College players of the week announced by TSWA - Oct. 15

October 15, 2024 Forrest Freeman

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee junior running back Dylan Sampson led the Volunteers back from a 10-0 second-half deficit to a 23-17 overtime victory over Florida on Saturday, earning this week’s Tennessee Sports Writers Association Football Offensive Player of the Week honor.

Sampson rushed for 112 yards on 27 carries with three touchdowns with two of the scores coming in the second half and his one-yard plunge gave Tennessee the walk-off win. Sampson also had a 23-yard touchdown with 9:42 remaining in regulation to put the Vols on top.

It was his ninth career game over the century mark on the ground and the fifth of the current campaign. He has also scored at least one touchdown for the sixth straight game – the longest streak since Montario Hardesty in 2009. The three touchdowns gave Sampson 15 on the season – the most by a Southeastern Conference player through the first six games of the season since 1992 and the most by a Tennessee player since Tony Thompson had 16 in 1990.

Teammate James Pearce Jr. was selected as the Defensive Player of the Week as the Charlotte, N.C., native recorded seven tackles, half-a-sack, one tackle-for-loss, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. With Florida at the one-yard line, Pearce forced Florida quarterback Graham Mertz to fumble at the goal line, then recovered the loose ball. He also had two QB pressures.

VOLLEYBALL: Tusculum senior setter Madison Adkins was named the Volleyball Player of the Week as she helped lead the Pioneers to a sweep on the week with a pair of 3-0 victories over Emory & Henry and Coker. In all, the Olive Hill, Ky., native averaged 11.5 assists per set for a total of 69. She also added four kills, two aces, 15 digs and five assisted blocks.

She recorded 37 total assists – 12.3 per set – at Emory & Henry with eight digs, while she had 32 assists against Coker with seven digs.

WOMEN’S SOCCER: Vanderbilt goalkeeper Sara Wojdelko collected 10 saves and a shutout to take the Women’s Soccer Player of the Week honor, leading the Commodores to their first two SEC victories of the season. At Texas A&M, the Northville, Mich., native picked up the clean sheet with five saves. It is the ninth shutout of her career – tied for the sixth-most in program history – and the seventh for Vanderbilt this season with five behind Wojdelko.

She held Kentucky to one goal in a 3-1 victory on Sunday, picking up five more saves against a Wildcat squad that is receiving votes in the Top 25 poll.

2024-25 TSWA College Players of the Week
FOOTBALL
9/3 | Offensive: Diego Pavia (Vanderbilt); Defensive: Bryan Longwell (Vanderbilt)
9/10 | Offensive: Sam Phillips (Chattanooga); Defensive: Elijah Herring (Memphis)
9/17 | Offensive: Dylan Sampson (Tennessee); Defensive: Alex Mitchell (Chattanooga)
9/24 | Offensive: La’Vell Wright (Austin Peay); Defensive: Major Williams (Carson-Newman)
10/1 | Offensive: Chase Artopoeus (Chattanooga); Defensive: Theron Gaines (Tennessee Tech)
10/8 | Offensive: Jayden Sullins (Carson-Newman); Defensive: Bryan Longwell (Vanderbilt)
10/15 | Offensive: Dylan Sampson (Tennessee); Defensive: James Pearce Jr. (Tennessee)

TSWA Prep Poll presented by CoachT.com - Oct. 14

October 14, 2024 Forrest Freeman

NASHVILLE – The Tennessee Sports Writers Association announced football rankings after Week 8 on Monday, with the poll presented by CoachT.com. Top 10 teams in each of the six Division I classifications and Top 5 in three Division II classes were selected by TSWA members with first-place votes in parentheses and total points based on 10 points for a first-place vote through one point for a 10th-place vote.

Class A
1. McKenzie (8-0) – 120 (12)
2. Coalfield (7-1) – 101
3. Oliver Springs (7-1) – 90
4. Halls (7-0) – 81
5. Chattanooga Prep (6-1) – 58
6. Whitwell (6-2) – 48
7. Union City (5-2) – 44
8. MASE (5-1) – 33
9. Gordonsville (6-2) – 26
10. South Pittsburg (5-2) – 20
Others receiving votes: Cosby 11, Richland 10, Clay County 8, Middle College 6, South Fulton 4

Class 2A
1. Fairley (6-0) – 114 (9)
2. Milan (6-1) – 102 (1)
3. East Robertson (7-1) – 95 (1)
4. Westmoreland (6-1) – 70 (1)
5. Bledsoe County (7-1) – 68
6. Huntingdon (5-2) – 61
7. Jackson Central-Merry (6-1) – 37
8. Decatur County Riverside (5-2) – 33
9. Marion County (6-2) – 26
10. East Hickman (6-1) – 24
Others receiving votes: York Institute 19, South Greene 8, Memphis Business 3

