TSWA recognizes college players of the week - Sept. 16

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee junior running back Dylan Sampson had an incredible first half Saturday as the Volunteers routed Kent State 71-0 with the Baton Rouge native rushing 13 times for 101 yards and four touchdowns.

He earned this week’s Tennessee Sports Writers Association Football Offensive Player of the Week honor for his performance, setting records in the process. Along with the Vols setting a school record for points scored and total offensive yards, Sampson tied the single-game program record for rushing touchdowns in the modern era (1937-onward) with six other Volunteers. He is the first to accomplish the feat in a single half and the first since Gene McEver against South Carolina on Dec. 7, 1929.

Sampson is the first Tennessee player with multiple rushing touchdowns in three straight games since Alvin Kamara in 2016 and the first with four consecutive 100-yard rushing games since Arian Foster had five straight in the 2005 campaign.

The junior currently leads the Southeastern Conference and is tie for the national lead in rushing touchdowns this season with nine.

On the defensive side, Chattanooga junior linebacker Alex Mitchell collected a career-high 11 tackles in a 10-3 loss to Mercer. The defensive effort, despite the loss, was impressive as it held a Mercer team that had been averaging 47.0 points to just 10 in the contest.

Mitchell, a Murfreesboro native, had a career-best nine solo stops, which was more than all but one other tackler – teammate Reuben Lowery III – had in total. Mitchell also recorded 2.0 tackles-for-loss, including his second career sack.

VOLLEYBALL: Tennessee Tech junior setter Jordan Karlen doled out a whopping 12.44 assists per set while adding 2.00 digs per set. She also quarterbacked a Tech offense that hit an elite .285 for the weekend to earn the TSWA Volleyball Player of the Week honor.

The Janesville, Wisc., native opened the weekend with 40 helpers, two kills, four digs, and a block against Nicholls. She turned in 41 more assists with 10 digs for a double-double with two aces against West Georgia. Karlen ended things with a three-kill, 31-assist showing with Radford, landing three more aces and scooping four digs.

Karlen has established herself as one of the country's best setters. The junior ranks eighth nationally in assists per set with a mark of 11.03.

MEN’S SOCCER: Belmont senior midfielder A.J. Chastonay won his second TSWA Men’s Soccer Player of the Week honor after being involved in both goals for the Bruins last week, including his team-leading fifth goal of the season at Bellarmine – where his father is the head coach.

With his goal against the Knights, Chastonay surpassed Niccolo Dagnoni, Will Moorad and Jeremy Littlejohn for the third-most goals in Belmont history.

He also assisted on Belmont’s first-half goal to give the Bruins a 1-0 lead over No. 4 Western Michigan for his second assist on the season and ninth in his career.

WOMEN’S SOCCER: Lipscomb senior Kiara Pralle added to her Atlantic Sun Player of the Week honor after collecting a hat trick in a 4-1 victory at SEC foe Ole Miss. All three of her goals were scored within a span of six minutes and it was the first Bison hat trick since 2021.

Pralle scored her first goal in the 63rd minute before the Rebels responded in the 66th. Only 24 seconds later, Pralle scored to retake the lead and added an insurance marker in the 68th.

She leads Lipscomb in shot attempts this season with 28 and six goals.

2024 TSWA Players of the Week
FOOTBALL
9/3 | Offensive: Diego Pavia (Vanderbilt); Defensive: Bryan Longwell (Vanderbilt)
9/10 | Offensive: Sam Phillips (Chattanooga); Defensive: Elijah Herring (Memphis)
9/17 | Offensive: Dylan Sampson (Tennessee); Defensive: Alex Mitchell (Chattanooga)

VOLLEYBALL
9/3 | Maddie Isringhausen (Tennessee Tech)
9/10 | Blair Cherry (Carson-Newman)
9/17 | Jordan Karlen (Tennessee Tech)

MEN’S SOCCER
8/27 | Alex Clayton (Belmont)
9/3 | A.J. Chastonay (Belmont)
9/10 | Robbie Lyons (Cumberland)
9/17 | A.J. Chastonay (Belmont)

WOMEN’S SOCCER
8/27 | Ai Kitagawa (Memphis)
9/3 | Neve Renwick (Tennessee Tech)
9/10 | Gabby Jones (Cumberland)
9/17 | Kiara Pralle (Lipscomb)

TSWA Prep Poll presented by CoachT.com - Sept. 16

NASHVILLE – The Tennessee Sports Writers Association announced football rankings after Week 4 on Monday, with the poll presented by CoachT.com. Top 10 teams in each of the six Division I classifications and Top 5 in three Division II classes were selected by TSWA members with first-place votes in parentheses and total points based on 10 points for a first-place vote through one point for a 10th-place vote.

