SoCon names April athletes of the month

SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The Southern Conference announced its April athletes of the month Thursday, highlighting the athletic excellence of 12 student-athletes across eight sports during the month.
 
 
BASEBALL
PLAYER
Cole Jenkins, VMI, Jr., RF, Mechanicsville, Va.

• Hit a league-best .534 with a .570 on-base percentage and a 1.000 slugging percentage and had 24 RBIs and 25 runs scored in April
• Recorded five walks, four doubles, three triples and eight home runs and was 6-for-8 in stolen-base attempts
• Hit safely in 15 of his 17 games played, recording multiple hits in 14 of them and at least three hits in eight of them, including a 4-for-4 performance against SIUE on April 15
• Had multiple RBIs in seven contests
• Named the SoCon Player of the Week and earned national honors from Perfect Game and Collegiate Baseball on April 10 after hitting .571 with a triple, four home runs, six RBIs and six runs scored in three games

Others nominated: Cameron Sisneros (ETSU), Jozsef Rohrbacher (Mercer), Dosi Jonas (UNCG), John Anderson (Samford), Pascanel Ferreras (Western Carolina) and Trey Yunger (Wofford)
 
PITCHER
Lucas Mahlstedt, Wofford, So., RHP, Ormond Beach, Fla.

• Went 3-0 with two saves and a 1.38 ERA in 26 innings over eight relief appearances, striking out 18 against just four walks and allowing opposing batters just 18 hits and a .196 average against him
• Had five outings of four innings or more in helping Wofford to a 14-5 record (6-3 SoCon) in the month
• Both saves in the month came in scoreless four-inning outings, against Siena and Western Carolina
• Earned his first win of the month with five scoreless, one-hit innings of relief at College of Charleston
• Earned his second with 5 1/3 innings of one-run relief against ETSU and his third against league-leading Samford on April 22

Others nominated: Sam Swygert (The Citadel), Nathanial Tate (ETSU), Colton Cosper (Mercer), Jacob Cravey (Samford) and Coby Ingle (Western Carolina)
 
 
MEN’S GOLF
Mats Ege, ETSU, R-So., Kristiansand, Norway

• Posted two top-10 finishes in April, including winning the SoCon Championship on April 25 at Reynolds Lake Oconee in Greensboro, Georgia
• Shot under par in all six rounds played during the month
• Had a 68.7 stroke average, registering 36 birdies and 58 pars
• Shot 14-under-par 202 at the SoCon Championship, the lowest 54-hole score of his Buccaneer career
• Voted SoCon Player of the Year

Others nominated: Sam Lape (Furman), Tobias Jonsson (Mercer), John Houk (Chattanooga) and Adam Hooker
 
 
WOMEN’S GOLF
Anna Morgan, Furman, Sr., Spartanburg, S.C.

• Won the 2023 SoCon Championship on April 18 at Moss Creek South Course in Hilton Head, South Carolina
• Led the SoCon Championship throughout after posting rounds of 70-68-76 for a tournament score of 2-under-par 214
• Only golfer at the SoCon Championship to finish the event under par
• Finished with a tournament-best 13 birdies and had the best score on par-5s, shooting 4-under-par
• Voted SoCon Player of the Year

Others nominated: Grace Holcomb (UNCG), Dorota Zalewska (Chattanooga) and Brie Mapanao (Western Carolina)
 
 
MEN’S OUTDOOR TRACK AND FIELD
TRACK
Carson Williams, Furman, Jr., Raleigh, N.C.

• Ran at two meets in April, posting SoCon-leading times in both
• Opened his month at the Duke Invitational on April 7, finishing 11^th in the invitational 1,500-meter run in 3:44.70, which was good for 34^th on the on the NCAA Division I East Outdoor Qualifying List at the time
• Ran at Eastern Kentucky’s Rick Erdmann Twilight on April 22, finishing fifth in the 3,000-meter steeplechase in 8:43.56 in his season debut in the event
• That mark currently ranks 12^th on the NCAA Division I East Outdoor Qualifying List
• Earned SoCon Track Athlete of the Week honors on April 12 and April 26

FIELD
Solomon Ghosh, The Citadel, Gr., Blacksburg, Va.

• Competed at four meets in April, claiming SoCon Field Athlete of the Week honors three times
• Earned his first weekly honor of the season after winning the discus at Western Carolina’s Catamount Classic (April 14-15) with a conference-leading throw of 52.01 meters, the second-best mark in program history
• Broke the program record the following week, finishing third at the USC Open with a toss of 52.75 meters to repeat as SoCon Field Athlete of the Week
• Claimed his third straight award after breaking his own program record with a throw of 54.38 meters at North Florida’s East Coast Relays, finishing second and increasing his SoCon lead and moving him up to No. 39 on the NCAA Division I East Outdoor Qualifying List
• Also posted the seventh-best SoCon mark in the shot put at the East Coast Relays with his throw of 13.60 meters

 
 
WOMEN’S OUTDOOR TRACK AND FIELD
TRACK
Mecca Jackson, The Citadel, Jr., Sandersville, Ga.