Class 3A
1. Alcoa (4-1) – 118 (11)
2. Covington (7-0) – 107 (1)
3. Westview (8-0) – 99
4. Johnson County (7-0) – 71
5. Sequatchie County (7-1) – 69
6. East Nashville (6-2) – 47
7. Unicoi County (5-1) – 45
8. Bolton (6-1) – 43
9. Gatlinburg-Pittman (5-2) – 23
10. Meigs County (5-2) – 19
Others receiving votes: Pigeon Forge 13, White House Heritage 5, Memphis East 1

Class 4A
1. Upperman (7-0) – 109 (10)
2. Anderson County (6-0) – 93
3. Marshall County (8-0) – 83
4. Haywood (6-1) – 71
5. Greeneville (5-2) – 60 (1)
6. Loudon (8-0) – 52
7. Pearl-Cohn (5-2) – 47
8. Gibbs (7-0) – 37
9. Dyer County (6-1) – 30
10. Soddy Daisy (7-1) – 12
Others receiving votes: Elizabethton 5, White County 2, DeKalb County 2, Macon County 2

Class 5A
1. Page (7-0) – 118 (10)
2. Sevier County (7-0) – 103 (2)
3. Powell (6-1) – 89
4. Beech (6-1) – 85
5. Southwind (6-1) – 66
6. Munford (7-1) – 60
7. Shelbyville (6-1) – 51
8. Walker Valley (6-2 – 26
9. Knox West (4-3) – 21
10. Lincoln County (6-1) – 18
Others receiving votes: Centennial 17, East Hamilton 4, Hendersonville 2

Class 6A
1. Oakland (7-0) – 114 (10)
2. Maryville (7-0) – 105 (2)
3. Ravenwood (7-0) – 100
4. Collierville (7-0) – 73
5. Mt. Juliet (7-0) – 68
6. Brentwood (6-1) – 62
7. Riverdale (6-1) – 44
8. Science Hill (5-1) – 27
9. Green Hill (7-0) – 26
10. Clarksville (8-0) – 24
Others receiving votes: Germantown Houston 7, Cookeville 5, Stewarts Creek 2, Cleveland 1, Rossview 1, Bearden 1

Division II-A
1. Jackson Christian (6-1) – 53 (9)
2. Nashville Christian (6-1) – 44 (1)
3. Donelson Christian (7-1) – 33 (1)
4. Columbia Academy (5-3) – 17
5. Friendship Christian (5-2) – 13
Others receiving votes: Providence Christian 3, Trinity Christian 2

Division II-AA
1. Christ Presbyterian (8-0) – 49 (7)
2. Boyd Buchanan (8-0) – 48 (4)
3. Franklin Road Academy (8-0) – 32
4. Lausanne (5-0) – 18
5. Grace Christian-Knoxville (7-0) – 12
Others receiving votes: Silverdale Academy 3, Battle Ground Academy 2, University School of Jackson 1

Division II-AAA
1. Baylor (7-0) – 54 (10)
2. Ensworth (8-0) – 44 (1)
3. McCallie (5-2) – 34
4. Brentwood Academy (5-3) – 16
5. Father Ryan (5-1) – 15
Others receiving votes: Christian Brothers 2

TSWA recognizes college players of the week - Oct. 8

October 8, 2024 Forrest Freeman

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Carson-Newman junior running back Jayden Sullins put on a show on the ground this past Saturday as he rushed for an incredible 261 yards on 31 carries – averaging 8.4 yards per rush – to earn the Tennessee Sports Writers Association’s Football Offensive Player of the Week honor.

In the Eagles’ 28-17 victory over Barton, Sullins posted the seventh-most rushing yards in program history as he also scored a touchdown and had a 78-yard pick-up in the contest. He had eight rushes on the day that were for 10 or more yards.

On the defensive side, Vanderbilt linebacker Bryan Longwell helped lead the Commodores to a victory over top-ranked Alabama. The sophomore from Nashville posted a team-best eight tackles in the contest, which included a tackle-for-loss – the fifth-straight game with at least one TFL. This was the second time in as many Southeastern Conference games that Longwell led the team in tackles.

With the effort, Vanderbilt became the first team this season to hold Alabama under 100 rushing yards and a season-low in scoring.

VOLLEYBALL: Tennessee Tech junior setter Jordan Karlen fed a Golden Eagle offense that reached plateaus unseen by a Tech squad in more than a decade to earn her third Ohio Valley Conference accolade of the year and ninth of her career, averaging 12.88 assists and 3.13 digs over eight sets of action. The junior kicked off the week with 40 helpers in the team's 3-0 sweep of Western Illinois, adding one block and 12 digs to pick up a double-double.