Class A
1. McKenzie (4-0) – 169 (16)
2. Gordonsville (4-0) – 150 (1)
3. Whitwell (4-0) – 130
4. Coalfield (4-0) – 121
5. Oliver Springs (3-1) – 79
6. South Fulton (4-0) – 74
7. Chattanooga Prep (3-1) – 54
8. Halls (4-0) – 51
9. South Pittsburg (2-2) – 34
10. Union City (2-2) – 28
Others receiving votes: Clay County 21, MASE 10, Middle College 6, Moore County 2, Oakdale 2, Harriman 1, Richland 1, Houston County 1, Cloudland 1

Class 2A
1. East Robertson (4-0) – 162 (11)
2. Marion County (4-0) – 142 (5)
3. Milan (4-0) – 138 (1)
4. Decatur County Riverside (3-1) – 118
5. Fairley (3-0) – 96
6. Forrest (4-0) – 77
7. Huntingdon (2-1) – 74
8. Mt. Pleasant (4-0) – 44
9. Bledsoe County (3-1) – 22
10. Jackson Central-Merry (3-0) – 12
Others receiving votes: Westmoreland 12, East Hickman 8, Summertown 7, Memphis Business 5, York Institute 5, Mitchell 3, Oneida 3, Tellico Plains 2, Lewis County 2, Peabody 1, Fayetteville 1, Happy Valley 1

Class 3A
1. Alcoa (2-1) – 168 (15)
2. East Nashville (4-0) – 142
3. Covington (3-0) – 138 (1)
t4. Westview (4-0) – 114
t4. Meigs County (3-0) – 114 (1)
6. Unicoi County (3-0) – 69
7. Sequatchie County (3-1) – 59
8. Johnson County (4-0) – 48
9. Gatlinburg-Pittman (3-1) – 22
10. Bolton (4-0) – 19
Others receiving votes: Pigeon Forge 18, Giles County 13, McMinn Central 4, Dyersburg 4, McNairy Central 3

Class 4A
1. Upperman (4-0) – 167 (14)
2. Anderson County (3-0) – 139 (2)
3. Dyer County (4-0) – 97
4. Pearl-Cohn (2-2) – 94
5. Marshall County (4-0) – 92
6. Greeneville (2-2) – 90 (1)
7. Haywood (3-1) – 84
t8. Signal Mountain (4-0) – 48
t8. Macon County (3-1) – 48
10. Loudon (4-0) – 26
Others receiving votes: DeKalb County 18, Crockett County 10, White County 9, Soddy Daisy 3, Elizabethton 3, Gibbs 3, White House 2, Red Bank 2

Class 5A
1. Page (4-0) – 169 (16)
2. Sevier County (4-0) – 132
3. Powell (3-1) – 118 (1)
4. Beech (3-1) – 106
5. Southwind (3-1) – 86
6. Centennial (3-1) – 77
7. Walker Valley (3-1) – 68
8. Knox West (2-2) – 61
9. Shelbyville (3-1) – 40
10. Munford (3-1) – 36
Others receiving votes: Henry County 15, Hendersonville 14, Nolensville 8, Rhea County 5

Class 6A
1. Oakland (4-0) – 165 (13)
2. Germantown Houston (4-0) – 146 (2)
3. Maryville (4-0) – 141 (2)
4. Ravenwood (4-0) – 110
5. Cleveland (4-0) – 103
6. Collierville (4-0) – 79
7. Brentwood (3-1) – 59
8. Mt. Juliet (4-0) – 39
9. Riverdale (3-1) – 27
10. Science Hill (3-0) – 26
Others receiving votes: Cookeville 25, Green Hill 7, Bartlett 6, Germantown 1, Clarksville 1

Division II-A
1. Donelson Christian (4-0) – 78 (14)
2. Jackson Christian (3-1) – 63 (2)
3. Nashville Christian (2-1) – 47
4. Columbia Academy (2-2) – 23
5. FACS (2-0) – 19
Others receiving votes: Mt. Juliet Christian 5, Friendship Christian 4, Middle Tennessee Christian 1

Division II-AA
1. Christ Presbyterian (4-0) – 76 (12)
2. Boyd Buchanan (4-0) – 67 (4)
3. Battle Ground Academy (4-0) – 39
4. Franklin Road Academy (4-0) – 29
5. University School of Jackson (4-0) – 17
Others receiving votes: Lausanne 6, Grace Christian-Knoxville 5, Davidson Academy 1

