WePlayed Sports Players of the Week - Apr. 6

Men's Lacrosse

ROCK HILL, S.C. (TheSAC.com) – The South Atlantic Conference has announced its WePlayed Sports Men's Lacrosse Players of the Week for games played during week nine of the 2026 season. Catawba's Peyton Turner was named the Offensive Player of the Week and Wingate's Reno Vorderlandwehr was named the Defensive Player of the Week, while Catawba's Ben LoPiccolo was named the Specialist of the Week.

Turner, a senior from Cornelius, N.C., set the table for Catawba's 2-0 week, racking up 15 points on seven goals and eight assists. The senior attackman posted four assists in back-to-back contests -- becoming the first SAC player to accomplish the feat this season -- while scoring three times at Coker and four times against Tusculum. Turner currently ranks sixth in the league with 22 assists, standing fifth with 2.0 per game, and is one of seven SAC playmakers with at least 20 goals and 20 assists.

Vorderlandwehr, a freshman from Dacula, Md., helped lead a WU defense that held #6 Newberry to just two first half goals Saturday night in #4 Wingate's big 16-12 SAC road win. Vorderlandwehr had a pair of CTs on the night, while notching 4 ground balls for the Bulldogs.

LoPiccolo, a sophomore from Mason, Ohio, earned both wins in Catawba's 2-0 week with 23 total saves on a .575 save percentage and a 9.37 goals-against average. The netminder held both Coker and Tusculum in the single digits -- offenses that were averaging 13.36 and 13.10 goals per game, respectively. LoPiccolo has taken all 11 decisions between the posts for a 9-2 record, slotting fourth in the SAC in total saves (57) and fifth in GAA (13.23).

2026 SAC Men's Lacrosse Players of the Week

Offensive Player of the Week

Feb. 9 – Ben Royer, Tusculum
Feb. 16 – Radyn Badraun, Anderson
Feb. 23 – Gage Vigar, Newberry
Mar. 2 – Ryan Bitterman, Anderson
Mar. 9 – Bradley David, Newberry
Mar. 16 – Kyle Spence, Wingate
Mar. 23 – Vinny Butrico, Wingate
Mar. 30 – Tanner Stout, Catawba
Apr. 6 – Peyton Turner, Catawba

Defensive Player of the Week

Feb. 9 – Graham Tillett, Wingate
Feb. 16 – Lennon Connolly, Coker
Feb. 23 – Owen Conway, Catawba
Mar. 2 – Chris Czulada, Anderson
Mar. 9 – Ryan Morrison, Newberry
Mar. 16 – Trey O'Callaghan, Wingate
Mar. 23 – Graham Tillett, Wingate
Mar. 30 – Owen Conway, Catawba
Apr. 6 – Reno Vorderlandwehr, Wingate

Specialist Player of the Week

Feb. 9 – AJ Rush, Anderson
Feb. 16 – Adin Laughlin, Anderson
Feb. 23 – Jayden Herman, Lincoln Memorial
Mar. 2 – Ben LoPiccolo, Catawba
Mar. 9 – Houston Horton, Newberry
Mar. 16 – Aiden Dixon, Anderson
Mar. 23 – Matthew Mancini, Lenoir-Rhyne
Mar. 30 – Matthew Mancini, Lenoir-Rhyne
Apr. 6 – Ben LoPiccolo, Catawba

Women's Lacrosse

ROCK HILL, S.C. (TheSAC.com) – The South Atlantic Conference has announced its WePlayed Sports Women's Lacrosse Players of the Week for games played during week nine of the 2026 season. Lenoir-Rhyne swept the awards with Kirra Olson being named the Offensive Player of the Week and Anneleise Meyer earning the Defensive Player of the Week.

Olson, a senior from Holly Springs, N.C., helped Lenoir-Rhyne to a 2-0 week with wins over Tusculum and UVA Wise. Olson totaled seven goals and three assists in the week, netting 10 points. In the win over Tusculum, she had a hat trick with three goals and two assists and added four goals and one helper in the 21-9 win over Wise.

