Male Recipient

Female Recipient

Week 39: May 8 - May 14

Jake Usher
Senior | Baseball

Week's Acheivements: Usher turned in a gem of a start at Eastern Kentucky Saturday afternoon, helping propel the Golden Eagles to their ninth OVC regular season title in program history with seven strong innings on the hill. The senior gathered his fourth victory of the year while limiting the Colonels to two earned runs on just three hits. He allowed just a .130 batting average in the contest while striking out three.

Na'Asha Robinson
Sophomore | Track and Field

Week's Acheivements: Robinson claimed the individual title in the 200-meter with a Tech and OVC record time of 23.13. Her time topped Murray State's Alexis Love's former record of 23.33, which she established in 2012, and topped her school record time set earlier in the season at the Weems Baskin Invitational of 23.56. She also also claimed victory in the 400-meter dash with a time of 53.34. N. Robinson continued to see success in the day as she and the team of Leonce, Jackson, and Crystal Liebenberg claimed victory in the 4x100-meter relay with a time of 45.78, which also established a new Tech school record. The quad of N. Robinson, Joseph, Leonce, and Jackson placed second in the 4x400-meter relay with a time of 3:41.96, just .11 seconds behind the lead team of Tennessee State.

Week 38: May 1 - May 7

Michael Wood
Senior | Baseball

Week's Acheivements: On the night he received his diploma and with his parents in attendance for the first time in his Golden Eagle career, Wood turned in a heroic effort to lead Tech to a 3-2 win. The senior tossed seven and one third innings while holding Belmont to two unearned runs. He scattered five hits while striking out seven batters and issuing no walks. Wood retired the final 12 batters he faced in the contest while tossing 115 pitches and gaining his eighth victory of the year.

Na'Asha Robinson
Sophomore | Track and Field

Week's Acheivements: Robinson won the 400-meter at the Tennessee Challenge with a time of 54.28. She beat out all other runners from Vanderbilt, Wake Forest, and Clayton State to claim her first-place finish.

Week 37: April 24 - Apr. 30

Trevor Putzig
Junior | Baseball

Week's Acheivements: Putzig was a force at the plate during the week, helping Tech take two of three games at SEMO thanks to a .526 average, .571 on base percentage and 1.000 slugging percentage. The junior blasted two home runs and three doubles during the week, driving in five and scoring seven times. Putzig snagged three RBI in the series opener, finished 3-for-5 with a double and long ball. He wrapped up the series finishing a perfect 5-for-5 with another home run and two doubles while scoring four times.

Alyssa Richards
Senior | Softball

Week's Acheivements: Richards led the Golden Eagles with a .438 batting average; connecting on seven of 16 at-bats. Richards recorded 3 RBI with two home run. She posted a .813 slugging percentage and commited no fielding errors.

Week 36: April 17 - Apr. 23

Eduardo Mena
Junior | Tennis

Week's Acheivements: Mena led the men's tennis team to another OVC Championship title this past weekend. He was also named the OVC Men's Tennis Player of the Year and to the first team All-OVC. Individually, Mena picked up singles wins over Belmont's Josiah Collins (6-3, 6-2) and Eastern Kentucky's Ramon Van Flyman (6-2, 7-5).

Sharnique Leonce
Senior | Track and Field

Week's Acheivements: Leonce was the only representative of the Tech track and field team this past weekend to compete at the Virginia Challenge. There, she competed in the Heptathlon, which she claimed a 10th place overall finish in with 4,789 points. Overall, she defeated participants from top schools of Penn, Pittsburgh, Illinois State, Yale, and Kennesaw State. She also placed first in the 100-meter hurdles and 200 meter legs of the event.

Week 35: April 10 - Apr. 16

Ethan Roberts
Sophomore| Baseball

Week's Acheivements: Roberts was dominant in two relief appearances for the Golden Eagles, making two saves while tallying 11 strikeouts in four and one third innings. Against #19 Vanderbilt, the Tech closer tallied the final three outs, including striking out the final batter of the game for his ninth save of the year. The sophomore then broke a school record against Murray State, striking out nine consecutive batters to earn his10th save. He covered the final three and one third innings for Tech, with all 10 outs coming via the strikeout. He did not allow a hit in the contest, preserving the 6-4 lead for Tech.

