NASHVILLE, Tenn. – As the fall sports begin to get underway, the Tennessee Sports Writers Association announced its first College Players of the Week honors, based on the contests from August 21 through 27. Vanderbilt’s A.J. Swann and De’Rickey Wright were selected as the football players of the week, Belmont’s Brock Kiper took the men’s soccer honor, while Middle Tennessee’s Eleanor Gough and Laure Jansen were picked for the women’s soccer and volleyball awards respectively.
FOOTBALL: Swann, a sophomore quarterback from White, Ga., put together a fantastic effort in the Commodores’ 38-25 victory over Hawaii on Saturday night in Nashville, completing 19 of his 30 passes for 258 yards and three touchdowns. He found Will Sheppard twice for TDs, London Humphreys for another, as well as a 2-point conversion pass to Quincy Skinner Jr.
Wright, a senior safety from Gadsden, Ala., intercepted the ball in the end zone midway through the second quarter to keep Vanderbilt on top, then with just under two minutes remaining – with the Commodores up by seven – Wright picked off his second pass of the game to seal the game.
MEN’S SOCCER: Kiper, a sophomore forward from Mason, Ohio, led the Bruins to a 1-0-1 record last week as he scored both of Belmont’s goals. He scored his first career goal in the 37th minute on a header as Belmont topped Georgia State 1-0. A diving header against Florida Atlantic in the 31st minute gave the Bruins a 1-0 lead that held until the 75th minute. Kiper was 2-for-3 shooting for the week.
WOMEN’S SOCCER: Gough, a senior midfielder from Milton Keynes, England, improved the Blue Raiders to a 2-1-1 record on the season as she scored off of a pass from Faith Adje in the 87th minute to give Middle Tennessee a bounce-back win over Howard in a 1-0 victory.
VOLLEYBALL: Jansen, a junior outside hitter from Valburg, Netherlands, had two great showings at the Big Orange Bash, earning all-tournament honors as the Blue Raiders took on Clemson and Wofford. Against the Tigers, Jansen had 12 kills as she hit .259 with three service aces – including the 100th in her career – while also posting a career-high 12 digs. Against the Terriers, Jansen had 11 kills and 10 digs, while hitting .296.
2023-24 TSWA College Sports Players of the Week
FOOTBALL
8/29 | Offensive: A.J. Swann (Vanderbilt), Defensive: De’Rickey Wright (Vanderbilt)MEN’S SOCCER
8/29 | Brock Kiper (Belmont)WOMEN’S SOCCER
8/29 | Eleanor Gough (Middle Tennessee)VOLLEYBALL
8/29 | Laure Jansen (Middle Tennessee)
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