Meyer, a junior from Wilmington, N.C., caused eight turnovers for the Bears in the victories, and added three ground balls. The LR defensive unit permitted just 16 goals in two games and Meyer tied for the second-most caused turnovers in a game with six against Wise and added two more against the Pioneers. She added five draw controls on the week.

2026 SAC Women's Lacrosse Players of the Week

Offensive Player of the Week

Feb. 9 – Ellie Wilkins, Anderson
Feb. 16 – Ellie Wilkins, Anderson
Feb. 23 – Julia Garvin, Wingate
Mar. 2 – Ava Skeffington, Anderson
Mar. 9 – Stacy Glover, Wingate
Mar. 16 – Elisha Stack, Tusculum
Mar. 23 – Stacy Glover, Wingate
Mar. 30 – Elisha Stack, Tusculum
Arp. 6 – Kirra Olson, Lenoir-Rhyne

Defensive Player of the Week

Feb. 9 – Kathryn McCabe, Wingate
Feb. 16 – Chloe Huston, UVA Wise
Feb. 23 – Olivia Schmidt, Coker
Mar. 2 – Krysta Churns, Wingate
Mar. 9 – Sophie Pavlick, Wingate
Mar. 16 – Skylar Duval-Lewis, Newberry
Mar. 23 – Kathryn McCabe, Wingate
Mar. 30 – Addie Donalson, UVA Wise
Apr. 6 – Anneleise Meyer, Lenoir-Rhyne

Tennis

ROCK HILL, S.C. (TheSAC.com) – Catawba's Sofia Antolini has been named the South Atlantic Conference WePlayed Sports Women's Tennis Player of the Week and Anderson's Mathis Collignon has been named the Men's Tennis Player of the Week for matches played during week nine of the 2026 season, the Conference announced today.

Antolini, a graduate student from Montebello Vicentino, Italy, racked up five wins in Catawba's three-win week, which included two top-20 wins over Wingate and Lenoir-Rhyne to hand both their first losses in SAC play.

Collignon, a junior from Les Pavillons Sous Bois, France, won at the No. 1 spot for both singles and doubles in AU's 2-0 league play week. With the wins, Anderson has clinched a spot in the SAC Tournament.

2026 SAC WePlayed Sports Women's Tennis Players of the Week

Feb. 9 – Salome Sierra, Coker
Feb. 16 – Claudia Vallejos, Wingate
Feb. 23 – Ilona Hernandez-Sanchez, Coker
Mar. 2 – Nellie Wahlberg, Lenoir-Rhyne
Mar. 9 – Rin Igarashi, Catawba
Mar. 16 – Sofia Antolini, Catawba
Mar. 23 – Fernanda Castillo, Wingate
Mar. 30 – Hala Awad, Carson-Newman
Arp. 6 – Sofia Antolini, Catawba

2026 SAC WePlayed Sports Men's Tennis Players of the Week

Feb. 9 – Ethan Hirons, Lincoln Memorial
Feb. 16 – Vicent Fenollar, Anderson
Feb. 23 – Ruben Lebron, Wingate
Mar. 2 – Samuil Sivinov, Lenoir-Rhyne
Mar. 9 – Luca Bergonzi, Catawba
Mar. 16 – Louis Keenan, Carson-Newman
Mar. 23 – Santiago Passoni, Catawba
Mar. 30 – Luca Bergonzi, Catawba
Apr. 6 – Mathis Collignon, Anderson

 Women's Outdoor Track

ROCK HILL, S.C. (TheSAC.com) – The South Atlantic Conference announced its WePlayed Sports Women's Outdoor Track and Field Athletes of the Week for meets contested during the third week of competition. Wingate's Dounia Routbi earned the track honor while her teammate Ally Holmberg earned the field honor.

Routbi, a senior sprinter from Figueres, Spain, set a new Wingate school standard in the 100-meter hurdles at High Point's VertKlasse Meeting this weekend. Her NCAA Division II provisional time of 13.88 is No. 1 in the SAC, No. 2 in the region and No. 11 in D2.

