Southern Conference names October athletes of the month

SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The Southern Conference announced its October athletes of the month Friday, highlighting excellence among 15 student-athletes across nine sports during the month.
 
 
MEN’S CROSS COUNTRY
Dylan Schubert, Furman, Jr., Loveland, Colo.

• Competed in two October events, finishing 12^th at the Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational on Oct. 14 and winning the SoCon Men’s Cross Country Championship on Oct. 30
• Turned in a season-best and SoCon-leading 8K time of 23:25.90 to finish 12^th of 239 finishers at the Nuttycombe Invite en route to earning SoCon Runner of the Week honors
• Finished in 23:41.5 at the SoCon Championship, becoming Furman’s seventh straight men’s individual champion
• Earned SoCon Runner of the Year honors for winning the league meet
• Led the Paladins to their 10^th straight SoCon team title

 
Others nominated: Evan Guzman (ETSU) and Dylan Christopher (UNCG)
 
 
WOMEN’S CROSS COUNTRY
Bethany Graham, Furman, Jr., Aldie, Va.

• Competed in three October meets, turning in a pair of top-two finishes
• Took second place at the Live in Lou Classic on Oct. 1 in a personal-best 5K time of 16:36.5, the third-fastest time in meet history, leading the Paladins to the team win and earning SoCon Runner of the Week honors
• Placed 30^th at the Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational on Oct. 14 with a time of 20:30.8 in the 6K event
• Won her second straight SoCon Women’s Cross Country Championship on Oct. 30, turning in another 5K personal record with a meet-record time of 16:22.3
• Named SoCon Runner of the Year for the second straight season and led Furman to its 10^th straight SoCon team title

 
Others nominated: Jenna Reiter (UNCG) and McKenzie Hogue (Samford)
 
 
FOOTBALL
Offense
Michael Hiers, Samford, Jr., QB, Birmingham, Ala.

• Went 135-for-166 (81.3 percent) for 1,191 yards (297.8 per game) and 11 touchdowns through the air, throwing just one interception in October
• Also ran for 104 yards and a TD, averaging 323.8 yards of total offense per game to lead Samford to a 4-0 month
• Opened his month by throwing for two touchdowns each in wins over Furman and Wofford
• Earned FedEx Ground FCS National Offensive Player of the Week honors from Stats Perform after going 45-for-51 for 442 yards and four touchdowns through the air and running for 50 yards and a score in a win at ETSU on Oct. 22
• Capped his month by going 30-for-35 for 260 yards and three touchdowns in a win at The Citadel

 
Others nominated: Jacob Saylors (ETSU), Dominic Roberto (Furman), Devron Harper (Mercer), Ailym Ford (Chattanooga), Korey Bridy (VMI), Carlos Davis (Western Carolina) and Jimmy Weirick (Wofford)
 
Defense
Hugh Ryan, Furman, R-Jr., FS, Irmo, S.C.

• Recorded 26 tackles in five games (5.2 per game) and had three interceptions and three pass breakups to key Furman’s defense in a 4-1 month that included a win over No. 6/7 Chattanooga
• Opened his month with six tackles in consecutive games against No. 19/16 Samford and The Citadel
• Finished his month with interceptions in three straight games, two of which came in Furman territory and halted scoring threats
• Had a 39-yard interception return in a win over Western Carolina, a 20-yard return against VMI and a 29-yard return against Chattanooga, just moments after the Mocs had recovered a fumble at the Furman 20-yard line
• Also had seven tackles against Chattanooga and earned SoCon Defensive Player of the Week honors for his efforts

 
Others nominated: Chandler Martin (ETSU), Isaac Dowling (Mercer), Nathan East (Samford), Jay Person (Chattanooga), Alex Oliver (VMI), Andreas Keaton (Western Carolina) and Micheal Mason (Wofford)
 
 
MEN’S GOLF
Paul Conroy, Chattanooga, Jr., Enniscorthy, Ireland

• Conroy won one event and tied for third in another during October, claiming SoCon Men’s Golfer of the Week on Oct. 19
• Shot a 10-under-par 206 to claim victory at the Wolfpack Intercollegiate (Oct. 15-16), shooting a 10-under 62 and helping Chattanooga to a first-place finish in the 84-man, 14-team field
• Finished tied for third at the Furman Intercollegiate (Oct. 22-23), opening with consecutive 3-under 69s en route to a 7-under 206
• Led Chattanooga to a first-place finish at the Furman Intercollegiate
• Averaged 68.67 strokes per round over the six rounds, with four of 69 or lower

 
Others nominated: Mats Ege (ETSU), Will Morlan (Furman), Nick Lyerly (UNCG), Pablo Hernandez (Western Carolina) and Max Cranford (Wofford)
 
 
WOMEN’S GOLF
Madison Isaacson, Western Carolina, 5th, Greensboro, N.C.