Division II-AAA
1. Baylor (4-0) – 79 (15)
2. McCallie (3-1) – 59 (1)
3. Ensworth (4-0) – 52
4. Brentwood Academy (3-1) – 27
5. Knox Catholic (3-1) – 16
Others receiving votes: Montgomery Bell Academy 4, Christian Brothers 3

College players of the week honored by TSWA - Sept. 10

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Chattanooga junior wide receiver Sam Phillips put together one of the best performances the Mocs’ program has seen in some time, earning the TSWA’s Football Offensive Player of the Week Award.

The junior from Cartersville, Ga., posted a career-high 195 yards on eight catches with one touchdown, while also returning a punt 15 yards for 210 all-purpose yards. The totals were buoyed by an 84-yard touchdown reception – the longest scoring play for Chattanooga since Ailym Ford’s 86-yard run against Wofford in 2022 and the longest pass play for the program since Nick Tiano to Bryce Nunnelly for 89 yards against Tennessee Tech in 2018. It is tied for the ninth-longest pass play in program history.

Despite the 24-21 loss to Football Bowl Subdivision foe Georgia State, Phillips’ all-purpose tally was the most against an FBS opponent since Brian Sutherland’s 254 yards at Auburn in the 2010 campaign and the fourth-most receiving yards against a top-tier Division I foe behind Cos DeMatteo (207 vs. Louisville in 1999), Tony Jackson (200 vs. Vanderbilt in 1980) and Rocky Turner (198 vs. Ole Miss in 1971).

On the defensive side of the ball, Memphis linebacker Elijah Herring took home the honor as he led the Tiger defense with eight tackles – six of those solo – with two for-loss, a sack, as well as a forced fumble he also recovered during the victory over back-to-back Sun Belt Conference champion Troy. Herring was also named the American Athletic Conference’s Defensive Player of the Week.

VOLLEYBALL: Carson-Newman sophomore setter Blair Cherry had a tremendous week as the Eagles went 2-1, collecting two double-doubles. In the 3-2 loss at No. 6 Missouri-St. Louis, the Knoxville native recorded 49 assists and nine digs to go along with four kills and one block. In a 3-2 victory over Harding, Cherry posted 42 assists with 10 digs and three kills, while adding four service aces and three assisted blocks.

Her big game of the weekend came in a 3-1 victory at Union as Cherry recorded 50 assists over four sets, while also tallying 12 digs, four service aces and a block.

MEN’S SOCCER: Cumberland midfielder Robbie Lyons had a great week as the senior captain from Dublin, Ireland, had three goals and two assists to earn the Player of the Week honor. He had two goals and two assists in a 10-0 victory over Brescia, then added a penalty kick goal against Faulkner. He totaled five shots with four on goal.

WOMEN’S SOCCER: Offense continued in Lebanon as senior forward Gabby Jones put together a monster week, posting 15 total points with six goals and three assists, nabbing a hat trick in both contests. In Cumberland’s 17-0 win over Blue Mountain Christian, Jones had three goals and two assists as she collected 10 shots with six on-frame. She followed that up with another trio of scores and an assist in a 7-1 win over Missouri Baptist, with four shots and three on-goal.

Jones is currently second in the NAIA in goals scored and leads the association in points scored.

2024 TSWA College Players of the Week
FOOTBALL
9/3 | Offensive: Diego Pavia (Vanderbilt); Defensive: Bryan Longwell (Vanderbilt)
9/10 | Offensive: Sam Phillips (Chattanooga); Defensive: Elijah Herring (Memphis)

VOLLEYBALL
9/3 | Maddie Isringhausen (Tennessee Tech)
9/10 | Blair Cherry (Carson-Newman)

MEN’S SOCCER
8/27 | Alex Clayton (Belmont)
9/3 | A.J. Chastonay (Belmont)
9/10 | Robbie Lyons (Cumberland)

WOMEN’S SOCCER
8/27 | Ai Kitagawa (Memphis)
9/3 | Neve Renwick (Tennessee Tech)
9/10 | Gabby Jones (Cumberland)

TSWA Prep Poll presented by CoachT.com - Sept. 9

NASHVILLE – The Tennessee Sports Writers Association announced football rankings after Week 3 on Monday, with the poll presented by CoachT.com. Top 10 teams in each of the six Division I classifications and Top 5 in three Division II classes were selected by TSWA members with first-place votes in parentheses and total points based on 10 points for a first-place vote through one point for a 10th-place vote.