She went off in the five-set thriller on Friday, tying for the fourth-most assists in a five-set match in the rally-scoring era in Tech history with an eye-popping 63. She also dropped in a career-high five service aces, earned her ninth double-double of the year with 13 digs, and chipped in three block assists. Tech accounted for 74 kills in the match, the most by the team since crushing 75 against Murray State in the OVC Tournament Championship match in 2008.

WOMEN’S SOCCER: Sewanee graduate goalkeeper Leah Atkins recorded a career-high 12 saves against No. 13 Emory in a 1-1 draw on the road. Emory took 25 shots in the contest with 13 on-goal, while the one goal allowed came off of a penalty kick in the 80th minute.

Atkins followed it up on Sunday as she collected her eighth shutout of the season in a 3-0 victory against Oglethorpe.

TSWA Prep Poll presented by CoachT.com - Oct. 7

October 7, 2024 Forrest Freeman

NASHVILLE – The Tennessee Sports Writers Association announced football rankings after Week 7 on Monday, with the poll presented by CoachT.com. Top 10 teams in each of the six Division I classifications and Top 5 in three Division II classes were selected by TSWA members with first-place votes in parentheses and total points based on 10 points for a first-place vote through one point for a 10th-place vote.

Class A
1. McKenzie (7-0) – 100 (10)
2. Coalfield (6-1) – 81
t3. Oliver Springs (6-1) – 67
t3. Halls (7-0) – 67
5. Whitwell (6-1) – 60
6. Chattanooga Prep (5-1) – 45
7. Union City (5-2) – 35
t8. Gordonsville (5-2) – 23
t8. MASE (5-1) – 23
10. South Fulton (6-1) – 17
Others receiving votes: South Pittsburg 16, Houston County 8, Richland 4, Clay County 3, Cosby 1

Class 2A
1. Fairley (5-0) – 96 (7)
2. Jackson Central-Merry (6-0) – 80 (1)
3. Milan (6-1) – 79 (2)
4. East Robertson (6-1) – 72
t5. Westmoreland (6-1) – 48
t5. Bledsoe County (6-1) – 48
7. Huntingdon (4-2) – 35
8. Decatur County Riverside (5-2) – 29
9. Marion County (5-2) – 19
10. East Hickman (6-1) – 17
Others receiving votes: York Institute 11, Happy Valley 11, Mitchell 2, South Greene 2, Memphis Business 1

Class 3A
1. Alcoa (4-1) – 100 (10)
2. Covington (6-0) – 87
3. Westview (7-0) – 83
4. Meigs County (5-1) – 64
5. Johnson County (6-0) – 52
6. Sequatchie County (6-1) – 49
7. East Nashville (5-2) – 43
8. Bolton (6-1) – 27
9. Unicoi County (4-1) – 22
10. Gatlinburg-Pittman (4-2) – 12
Others receiving votes: McMinn Central 4, Memphis East 3, White House Heritage 2, Pigeon Forge 2

Class 4A
1. Upperman (7-0) – 99 (9)
2. Anderson County (6-0) – 86
3. Marshall County (7-0) – 74
4. Haywood (5-1) – 62
t5. Greeneville (4-2) – 49 (1)
t5. Loudon (7-0) – 49
7. Pearl-Cohn (5-2) – 45
8. Gibbs (6-0) – 32
9. Dyer County (6-1) – 27
10. Soddy Daisy (6-1) – 9
Others receiving votes: Signal Mountain 8, Macon County 4, Elizabethton 3, White County 2, DeKalb County 1

Class 5A
1. Page (7-0) – 100 (10)
2. Sevier County (6-0) – 78
t3. Powell (6-1) – 73
t3. Beech (5-1) – 73
5. Southwind (6-1) – 55
6. Munford (6-1) – 50
7. East Hamilton (6-1) – 36
8. Shelbyville (5-1) – 34
9. Knox West (4-3) – 19
10. Centennial (5-2) – 12
Others receiving votes: Lincoln County 11, Walker Valley 7, Henry County 2

Class 6A
1. Oakland (7-0) – 97 (8)
2. Maryville (7-0) – 87 (2)
3. Ravenwood (7-0) – 86
4. Collierville (7-0) – 69
5. Mt. Juliet (7-0) – 60
6. Brentwood (6-1) – 53
7. Cleveland (5-1) – 86
8. Riverdale (6-1) – 40
9. Green Hill (7-0) – 28
10. Science Hill (5-1) – 24
Others receiving votes: Clarksville 10, Germantown Houston 6, Cookeville 3, Whitehaven 1, Stewarts Creek 1