• Competed at four meets in April, capping the month by being named the SoCon Track Athlete of the Week for her efforts on the final weekend
• Opened her month with a school record at East Carolina’s Bill Carson Invite on April 1, running the second leg of The Citadel’s 4x100-relay, which finished third in 47.37 seconds
• Posted SoCon-leading times at Western Carolina’s Catamount Classic with a win in the 200-meter dash in 24.32 seconds and a third-place finish in the 100-meter dash in 11.90 seconds and helped the 4x100 lower the school record with a time of 47.01 seconds
• At the USC Open the next week, broke the school record in the 100m with a time of 11.78 seconds and helped the 4x100 to a time of 47.13 seconds, the second-best in school history
• Broke two of her own program records at North Florida’s East Coast Relays to finish the month, lowering the 100m to 11.73, the second-best time in the SoCon this season, and the 200m to 23.92, which leads the SoCon

FIELD
Erin Long, Samford, Jr., Pelham, Ala.

• Competed twice in April, posting a pair of SoCon-leading marks and earning SoCon Field Athlete of the Week honors on April 19
• Opened her month at the Samford Alabama Track Challenge on April 13-14, winning the javelin with a throw of 50.09 meters and winning the high jump in her season debut in the event with a career-best leap of 1.68 meters
• Both marks ranked on the NCAA Division I East Outdoor Qualifying List at the time, with her javelin mark still good for 12th
• Took second in the javelin at the Crimson Tide Invitational a week later, with her mark of 49.71 good enough for the conference lead if she didn’t already hold it with her mark from the week prior
• Earned her second straight monthly honor and Samford’s seventh straight dating back to the 2019 outdoor season

 
SOFTBALL
PLAYER
Bailey Huneycutt, Western Carolina, 5th, INF, Oakboro, N.C.

• Batted .444 with four home runs, five doubles, 15 RBIs and eight runs scored during April
• Reached base safely in all 13 games played during the month, including four multi-hit games
• Went 2-for-3 with a home run, a double, four RBIs and one run scored in a win against Samford on April 1
• Hit a home run in both games of the team's doubleheader at Mercer on April 22
• Named SoCon Player of the Week on April 3

Others nominated: Cameron Young (ETSU), Rebeca Laudino (Mercer), Brooklynn Maxwell (UNCG), Grier Bruce (Samford) and Kaili Phillips (Chattanooga)
 
PITCHER
Jayme Eilers, Western Carolina, Sr., Sterling, Ill.

• Went 4-0 with a 0.75 ERA and 24 strikeouts in 28 innings of innings of work over five appearances for the month
• Threw four complete games against conference opponents during April
• Held opposing batters to a .172 batting average during the month
• Pitched two innings in relief at Chattanooga on April 7, striking out four batters and allowed zero runs
• Tossed a complete-game shutout versus ETSU on April 30, striking out six batters and allowing only one hit

Others nominated: Brianna Bailey (ETSU), Grace Taylor (Mercer), Rhyann Jones (UNCG), Jordyn Partain (Samford) and Alyssa Lavdis (Chattanooga)
 
 
MEN’S TENNIS
Thiago Pernas, ETSU, R-Jr., Buenos Aires, Argentina

• Went a combined 10-0 in singles and doubles in April to help ETSU to a 5-2 overall mark and the SoCon Men’s Tennis Championship title
• Was 6-0 in singles play at No. 2 and went 4-0 at No. 2 doubles, winning five of his six singles matches in straight sets
• His 6-2, 6-3 win over Simon Labbe of regular-season champion and No. 1 seed Chattanooga in the SoCon tournament final clinched the match and the title for the Bucs
• Enters NCAA tournament play with a 17-4 singles record and a 10-6 doubles mark on the year
• Earned first-team All-SoCon honors in singles

Others nominated: Sebastian Kamieniecki (The Citadel), Jerry Barton (Furman), Nemanja Stefanovic (Mercer) and Gabriel Castillo (Chattanooga)
 
 
WOMEN’S TENNIS
Daniela Rivera, ETSU, So., Maturin, Venezuela

• Went 8-0 in singles, all in straight sets and primarily at No. 5, and 8-0 at No. 2 doubles, for a perfect 16-0 mark in April as she helped ETSU to a 7-1 team mark and the SoCon Women’s Tennis Championship title
• Was 3-0 in both doubles and singles to earn Most Outstanding Player honors at the SoCon Championship, with her 6-4, 6-4 win at No. 5 singles over Madison Dillon of regular-season champion and top-seeded Furman clinching the title for the Bucs
• Went 4-0 in singles and 4-0 in doubles in conference play in the month to cap a undefeated league season in both categories
• Enters NCAA tournament play with a 21-3 singles record and a 13-match winning streak and a 19-4 doubles mark, including an 18-4 record and a 10-match winning streak with Fernanda Carvajal
• Earned first-team All-SoCon honors in doubles and second-team honors in singles at No. 5

Others nominated: Luca Victoria Vocke (Furman), Teodora Ristic (Mercer), Rozalie Dohnalova (Chattanooga), Jade Groen (Western Carolina) and Brianna Wilbur (Wofford)
 
 
Southern Conference April Athletes of the Month

Baseball – player	Cole Jenkins, VMI
Baseball – pitcher	Lucas Mahlstedt, Wofford
Men’s golf	Mats Ege, ETSU
Women’s golf	Anna Morgan, Furman
Men’s outdoor track and field – track	Carson Williams, Furman
Men’s outdoor track and field – field	Solomon Ghosh, The Citadel
Women’s outdoor track and field – track	Mecca Jackson, The Citadel
Women’s outdoor track and field – field	Erin Long, Samford
Softball – player	Bailey Huneycutt, Western Carolina
Softball – pitcher	Jayme Eilers, Western Carolina
Men’s tennis	Thiago Pernas, ETSU
Women’s tennis	Daniela Rivera, ETSU