College players of the week named by TSWA - Nov. 7

November 7, 2023 Forrest Freeman

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – UT Martin quarterback Kinkead Dent led his Skyhawk squad back from a 14-point fourth-quarter deficit to send the game into overtime, then threw an incredible strike to Zoe Roberts to complete the 44-41 overtime comeback win over Tennessee Tech on Saturday to earn this week’s Tennessee Sports Writers Association Football Offensive Player of the Week honor.

Dent finished the game with five touchdown passes as he completed 24 of his 40 tosses for 318 yards. It was the eighth time in UTM history that a quarterback has thrown five or more touchdown passes in a game, joining Derek Carr and Jarod Neal as the only ones to accomplish the feat multiple times in the same season.

Dent’s final throw toward Roberts was batted down by Tech’s Cameron Hudson, but Roberts stretched back out to haul in the pass for the game-winning score. The play was selected as SportsCenter’s No. 1 Play of the Day afterward.

The Yazoo City, Miss., native currently ranks eighth in the Football Championship Subdivision and first in the Big South-Ohio Valley Conference Football Association with 21 passing touchdowns, while ranking 11th in the FCS with 138 points responsible for.

On the defensive side, Tusculum junior defensive back Jermaine Witherspoon contributed on three of the Pioneers’ four forced turnovers, including the game-tying fumble return for a touchdown. The effort helped Tusculum knock off No. 25 Mars Hill in a 29-27 double-overtime win.

After trailing by two touchdowns, Witherspoon tied the game at 14 as he picked up the loose ball and returned it 23 yards for the score. He later forced another fumble, then collected his 10th career interception. Witherspoon finished the game with seven tackles – one for-loss – and had a QB hurry.

WOMEN’S SOCCER: Maryville junior forward Sierra Lee scored two goals on the week, including the game-winning goal in the Scots’ 2-1 overtime victory over Covenant in the Collegiate Conference of the South championship. The goal came in the 97th minute, leading Maryville to both regular-season and tournament titles. Lee also picked up a goal in the semifinal victory over Piedmont.

VOLLEYBALL: King senior outside hitter Hailee Blankenship collected a double-double in both matches this past weekend. She had a career-high 24 kills and 13 digs in a five-set victory over Converse. Against Emmanuel, Blankenship had 21 kills with 17 digs and an assisted block. She has recorded double-doubles in six of her last seven matches.

2023-24 TSWA College Sports Players of the Week
FOOTBALL
8/29 | Offensive: A.J. Swann (Vanderbilt), Defensive: De’Rickey Wright (Vanderbilt)
9/5 | Offensive: Joe Milton III (Tennessee), Defensive: Jake Cottle (Carson-Newman)
9/12 | Offensive: Sam Franklin (UT Martin), Defensive: Aaron Beasley (Tennessee)
9/19 | Offensive: Kinkead Dent (UT Martin), Defensive: Sam Brumfield (Middle Tennessee)
9/26 | Offensive: Matthew Palazzo (Tusculum), Defensive: Alex Mitchell (Chattanooga)
10/3 | Offensive: Mike DiLiello (Austin Peay), Defensive: Quinn Johnson (Sewanee)
10/10 | Offensive: Javin Whatley (Chattanooga), Defensive: Derek Taylor (Cumberland)
10/17 | Offensive: Matthew Palazzo (Tusculum), Defensive: Jaylen Mahoney (Vanderbilt)
10/24 | Offensive: Bryson Rollins (Maryville College), Defensive: Mekhi Brown (Carson-Newman)
10/31 | Offensive: Mike DiLielle (Austin Peay), Co-Defensive: Terrell Allen (Tennessee State), Daniel Rickert (Tennessee Tech)
11/7 | Offensive: Kinkead Dent (UT Martin), Defensive: Jermaine Witherspoon (Tusculum)

TSWA annouces college players of the week - Oct. 31

October 31, 2023 Forrest Freeman

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Austin Peay graduate quarterback Mike DiLiello put his name soundly in the Governors’ record book on Saturday as he passed for six touchdowns in a 49-39 victory over North Alabama, earning the Tennessee Sports Writers Association’s Offensive Player of the Week honor in football for the week of Oct. 23-29.

All six of the passes went to six different receivers as the FedEx Ground FCS National Offensive Player of the Week honoree completed 20 of 25 passes for 353 yards – his fourth 300+-yard game of the season.

DiLiello has 4,373 passing yards in his APSU career, ranking fourth in program history and stands 81 yards behind JaVaughn Craig for third. He is also seven touchdowns behind Brian Baker for the APSU career passing touchdown record. His 2,279 passing yards this season ranks as the fifth-best single-season mark in program history.

