SLIAC Players of the Week - September 5

SLIAC MEN'S CROSS COUNTRY RUNNER OF THE WEEK
ZACH MATTHIESEN - PRINCIPIA COLLEGE

Zach Matthiesen, a junior from Flanders, N.J., is this week's SLIAC Men' Cross Country Player of the Week. Matthiesen captured first place in the PC Home Opener meet this past weekend; finishing with a time of 19:04. He held a pace of 5:07 on the 6K event, beating out a field of 23 runners. Matthiesen paced himself well in the race, not making his move until just short of the 5K mark before pulling away for a 10-second win over the closest competitor.

SLIAC WOMEN'S CROSS COUNTRY RUNNER OF THE WEEK
JESSIE KUYKENDALL - WESTMINSTER COLLEGE

Jessie Kuykendall takes home SLIAC Women's Cross Country Player of the Week honors after helping her team to a first place finish in the PC Open. Kuykendall, a sophomore from Warsaw, Mo., placed second individually; completing the 4K course in a time of 15:02.  Kuykendall battled a field of other SLIAC runners, comfortably finishing the race by nearly two minutes faster than any other conference runner.

SLIAC MEN'S SOCCER PLAYER OF THE WEEK (OFFENSIVE)
JAMES BOWEN - EUREKA COLLEGE

James Bowen, a sophomore from Seneca, Ill., helped the Red Devils to a 5-2 win in their 2016 season opener. Bowen tallied the first four goals of the game and added an assist on his team's fifth goal. Bowen got the scoring started in the 27th minute of the game. With his team leading just 1-0 at halftime Bowen scored three goals in under two minutes in the second-half to open up the game. Bowen tallied his four goals on nine shots, putting six on goal.

SLIAC MEN'S SOCCER PLAYER OF THE WEEK (DEFENSIVE)
ELI SMITH - WEBSTER UNIVERSITY

Eli Smith, a freshman goalkeeper, is the SLIAC Men's Soccer Defensive Player of the Week. Smith saw action in his team's 3-2 win over McMurry, recording six saves and a .750 save percentage. After being shaken up on a save Smith returned just one minute later to complete the win for the Gorloks.

SLIAC WOMEN'S SOCCER PLAYER OF THE WEEK (OFFENSIVE)
DEE DEE SLITER - SPALDING UNIVERSITY

Dee Dee Sliter, a senior forward, helped the Golden Eagles get off to a 3-0 start on the season. Sliter, from Louisville, Ky., tallied five goals in the three games including a game winner against Heidelberg; the game's only goal. Sliter started the week with two goals against Earlham and closed it out with two goals and two assists against Defiance.

SLIAC WOMEN'S SOCCER PLAYER OF THE WEEK (DEFENSIVE)
DEMI WEST - SPALDING UNIVERSITY

Demi West, a senior from Sheffield, England, guided the Spalding defense to three wins last week, holding opponents to just two goals on the week. West and the Spalding defense limited their opponents to just seven shots on goal over the three games including notching a pair of shutouts.

SLIAC VOLLEYBALL PLAYER OF THE WEEK (OFFENSIVE)
KERSTEN McDONOUGH - FONTBONNE UNIVERSITY

Kersten McDonough, a senior from Pacific, Mo., is the SLIAC Volleyball Offensive Player of the Week after powering her way to 34 kills over two matches in the opening week. McDonough started the week with 11 kills in a win over Harris-Stowe. She followed with 23 kills against Robert Morris-Springfield; giving her an average of 4.25 kills per set on the week. For the week she hit .359 and averaged 4.4 points per set.

SLIAC VOLLEYBALL PLAYER OF THE WEEK (DEFENSIVE)
JESSICA DIEHL - SPALDING UNIVERSITY

Jessica Diehl, a senior from Louisville, Ky., was a dominant defensive force at the net for Spalding as she helped the Golden Eagles to three wins on the opening weekend. Diehl recorded 18 total blocks including three solo blocks in her three outings; averaging 1.64 blocks per set. Diehl also chipped in with seven digs and added 33 kills.