Holmberg, a junior jumper from Skelleftea, Sweden, posted a new WU school record in the long jump at High Point's VertKlasse Meeting this weekend. Her NCAA Division II provisional mark of 6.05 meters is No. 1 in the SAC and the Southeast Region and No. 6 in D2.

2026 SAC Women's Outdoor Track and Field Athletes of the Week

Track
Mar. 24 – Dounia Routbi, Wingate
Mar. 31 – Sharonda Priester, Lenoir-Rhyne
Arp. 7 – Dounia Routbi, Wingate

Field
Mar. 24 – Maggie Long, Anderson
Mar. 31 – Lexi Carter, UVA Wise
Apr. 7 – Ally Holmberg, Wingate

Men's Outdoor Track

ROCK HILL, S.C. (TheSAC.com) – The South Atlantic Conference announced its WePlayed Sports Men's Outdoor Track and Field Athletes of the Week for meets contested during the third week of competition. Lenoir-Rhyne's Havyn Spain earned the track honor while Wingate's Mateo de Castro Navarro earned the field honor for the second straight week.

Spain, a sophomore sprinter from Simpsonville, S.C., won the 200m at the Vertklasse Meeting with a new personal best time of 20.75. He also finished third in the 400 with a time of 46.70. His times now rank third in DII in the 200 and fifth in the 400.

De Castro Navarro, a junior thrower from Valladolid, Spain, had a huge weekend at High Point's VertKlasse Meeting with three personal-best marks. In the shot put, he finished seventh with a 16.66-meter effort. His NCAA Division II provisional shot put mark is No. 1 in the SAC, No. 2 in the region and No. 23 in D2. The '25 SAC Scholar-Athlete of the Year for men's track and field, de Castro Navarro also posted personal-best marks in the discus throw (45.43 meters) and the hammer throw (46.68 meters).

2026 SAC Men's Outdoor Track and Field Athletes of the Week

Track
Mar. 24 – Gavin Malloy, Anderson
Mar. 31 – Rylan Jordan, Carson-Newman
Apr. 7 – Havyn Spain, Lenoir-Rhyne

Field
Mar. 24 – Cadence Dolgin, Carson-Newman
Mar. 31 – Mateo de Castro Navarro, Wingate
Apr. 7 – Mateo de Castro Navarro, Wingate

Baseball

ROCK HILL, S.C. (TheSAC.com) – Coker's Colton Penner was named the South Atlantic Conference WePlayed Sports Baseball Player of the Week while Newberry's Nick Riedel was named Pitcher of the Week for games played during week nine of the 2026 season, the conference office announced today.

Penner, a junior infielder from Wesley Chapel, N.C., helped the Cobras to a 3-1 week by going 10-for-17 at the dish. He hit .588 with a .600 on base percentage and .824 slugging. He had a double, a home run and drove in six while scoring five times. He didn't strike out in his 17 AB's and added a stolen base.

Riedel, a freshman from Tampa, Fla., delivered a strong performance in Newberry's 9–5 win over Lenoir-Rhyne on April 4, tossing 7.0 innings while allowing just three earned runs and striking out nine. He limited walks to just one and kept the Bears off balance throughout the afternoon, recording a 3.86 ERA and 11.57 strikeouts per nine innings in the outing.

2026 SAC Player of the Week
Feb. 3 – Bowen Powell, Wingate
Feb. 10 – Braeden Harrison, Anderson
Feb. 17 – Matthew Connolly, Catawba
Feb. 24 – Seth Christmas, Lenoir-Rhyne
Mar. 3 – Brandon Crabtree, Catawba
Mar. 10 – Landon Dockery, Tusculum
Mar. 17 – Matt Procopio, Lenoir-Rhyne
Mar. 24 – Logan Dyer, Catawba
Mar. 31 – Gabe Grey, Lincoln Memorial
Apr. 7 – Colton Prenner, Coker