CO-DEFENSIVE: Tennessee State senior defensive lineman Terrell Allen continued his tear as he collected a career-high 10 tackles – seven solo – while posting an FCS season-best 4.5 sacks and 6.5 tackles-for-loss in a 43-20 win over Lindenwood. Allen also forced two fumbles, including one on a sack in the red zone that was later taken in for a score.

It was the third-straight multi-sack game for Allen, while he also set a new Tennessee State single-game record for tackles-for-loss. He leads the FCS in sacks (1.69 per game), tackles for loss (2.6 per game) and forced fumbles (0.62 per game).

He shares the honor with Tennessee Tech defensive lineman Daniel Rickert, who forced two fumbles, recovered two and set up two of the Golden Eagles’ three defensive touchdowns in a 38-13 victory at Robert Morris. In the second quarter, Rickert sacked the RMU quarterback and picked up the loose ball himself, going 20 yards for the touchdown. In the fourth, Rickert sacked the quarterback again as the ball got over to Aaron Swafford, who returned it 52 yards for the second of three defensive scores.

Rickert, an honorable mention for the FedEx Ground FCS National Defensive Player of the Week, had seven total tackles – five solo – with two tackles-for-loss, both sacks. Tech forced six turnovers in the game – the third-most in a single game in program history, while Rickert became the first Golden Eagle to force two fumbles since Aderick Moore at Eastern Illinois in 2019 and recover two fumbles since Trey Thompson against Jacksonville State in 2014.

WOMEN’S SOCCER: King freshman Ella Froehlich had a big week for the Tornado, scoring three goals on the week. She had two scores and an assist in King’s 7-1 victory over Erskine. She also picked up a goal in the team’s loss to Belmont Abbey.

VOLLEYBALL: Tennessee Tech sophomore setter Jordan Karlen collected 103 assists and 27 digs as the Golden Eagles collected back-to-back 3-1 victories against conference foe Western Illinois. Karlen averaged 12.88 assists and 3.38 digs per set, while also collecting four kills, three service aces and a block. She had a career-high 53 assists in Thursday’s victory, averaging 13.25 per set with 15 digs, then had 50 assists on Friday with 12 digs for her 10th double-double of the season.

College players of the week honored - Oct. 24

October 24, 2023 Forrest Freeman

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Maryville College sophomore quarterback Bryson Rollins collected all four touchdowns for the Scots in their 26-6 victory over LaGrange Saturday, earning the football offensive player of the week nod from the Tennessee Sports Writers Association on Tuesday based on the games from October 16-22.

Rollins, an Elizabethton, Tenn., native, rushed for three touchdowns as he carried the ball 13 times for 38 yards, then completed 19-of-32 passes for 237 yards and another score. In the game, Rollins also surpassed the 2,000-yard mark passing and extended his career yardage to 4,595, which already stands as the Scots’ program record.

On the defensive side, Carson-Newman sophomore linebacker Mekhi Brown (Wauchula, Fla.) had a big game defensively in a 21-17 loss to Mars Hill as he recorded three sacks for 21 yards. He had six total tackles with four for-loss for 24 yards.

MEN’S SOCCER: Maryville College senior goalkeeper Mykal Manfred (Gallatin, Tenn.) posted two shutouts in goal as the Scots went 1-0-1 on the week. Across the two matches, Manfred made 17 saves, matching his season-best tally of 11 in a 2-0 victory over Birmingham-Southern, while also preserving a 0-0 draw to Huntingdon, facing 30 tries on the weekend.

WOMEN’S SOCCER: King University senior goalkeeper Kristal Garcia (Orlando, Fla.) made 18 saves over two matches, collecting 10 stops in a thrilling 3-2 victory against North Greenville. She also had eight stops in a 1-0 loss at Lees-McRae.

VOLLEYBALL: King senior outside hitter Hailee Blankenship (Goode, Va.) recorded her ninth and tenth double-doubles of the season as she averaged 5.13 kills and 4.13 digs per set this past weekend. In a 3-0 win over Belmont Abbey, Blankenship recorded 18 kills and 18 digs with three service aces. In a 3-2 loss at Converse, she had 23 kills and 15 digs.

2023-24 TSWA College Sports Players of the Week
FOOTBALL
8/29 | Offensive: A.J. Swann (Vanderbilt), Defensive: De’Rickey Wright (Vanderbilt)
9/5 | Offensive: Joe Milton III (Tennessee), Defensive: Jake Cottle (Carson-Newman)
9/12 | Offensive: Sam Franklin (UT Martin), Defensive: Aaron Beasley (Tennessee)
9/19 | Offensive: Kinkead Dent (UT Martin), Defensive: Sam Brumfield (Middle Tennessee)
9/26 | Offensive: Matthew Palazzo (Tusculum), Defensive: Alex Mitchell (Chattanooga)
10/3 | Offensive: Mike DiLiello (Austin Peay), Defensive: Quinn Johnson (Sewanee)
10/10 | Offensive: Javin Whatley (Chattanooga), Defensive: Derek Taylor (Cumberland)
10/17 | Offensive: Matthew Palazzo (Tusculum), Defensive: Jaylen Mahoney (Vanderbilt)
10/24 | Offensive: Bryson Rollins (Maryville College), Defensive: Mekhi Brown (Carson-Newman)