• Carded a career-low round of 66 at Jupiter’s Women Invitational on Oct. 4, finishing with a 2-over-par 212 to place second and help the Catamounts finish first in the 9-team, 47-golfer field
• Her 212 represented the second-best 54-hole score in program history, second only to her score on Sept. 26 where she shot 206 (69-70-67) to win medalist honors at the Aggie Invitational
• Earned SoCon Women’s Golfer of the Week honors on Oct. 5 following her second-place showing at the Jupiter Invitational, becoming the first of two Catamount golfers to earn weekly honors in October and the first for Western Carolina since Amy Wooten in 2019.
• Posted her third top-5 finish of the campaign at the Buccaneer Classic (Oct. 17-18), shooting a 9-over-par 225 to finish tied for 5th with Charleston Southern’s Madison Freeman in the 50-golfer field
• Averaged 72.83 strokes per round over her six rounds in October, with three rounds of 73 or lower, and recorded 14 total birdies in the month

 
Others nominated: Anna Morgan (Furman), Kate Song (Mercer), Grace Holcomb (UNCG), Dorota Zalewska (Chattanooga) and Xuan Khue Minh Doan (Wofford)
 
 
RIFLE
Smallbore
Addy Burrow, Georgia Southern, Sr., Williamson, Ga.

• Averaged a 585.3 in smallbore in the month, finishing first in the discipline in the Eagles’ matches against No. 16 Morehead State, No. 18 North Georgia, No. 11 Nebraska, No. 14 Jacksonville State, VMI, and VMI-W
• A day after setting a school record with her 589 against No. 16 Morehead State, she turned in a 587 against Morehead State on Oct. 1 to top the 17-person field
• Fired 585 to top No. 18 North Georgia on Oct. 15 and shot 586 the next day to finish first against No. 11 Nebraska and No. 14 Jacksonville State
• She closed her month with a win against VMI and VMI’s women’s team with a 583 on Oct. 29
• Has posted the top five aggregate scores in program history so far this season, including her top score of 1,184 on Oct. 1 against Morehead State

 
 
Others nominated: Amy Kohan (UAB) and Maya Cameron (North Georgia)
 
Air Rifle
Addy Burrow, Georgia Southern, Sr., Williamson, Ga.

• Averaged a 594.3 in air rifle for the month, topping the 590 mark in the Eagles’ competitions against Morehead State, North Georgia, Nebraska, Jacksonville, VMI and VMI-W
• Leads the SoCon averages in both disciplines (SB 586.0, AR 593.4) with an aggregate average score of 1179.4
• Placed first in the discipline against No. 16 Morehead State on Oct. 1, No. 18 North Georgia on Oct. 15 and VMI and VMI-W on Oct. 29.
• Tied her personal best in air rifle with a 597 against Morehead State on Oct. 1, which is tied for the fourth-best score in school history
• Shot a 595 in the meet against No. 14 Jacksonville State and No. 11 Nebraska on Oct. 16 to finish tied for second

 
Others nominated: Gracie Turk (UAB) and Elysa Walter (North Georgia)
 
 
MEN’S SOCCER
Offense
Ismail El Harchi, UNCG, Fr., F, Santomera, Murcia, Spain

• Notched six goals and tallied one assist with three game-winnings goals for 13 points in October, scoring one or more goals in five of his seven appearances
• Scored a brace and recorded one assist against Furman on Oct. 1, getting the Spartans on the board in the 20th minute and netting the eventual game-winner in the 65th, with his assist coming in the 79th minute of the contest
• Scored the game-winning goal against Elon on Oct. 5 and against VMI on Oct. 8
• Recorded his eighth goal of the season in UNCG’s regular-season finale victory over Wofford on Oct. 29
• Named first-team All-Southern Conference on Nov. 3 after leading the Spartans with eight goals and three assists with three game-winning goals this season to tie for second on the team in points with 19

 
Others nominated: Kieran Richers (ETSU), Dylan Gaither (Mercer) and Thaddeus Dennis (Wofford)
 
Defense
Marco Milanese, UNCG, 5th., D, Isernia, Italy

• Appeared in six matches during the month of October, helping UNCG tally three shutouts on its way to its second consecutive regular season title
• Recorded one assist for one point in the Spartans’ 1-0 win over Mercer on Oct. 22, sending a pass to JC Ngando for the score in the 17th minute of the contest
• Registered his second assist of the campaign to go along with his one goal he scored last month to total four points on the year
• Key part of the Spartans’ defense that led the Spartans to a 11-1-4 overall record and 4-0-1 conference record, their first undefeated SoCon record since 2004

 
Others nominated: Cole Hunter (ETSU), Trevor McMullen (Mercer) and Cameron Victor (Wofford)
 