2026 SAC Pitcher of the Week
Feb. 3 – Chad Harvey, Wingate
Feb. 10 – Kellen Gradisar, Lenoir-Rhyne
Feb. 17 – Chad Harvey, Wingate
Feb. 24 – Kaleb Owens, Anderson
Mar. 3 – Jacob Nester, Emory & Henry
Mar. 10 – Kolt Nelson, Wingate
Mar. 17 – Paul Toovalian, Lenoir-Rhyne
Mar. 24 – Kolton Casson, Carson-Newman
Mar. 31 – Jacob Davis, Mars Hill
Apr. 7 – Nick Riedel, Newberry

Softball

ROCK HILL, S.C. (TheSAC.com) – Lincoln Memorial's Reese Vivrette was named the South Atlantic Conference WePlayed Sports Softball Player of the Week, while Lenoir-Rhyne's Faith Carrigan was named Pitcher of the Week for games played during week nine of the 2026 season, the conference office announced today.

Vivrette, a senior from Smyrna, Tenn., hit an incredible .706 to lead the Railsplitters to a perfect 4-0 week with sweeps of Tusculum and Mars Hill. She went 12-for-17 with five runs scored and drove in seven while stealing two bases. Her on base percentage was .722 and she posted an .824 slugging percentage. She had multiple hits in all four games, including four in game two against the Lions.  

Carrigan, a senior from Taylorsville, N.C., went 2-0 with a save across her three appearances last week. Carrigan opened the week by allowing one run over seven innings with 7 K's against Emory & Henry then secured the save in a tight 9-8 win over Wingate in game one. In game two, she took the starting assignment and allowed one earned run with five strikeouts in a complete game. In total, she tossed 15 innings with 13 strikeouts and two earned runs allowed. She posted a 0.93 ERA for the week and 0.87 WHIP.

2026 SAC Player of the Week
Feb. 10 – Ella Majchrzak, Tusculum
Feb. 17 – Grace Flynn, Catawba
Feb. 24 – Madison Primm, Lenoir-Rhyne
Mar. 3 – Macauley Bailey, Carson-Newman
Mar. 10 – Hannah Booth, Emory & Henry
Mar. 17 – Sadie Cecil, Mars Hill
Mar. 24 – Brianna Gallagher, Catawba
Mar. 31 – Lauren Brakovec, Anderson
Apr. 7 – Reese Vivrette, Lincoln Memorial

2026 SAC Pitcher of the Week
Feb. 10 – Katie Morris, Anderson
Feb. 17 – Olivia Shockley, UVA Wise
Feb. 24 – Chelsey Stonesifer, Tusculum
Mar. 3 – Madison Wilson, Lenoir-Rhyne
Mar. 10 – Chelsey Stonesifer, Tusculum
Mar. 17 – Malorie Reeves, Emory & Henry
Mar. 24 -Kamryn Akins, Mars Hill
Mar. 31 – Alex Baquie, Catawba
Apr. 7 – Faith Carrigan, Lenoir-Rhyne

Beach Volleyball

ROCK HILL, S.C. (TheSAC.com) – Carson-Newman's Paige Halcrow and Trinity Hafey were named the South Atlantic Conference WePlayed Sports Beach Volleyball Pair of the Week for matches played during the final week of the 2026 season, the conference office announced today.

Halcrow and Hafey went undefeated for the week and helped the Eagles close out a second straight regular season with a perfect mark in conference play. The Eagles clinched a second straight SACC Regular Season title with a 12-0 record. Halcrow and Hafey earned all but one win in straight sets and earned a comeback victory in the first match of the week, dropping the opening set to Tusculum's pair but rallying to win the final sets 21-19 and 23-21.

2026 SAC Beach Volleyball Pair of the Week
Feb. 17 – Camryn Ehlers / Addie Smith, Carson-Newman
Feb. 24 - Siri Aasgard/Ally Doty, Tusculum
Mar. 3 - Sydney Wattles / Taylor Vecchione, Catawba
Mar. 10 – Addie Smith / Camryn Ehlers, Carson-Newman
Mar. 24 - Lilou Thieme / Kate Beezer, Wingate
Mar. 31 – Emerson Ahsmuhs / Ava Potts, Carson-Newman
Apr. 7 – Paige Halcrow / Trinity Hafey, Carson-Newman