TSWA releases players of the week - Oct. 17

October 17, 2023 Forrest Freeman

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Tusculum quarterback Matthew Palazzo pulled together four touchdowns – three passing and one rushing – as the Pioneers topped conference foe Virginia-Wise 35-7 and led the way among a talented field for this week’s Tennessee Sports Writers Association College Sports Players of the Week for the games between Oct. 9-15.

In all, Palazzo recorded 314 passing yards – his second-straight 300-plus-yard game – as two of his touchdown passes were 70 yards or better – tosses of 73 and 70. That is the second time in school history a Tusculum quarterback has thrown two 70-plus yard touchdowns in a game, joining Bo Cordell’s game against Urbana in 2009. Since taking over as the Pioneers’ starting QB in week 3, he has a 4-1 record.

On the defensive side, Vanderbilt graduate defensive back Jaylen Mahoney stood strong against No. 1 Georgia recording a career-best 16 tackles in the contest. That total, the most by a Southeastern Conference player this season, is the most by a Vanderbilt player since November 2019.

MEN’S SOCCER: Trevecca Nazarene senior forward Marlon Grossman helped lead the squad to two victories in a big way as he scored a hat trick in a 5-3 win over Ohio Dominican, then scored another game-winning goal in a 2-1 victory over Malone University.

WOMEN’S SOCCER: Sewanee junior forward Brianna Fee only needed 16 minutes of playing time to record a hat trick in the Tigers’ 4-0 victory over Millsaps. She then picked up an assist in a 3-0 victory at Birmingham-Southern on Sunday to improve Sewanee to a 12-match unbeaten streak.

VOLLEYBALL: Trevecca Nazarene junior right side/middle blocker was unstoppable this past weekend at the Midwest Crossover as she had 20-plus kills in all three matches. She collected 27 against Northern Michigan, 20 against Illinois-Springfield and 20 against Upper Iowa. For the event, she averaged 22.3 kills per match (5.58 per set) with a .248 hitting percentage, while also averaging eight digs per match and collecting nine total blocks.

TSWA announces players of the week - Oct. 10

October 10, 2023 Forrest Freeman

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Chattanooga sophomore wide receiver Javin Whatley put together a tremendous game on Saturday in the Mocs’ 52-50 loss to Football Championship Subdivision No. 17 Western Carolina. In the contest, he recorded a Chattanooga-record 353 all-purpose yards with career highs in receptions (11) and receiving yards (231), while hauling in four touchdown catches.

Whatley was named the Football Offensive Player of the Week on Tuesday as the Tennessee Sports Writers Association announced its weekly College Sports Players of the Week for October 2-8.

The redshirt sophomore from Rockmart, Ga., had touchdown catches of 31, eight, 11 and 32 yards, becoming just the third Chattanooga player to record four or more touchdown catches in a game, joining NFL Hall of Famer Terrell Owens (vs. Marshall, 1994) and Cos DeMatteo (six vs. Mississippi Valley State in 2000).

It was the first time a Moc player had more than 300 all-purpose yards in a Southern Conference game. The 231 receiving yards are the most for a Chattanooga player since Bryce Nunnelly against the Citadel in 2018 and is the fifth-most in a single game in program history.

On the defensive side, Tennessee transfer Derek Taylor had a big game as the Phoenix upset No. 23 University of the Cumberlands 21-17. Taylor had five tackles in the game but had two huge interceptions.

MEN’S SOCCER: Belmont graduate midfielder Jansen Wilson led the Bruins to its first-ever win at Bradley as he collected two goals in the match to lead Belmont to the 3-1 victory. He scored in the 23rd minute off of a cross, then took a feed from Michael Saunders in the 54th minute.

WOMEN’S SOCCER: Sewanee freshman defender Katye Dullye worked hard on both sides of the ball as she collected two goals and an assist as she picked up a score in a 2-0 win over Hendrix on Sunday, while tallying a goal and an assist in a 2-1 win over Rhodes on Friday.

VOLLEYBALL: Lipscomb middle blocker Meg Mersman had strong outings this weekend as the Bison defeated Eastern Kentucky 3-2 for the Colonels’ first conference loss and third overall loss of the season, then topped Bellarmine 3-1 for Lipscomb’s eighth straight victory. Mersman had 38 total kills, averaging 4.22 per set. She hit .452 with a season-high 21 kills against the Colonels, then had 17 kills against Bellarmine.