SLIAC Announces First Fall Athletes of the Week for 2012 Season

ST. LOUIS - The St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SLIAC) has announced the first Athletes of the Week for the Fall 2012 season.

MEN'S CROSS COUNTRY
Spalding University's Abram Deng, a senior from Louisville, Ky. (Central), has been named the Men's Cross Country Runner of the Week for the week of August 31-September 2.

Deng finished 1st out of 85 total runners at the Sodexho Grizzly Cross Country Invitational hosted by Franklin College. He posted a time of 26:33.36 on the 8K course, beating his time from last year at the same event by almost one full minute. Spalding placed second out of six teams competing.

WOMEN'S CROSS COUNTRY
Westminster College's Kaily Downey, a senior from Fulton, Mo. (Kirkwood), has been named the Women's Cross Country Runner of the Week for the week of August 31-September 2.

Downey earned the first win of her collegiate career at the Principia Invitational. She placed 1st out of 41 runners competing after posting a time of 16:43 in muddy conditions on the 4K course. Westminster finished first out of three teams competing, including Principia College and Illinois College.

MEN'S SOCCER - OFFENSIVE
Spalding University's Colin Peters, a sophomore from Henderson, Ky. (Henderson County), has been named the Men's Soccer Offensive Player of the Week for the week of August 31-September 2.

Peters, a forward, had an explosive opening weekend for the Golden Eagles, leading Spalding to two wins. In Spalding's 2-1 overtime win versus Knox College, he helped earn free kicks that led to both Spalding goals. Peters then scored a first half hat trick and added a fourth goal and an assist in the second half, as the Golden Eagles defeated Eureka College 10-0.

MEN'S SOCCER - DEFENSIVE
Greenville College's Thomas Crown, a freshman from St. Louis, Mo. (Lindbergh), has been named the Men's Soccer Defensive Player of the Week for the week of August 31-September 2.

Crown, a goalkeeper, recorded two shutouts to help the Panthers open the 2012 season at 2-0. He had one save in a 3-0 win versus Defiance College. Crown then tallied four saves in a 1-0 victory against Alma College.

WOMEN'S SOCCER - OFFENSIVE
Eureka College's Gabby Parks, a junior from Carmel, Ind. (School of Environmental Studies), has been named the Women's Soccer Offensive Player of the Week for the week of August 31-September 2.

Parks, a forward, broke the single-game school record in her Eureka debut with five goals in the Red Devils' 6-2 win over Rockford College. She finished with six shots on goal and 10 shots overall. Parks also started at forward and managed one shot in a 11-0 loss at Lake Forest College.

WOMEN'S SOCCER - DEFENSIVE
Principia College's Carlie Sanderude, a junior from Ridgefield, Conn., has been named the Women's Soccer Defensive Player of the Week for the week of August 31-September 2.

Sanderude, a defender, helped to keep the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse scoreless through 90 minutes, and she also scored the game-winning goal to give Principia the 1-0 victory in the season opener. Sanderude's stellar defensive effort then helped keep the 2011 NCAA Division III Runner-Up, Wheaton College (Ill.) at bay for the first 75 minutes. Principia tied the game at 1-1, and an aggressive defensive effort kept Wheaton from scoring until the final minutes of double overtime, as Principia lost 2-1.

VOLLEYBALL - OFFENSIVE
Webster University's Sam Kersting, a sophomore from St. Louis, Mo. (Lindbergh), has been named the Volleyball Offensive Player of the Week for the week of August 31-September 2.

Kersting, a middle hitter, made her debut for the Gorloks after transferring from Illinois State University. She had 16 kills and five total blocks in two matches last week. She tallied eight kills, two block assists and had a .333 attack percentage in a 3-0 win versus Benedictine University-Springfield. Kersting added eight kills, two block solos and one block assist in a 3-0 loss to Benedictine University (Ill.).

VOLLEYBALL - DEFENSIVE
Greenville College's Jamie Schollenbruch, a freshman from Decatur, Ill. (Lutheran School Association), has been named the Volleyball Defensive Player of the Week for the week of August 31-September 2.

Schollenbruch, a libero, averaged 6.27 digs per set in four matches played last week. She opened the season with 43 digs in a 3-1 victory versus Coe College. Then in Greenville's lone loss of the weekend, a 3-2 loss to Augustana College (Ill.), Schollenbruch tallied 22 digs. She added 28 digs in a 3-1 win over Loras College, and then had only one dig in two sets played as the Panthers defeated Knox College 3-0.