Class A
1. McKenzie (3-0) – 209 (20)
2. Gordonsville (3-0) – 179 (1)
3. Coalfield (3-0) – 155
4. Whitwell (3-0) – 145
5. Oliver Springs (2-1) – 107
6. South Pittsburg (2-1) – 94
7. South Fulton (3-0) – 67
8. Moore County (2-1) – 52
9. Chattanooga Prep (2-1) – 41
10. Halls (3-0) – 36
Others receiving votes: Union City 22, Gleason 10, MASE 9, Clay County 8, Cloudland 7, Oakdale 7, Middle College 3, Harriman 1, Greenfield 1, Cosby 1, West Carroll 1

Class 2A
1. East Robertson (3-0) – 203 (17)
t2. Marion County (3-0) – 171 (3)
t2. Milan (3-0) – 171 (1)
4. Decatur County Riverside (2-1) – 138
5. Bledsoe County (3-0) – 112
6. Fairley (2-0) – 105
7. Forrest (3-0) – 63
8. East Hickman (3-0) – 52
9. Huntingdon (1-1) – 48
10. Mt. Pleasant (3-0) – 27
Others receiving votes: Loretto 19, Tellico Plains 13, Jackson Central-Merry 9, Monterey 7, Summertown 7, Fayetteville 4, Westmoreland 3, Oneida 2, Happy Valley 1

Class 3A
1. Alcoa (1-1) – 207 (19)
2. East Nashville (3-0) – 179 (1)
3. Covington (3-0) – 174 (1)
4. Meigs County (2-0) – 133
5. Westview (3-0) – 128
6. Unicoi County (2-0) – 76
7. Sequatchie County (2-1) – 64
8. Johnson County (3-0) – 51
9. Gatlinburg-Pittman (2-1) – 46
10. Bolton (3-0) – 36
Others receiving votes: Giles County 14, Pigeon Forge 10, Fairview 9, McMinn Central 8, Tyner Academy 7, Union County 5, Dyersburg 4, Bolivar Central 3, Kingston 1

Class 4A
1. Upperman (3-0) – 202 (15)
2. Greeneville (2-1) – 180 (6)
3. Anderson County (2-0) – 165
4. Pearl-Cohn (1-2) – 105
t5. Haywood (2-1) – 103
t5. Dyer County (3-0) – 103
7. Marshall County (3-0) – 89
8. Macon County (2-1) – 81
9. Signal Mountain (3-0) – 41
10. DeKalb County (3-0) – 19
Others receiving votes: Loudon 18, Crockett County 11, Red Bank 10, Gibbs 7, White County 6, Elizabethton 6, Stone Memorial 5, Soddy Daisy 4

Class 5A
1. Page (3-0) – 209 (20)
2. Southwind (3-0) – 181 (1)
3. Knox West (2-1) – 161
4. Sevier County (3-0) – 142
5. Powell (2-1) – 108
6. Beech (2-1) – 85
7. Henry County (2-1) – 84
8. Walker Valley (2-1) – 69
9. Centennial (2-1) – 41
10. Shelbyville (2-1) – 29
Others receiving votes: Hendersonville 26, Rhea County 14, Munford 2, Nolensville 2, Knox Karns 1, McMinn County 1

Class 6A
1. Oakland (3-0) – 204 (15)
2. Germantown Houston (3-0) – 176 (3)
3. Maryville (3-0) – 171 (3)
4. Ravenwood (3-0) – 143
5. Cleveland (3-0) – 114
6.Collierville (3-0) – 79
7. Brentwood (2-1) – 76
8. Mt. Juliet (3-0) – 49
9. Riverdale (2-1) – 43
10.Science Hill (2-0) – 31
Others receiving votes: Cookeville 19, Germantown 18, Bartlett 10, John Overton 9, Green Hill 4, Antioch 3, Bearden 3, Whitehaven 1, Rossview 1, Clarksville 1

Division II-A
1. Jackson Christian (3-0) – 97 (18)
2. Donelson Christian (3-0) – 77 (2)
3. Nashville Christian (2-1) – 52
4. Columbia Academy (2-1) – 42
5. FACS (1-0) – 13
Others receiving votes: Friendship Christian 7, Providence Christian 7, Mt. Juliet Christian 4, Trinity Christian 1

