on the back post off of a corner kick, giving the Bears a lead that it wouldn't relinquish in a 4-1 win -- one where SSU outshot Michigan-Dearborn 10-5. For the season, Pontikis leads Shawnee State with five goals and 12 points in 2024. His two assists are tied with four additional players for the team lead.
Women's Soccer Players of the Week
Defensive Player of the Week
Sascha Pacheco, WVU Tech| So. - Goalkeeper - Brampton, Ontario
Pacheco led the Golden Bears to a shutout victory over Bluefield State last Monday, playing all 90 minutes in goal in a 4-0 win. The sophomore turned away all four Bluefield State shots, and moved WVU Tech to 2-1-1 on the season. Pacheco's effort was the first shutout of the season for WVU Tech.
Offensive Player of the Week
Renee Julia Verheijde, WVU Tech | So. - Midfielder - Rhenen, Netherlands
Verheijde was involved in WVU Tech's first two goals on Monday, leading the Golden Bears to a 4-0 victory over Bluefield State. The Netherlands native scored what proved to be the game winning goal in the fifth minute, then assisted on a goal in the 15th minute. The goal and assist marked her first points of the 2024 season.
Women's Volleyball Players of the Week
Attacker of the Week
Mya Grigsby, IU Kokomo | Fr. - Outside Hitter - Greenfield, Indiana
Grigsby wowed yet again this past weekend, flooring 38 Kills for 3.8 Kills/set to hit .304 for weekend. She had a complete weekend as she also had 32 digs (3.2 digs/set), 8 aces, and passed a 2.10 for the entire weekend. Led team vs. RV and, at that time,19-0 Cumberlands (Ky.) with 16 kills for 5.3 K/Set while hitting .433%.
Setter of the Week
Aislyn Hogan | Fr. - Setter - Fort Wayne, Indiana
Hogan took over the main setting duties for the Red Wolves in their three matches last week. The freshman had 30 or more assists in all three matches, including a career-high of 44 in IU East's victory over IU South Bend. The Fort Wayne native averaged almost eleven assists per set, and contributed on defense with more than two digs per set.
Defender of the Week
Dunja Madjarevic, Oakland City | Sr. - Defensive Specialist - Palio, Serbia
Madjarevic had a pair of massive defensive efforts in Saturday matches against Alice Lloyd and Williams Baptist. In just eight sets, the Serbian racked up 66 digs, logging 32 against Alice Lloyd and another 34 against Williams Baptist. The Mighty Oaks were victorious in both matches, beating both sides in four sets.
Cross Country Runners of the Week
Male Runner of the Week
Jackson Neibert, IU Columbus | Fr. - Trafalgar, Indiana
Neibert was Columbus's top runner in the Crimson Pride's opening meet of the season. The freshman finished in the top 20 of the field at Hanover College, running the race in 21:26.20.
Female Runner of the Week
Erin Jones, IU Columbus| So - Columbus, Indiana
Erin Jones was the top River States runner at the Hanover College Invitational Saturday morning, finishing in the top quarter of the field in IU Columbus' season opener. The Indiana native finished the course in 21:48.3.
Golf Players of the Week
Male Player of the Week
Sam Firebaugh, IU East | Jr. - Zionsville, Indiana
Firebaugh finished atop the leaderboard at The Players Invitational, firing a three-over par score across 54 holes. The junior's best round was his second round, where he shot a one-under 71.
Female Player of the Week
Bailey Barker, St. Mary-of-the-Woods | Jr. - Crawfordsville, Indiana
Bailey Barker carded rounds of 80 and 76 to post a score of 156 and win the Alice Lloyd College Fall Invitational and help the team win the event.