 
WOMEN’S SOCCER
Offense
Suzuka Yosue, The Citadel, Sr., F, Osaka, Japan

• Tallied 17 points on six goals and five assists as The Citadel went 4-5 in the month, including a win over VMI (3-0) in the SoCon Women’s Soccer Championship first round
• Finished with two multi-goal games in wins over VMI on Oct. 23 and Oct. 25
• Scored points in five of eight games played as she became The Citadel’s all-time leader in points on Oct. 23
• Named SoCon Offensive Player of the Week on Oct. 11 after scoring four points in shutout wins at Furman (Oct. 6) and Wofford (Oct. 9)
• Voted first team all-conference, becoming the first Bulldog to earn three straight selections and three overall selections to first-team all-conference squad

 
Others nominated: Emma Arnold (ETSU), Jada Moorman (Mercer), Maddy Gilhool (UNCG), Taylor Yount (Samford), Mackenzie Smith (Chattanooga), Isabella Demarco (Western Carolina) and Ansley Elizalde (Wofford)
 
Defense
Ella Simpson, Samford, Jr., D, Orlando, Fla.

• Helped Samford to a 6-0-2 record in the month as the Bulldogs earned a share of the SoCon regular-season title for the ninth straight season
• Started in all eight contests and played 677 out of a possible 720 minutes
• Contributed to five shutouts, including in the SoCon Championship quarterfinals and semifinals
• Offensively, she scored three goals, including the game-winner at VMI on Oct. 2
• Tied her season-high of four shots in the SoCon quarterfinals against The Citadel as she scored the second goal of the game in a 2-0 win for Samford

 
Others nominated: Shu Ohba (ETSU), Lindsay Bell (Mercer), Parker Sikora (UNCG), Caroline Ekern (Chattanooga) and Caroline Doss (Wofford)
 
 
VOLLEYBALL
Offense
Kenya McQuirter, Samford, R-Jr., OH, Mobile, Ala.

• Averaged 4.31 kills per set as Samford went 7-2 in the month of October
• Tallied double-digit kills in all eight of nine matches, with six performances of 15 or more kills
• Posted a .350 hitting percentage or better in three matches
• Recorded 21 kills with a .452 hitting percentage at Furman on Oct. 8
• Named the SoCon Offensive Player of the Week on Oct. 17

 
Others nominated: Ali Ruffin (The Citadel), Lundyn Coffman (ETSU), Mary Beth Headley (Furman), Daija Jackson (UNCG), Natalie Tyson (Chattanooga), Merry Gebel (Western Carolina) and Millie Loehr (Wofford)
 
Defense
Kate Morgan, Samford, So., LIB, Waxahachie, Texas

• Averaged 5.81 digs per set in the month
• Had 20 service aces in October to move into the top 20 nationally in total aces
• Tallied 20-plus digs in four matches during Oct., along with 19 digs in sweeps of Chattanooga (Oct. 1) and UNCG (Oct. 21)
• Had a career-high 37 digs in a four-set win over Western Carolina on Oct. 22
• Named SoCon Defensive Player of the Week twice in October, taking home honors on Oct. 10 and Oct. 24

 
Others nominated: Kenzie Kellerman (The Citadel), Lundyn Coffman (ETSU), Andrea Aceveda (Furman), Ella Voegele (UNCG), Paige Gallentine (Chattanooga), Destinee Dorsey (Western Carolina) and Abbey Richman (Wofford)
 
Setter
Caroline Dykes, ETSU, So., Flower Mound, Texas

• Averaged 10.12 assists per set, totaling 344 assists on the month as ETSU went 8-1
• Totaled 30-plus assists in seven of her nine matches played, while finishing with 40-plus three times
• Tallied a career-high 56 assists versus Chattanooga on Oct. 12
• Contributed 86 digs, 18 aces and 13 total blocks during the month
• Named the SoCon Setter of the Week twice in October, taking home honors on Oct. 10 and Oct. 31

 
Others nominated: Belle Hogan (The Citadel), Sarah Turner (Furman), Kayla Keshock (Samford), Sophia Bossong (Chattanooga), Sydney Carlson (Western Carolina) and Victoria Hensley (Wofford)
 
 
Southern Conference October Athletes of the Month
Football – offense                                   Michael Hiers, Samford
Football – defense                                  Hugh Ryan, Furman
Men’s golf                                              Paul Conroy, Chattanooga
Women’s golf                                         Madison Isaacson, Western Carolina
Men’s cross country                                Dylan Schubert, Furman
Women’s cross country                           Bethany Graham, Furman
Rifle – smallbore                                    Addy Burrow, Georgia Southern
Rifle – air rifle                                         Addy Burrow, Georgia Southern
Men’s soccer – offense                           Ismail El Harchi, UNCG
Men’s soccer – defense                          Marco Milanese, UNCG
Women’s soccer – offense                      Suzuka Yosue, The Citadel
Women’s soccer – defense                     Ella Simpson, Samford
Volleyball – offense                                Kenya McQuirter, Samford
Volleyball – defense                                Kate Morgan, Samford
Volleyball – setter                                   Caroline Dykes, ETSU