Division II-AA
1. Christ Presbyterian (3-0) – 86 (14)
t2. Boyd Buchanan (3-0) – 85 (5)
3. Battle Ground Academy (3-0) – 46 (1)
4. Franklin Road Academy (3-0) – 29
5. University School of Jackson (3-0) – 21
Others receiving votes: Lausanne 19, Grace Christian-Knoxville 8, Silverdale Academy 3, Davidson Academy 3

Division II-AAA
1. Baylor (3-0) – 99 (19)
2. Ensworth (3-0) – 65 (1)
3. McCallie (2-1) – 60
4. Knox Catholic (3-0) – 47
5. Montgomery Bell Academy (2-1) – 15
Others receiving votes: Brentwood Academy 10, Father Ryan 2, Lipscomb Academy 2

TSWA recognizes college players of the week - Sept. 3

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – In a weekend of some incredible performances to open up the college football slate, the Tennessee Sports Writers Association selected Vanderbilt graduate quarterback Diego Pavia as its offensive player of the week, narrowly beating Tennessee redshirt freshman Nico Iamaleava for the honor as both signal-callers put together impressive performances.

Pavia, a native of Albuquerque, N.M., rolled together 296 total yards of offense and collected three touchdowns in the Commodores’ overtime victory over Virginia Tech. Through the air, he completed 12 of his 16 passes for 190 yards and two touchdowns. Pavia also rushed for a game-high 104 yards on 26 carries, including the game-winning four-yard touchdown in overtime.

He was the only Power 4 QB to throw and run for over 100 yards this weekend and became the first Commodore QB to accomplish that in two seasons. Pavia also helped Vanderbilt win a game when trailing by seven or more points in the fourth quarter since the 2016 campaign.

Iamaleava, in his second career start and first in front of the home fans, set a Volunteer record for passing yards in a half with 314 on 22-for-28 passing with three touchdowns in a 69-3 victory over Chattanooga.

On the defensive side of the ball, Vanderbilt sophomore linebacker Bryan Longwell earned the nod after recording a career-best nine total tackles, including an assist on a tackle-for-loss. Longwell, a Nashville product, broke up a pass that resulted in an interception, leading to a touchdown drive and 10-point lead early in the second quarter. He also had a big third-down stop in the third quarter, forcing the Hokies to punt with Vandy leading by one possession. The Commodores held Virginia Tech to 75 rushing yards and 2.5 yards per carry.

VOLLEYBALL: Tennessee Tech’s Maddie Isringhausen was named the TSWA Volleyball Player of the Week, capturing the honor after claiming the MVP nod at the Carrie Yerty Classic in Memphis. The senior from Edwardsville, Ill., was an unstoppable force while leading Tech to a perfect 3-0 weekend without dropping a set, piling up 48 kills (5.33/set) while hitting a robust .354. Isringhausen dropped 18 kills with a pair of aces and five digs in the opening win over Austin Peay before smashing .382 with 15 kills, an ace, and nine digs in the sweep over host Memphis. She rounded out the weekend with 15 more terminations and a gaudy .500 attack percentage with two more aces in the win over Mississippi Valley State.

MEN’S SOCCER: Belmont senior midfielder A.J. Chastonay played a part in all three of the Bruins’ goals this past week. On Thursday, the Louisville, Ky., native scored both goals in a 2-1 victory over Northern Kentucky – his first goals since the spring season of 2021 and 16th of his career. Both scores were in the first 30 minutes of the match. He followed that with an assist at Florida Atlantic on Sunday.

WOMEN’S SOCCER: After a tough 1-0 loss at Mississippi State on Thursday, Tennessee Tech sophomore forward Neve Renwick had a great showing as Ivy League foe Columbia came into Cookeville. The forward from Sheffield, England, collected five total points in the contest as she scored two goals – an equalizer in the 70th minute, then an unassisted strike in the 80th minute. Renwick also assisted on Anna Baker’s go-ahead goal at 85:50 before Columbia’s Nata Ramirez knotted the game at 4-4 at 88:57 – all eight goals scored in the second half.

2024-25 TSWA College Players of the Week
Football
9/3 | Offensive: Diego Pavia (Vanderbilt); Defensive: Bryan Longwell (Vanderbilt)

Volleyball
9/3 | Maddie Isringhausen (Tennessee Tech)

Men’s Soccer
8/27 | Alex Clayton (Belmont)
9/3 | A.J. Chastonay (Belmont)

Women’s Soccer
8/27 | Ai Kitagawa (Memphis)
9/3 | Neve Renwick (Tennessee Tech)