Division II-A
1. Jackson Christian (6-1) – 44 (8)
2. Nashville Christian (5-1) – 34 (1)
t3. Columbia Academy (5-2) – 24
t3. Donelson Christian (6-1) – 24
5. Friendship Christian (5-2) – 8
Others receiving votes: Trinity Christian 1

Division II-AA
1. Boyd Buchanan (7-0) – 41 (5)
2. Christ Presbyterian (7-0) – 38 (4)
3. Franklin Road Academy (7-0) – 27
t4. Lausanne (5-0) – 10
t4. Battle Ground Academy (6-1) – 10
Others receiving votes: Grace Christian-Knoxville 7, Silverdale Academy 1, University School of Jackson 1

Division II-AAA
1. Baylor (7-0) – 45 (9)
2. Ensworth (7-0) – 35
3. McCallie (5-2) – 24
4. Father Ryan (5-1) – 20
5. Brentwood Academy (4-3) – 11
Others receiving votes: None

College players of the week honored - Oct. 1

October 2, 2024 Forrest Freeman

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Chattanooga quarterback Chase Artopoeus had a tremendous night as he led an offensive explosion, earning this week’s Tennessee Sports Writers Association Football Offensive Player of the Week honor.

In all, Artopoeus threw for a season-high 396 yards with four touchdowns as he completed 24-of-32 passes. That stands as the ninth-most in Chattanooga program history as well as his fourth game of over 300 passing yards – ranking behind Chris Sanders’ 12 and B.J. Coleman’s six. The 396 passing yards were three shy of tying his career-best of 399 last season against Western Carolina.

The Orcutt, Calif., native added seven rushing yards to put him at 403 yards of total offense, the 12th time a Chattanooga player surpassed 400 total yards and his second after posting 401 in that career game against WCU and the most since Jacob Huesman compiled 428 at New Hampshire in the FCS quarterfinals.

On the defensive side, Tennessee Tech junior defensive lineman Theron Gaines was selected as this week’s Defensive Player of the Week after earning the Stats Perform FCS National Player of the Week and sharing the Big South-Ohio Valley Conference’s defensive honor with UT Martin’s Oshae Baker – who helped the Skyhawks top FBS newcomer Kennesaw State.

With no power at Gardner-Webb after Hurricane Helene passed through the western part of North Carolina, the two teams lined up in an old-school manner and Gaines dominated the Runnin’ Bulldogs as the Golden Eagles defeated the defending Big South-OVC champions 52-21 to improve to 2-0 in conference play for the first time since 2011.

Gaines, a Murfreesboro product, recorded seven total tackles – six of those solo – as he had three sacks for 36 yards and 3.5 tackles-for-loss for 38 yards. He also forced a fumble that teammate Daniel Rickert returned for a 50-yard touchdown.

The three sacks stand two short of the single-game record five that Branon Vaughn recorded in 1988 against Eastern Kentucky and Elois Grooms posted against Murray State in 1974.

VOLLEYBALL: Middle Tennessee senior outside hitter Laure Jansen had a historic week as she set a new single-game record for digs and digs per set, recording 39 digs and an astonishing 9.75 digs per set rate at Sam Houston. She finished the week with 75 digs – distilled down to an amazing 7.5 digs per set – including 19 digs in three sets in a sweep over Alabama A&M. The Valburg, Netherlands, native also had five service aces on the week. She was also named the Conference USA Defensive Player of the Week.

MEN’S SOCCER: Lipscomb sophomore goalkeeper Juan Carlos Rodriguez added to his Atlantic Sun Conference Goalkeeper of the Week honor as he recorded his second-straight shutout. The Almeria, Spain, native posted the clean sheet with a 2-0 victory over Bellarmine on Sunday. He made five saves and has yet to allow a goal in conference play.

WOMEN’S SOCCER: Sewanee senior defender Ashlyn Richards had a great week as she anchored the defense to two victories. The Charlotte, N.C., native scored the game-winning goal and added an assist in the conference match against Berry, while also collecting an assist against Piedmont. In the two matches on the week, the defense did not allow a goal and held both opponents to a combined three shots on goal.

2024-25 TSWA College Players of the Week
Football
9/3 | Offensive: Diego Pavia (Vanderbilt); Defensive: Bryan Longwell (Vanderbilt)
9/10 | Offensive: Sam Phillips (Chattanooga); Defensive: Elijah Herring (Memphis)
9/17 | Offensive: Dylan Sampson (Tennessee); Defensive: Alex Mitchell (Chattanooga)
9/24 | Offensive: La’Vell Wright (Austin Peay); Defensive: Major Williams (Carson-Newman)
10/1 | Offensive: Chase Artopoeus (Chattanooga); Defensive: Theron Gaines (Tennessee Tech)