D'Airrien Jackson
Sophomore | Track & Field

Week's Acheivements: Jackson was recently named the adidas® OVC Outdoor Female Track Athlete of the Week on April 12 for her performance at the Hilltopper Relays. This past weekend, Jackson continued to prove herself a solid performer week after week when she beat out all other runners in the 800-meter at the APSU Invitational, where she recorded a time of 2:09.36. Jackson beat out all 52 other participants from schools of Murray State, Western Kentucky, Belmont, Morehead State, UT Martin, Lipscomb, Cumberland (Tenn.), and Tennessee State, while clocking in six seconds faster than the next participant. She was also part of the Tech 4x100 meter relay team that topped the Golden Eagle school record with a time of 46.36 and claimed a first-place finish in the race.
 

Week 34: April 3 - Apr. 9

Eduardo Mena
Junior | Tennis

Week's Acheivements: Mena has gone 9-0 in OVC play thus far this season, and is currently on a 13-match winning streak in Ohio Valley Conference matchups dating back to last season. Most recently, Mena defeated Jacksonville State's Jaryd Reese 6-1, 6-3 on Saturday.

Danielle Liberatore
Senior | Softball

Week's Acheivements: Liberatore shut out Tennessee State on Saturday, allowing just two hits as she struck out 11. She then dueled with Belmont's Brooklin Lee, not giving up a hit and run until the sixth inning of a 1-0 loss. Liberatore later came in during the second game and threw the final two frames to earn her second save of the season.

Week 33: Mar. 28 - Apr. 2

Ethan Roberts
Sophomore| Baseball

Week's Acheivements: Roberts recovered from flu-like symptoms last Sunday to record two more saves over the weekend, helping Tech to a perfect 12-0 start to OVC play. The sophomore was dominant in Tech’s 5-3 win on Friday over EIU, striking out six batters in two and a third innings of relief to garner his sevenths save of the year. He then came back on Sunday to close the final one and two thirds innings against the Panthers, allowing just one base runner while fanning two. He picked up his eighth save of the year, moving into third on Tech’s single-season list. In two appearances he allowed just one hit and a walk while striking out eight over four innings.

Alyssa Richards
Senior | Softball

Week's Acheivements: Richards led the Golden Eagles in batting with a .571 clip, scoring two runs and driving in four with a grand slam against Austin Peay. She also helped complete an 8-2 throwout at the plate in the contest.

Week 32: Mar. 20 - Mar. 27

Matt Jones
Senior| Baseball

Week's Acheivements: Jones spent nearly all of Tech’s five games during the week on base and scoring runs for the Golden Eagles. The senior hit .667 with a .720 on base percentage, banging out 14 hits, including four doubles and a home run. He scored 10 runs while driving in eight more and slugging 1.0000. He posted multi-hit performances in all five games, including a perfect 4-for-4 showing against Alabama A&M that featured two doubles and long ball for three RBI and two runs. He scored three runs in two different games while helping Tech move to 9-0 in OVC play and 20-6 overall.

Allyson Dunn
Junior | Women's Golf

Week's Acheivements: Dunn tied for second overall in the field of 44 golfers, tallying a career-low, 3-under 68. Her performance represented the low round of the tournament and the second lowest round in the history of the Golden Eagle program Dunn led the field with 12 birdies during the week and posted on of just three eagles in the entire tournament. She also led all golfers in par-five scoring throughout the 54 holes, tallying a mark of 5-under. Her tournament score of 220 tied her career-low as well.

Week 31: Mar. 13-Mar. 19

Ethan Roberts
Sophomore| Baseball

Week's Acheivements: Roberts was nearly perfect on three separate occasions while helping Tech to a 4-1 week and 3-0 OVC series sweep over SIUE. The sophomore earned saves in all three of his appearances, tossing four and one third innings without allowing a hit, surrendering just one walk and punching out six. He used a strikeout for his only out and the save against Illinois State on Tuesday. The Sparta, Tenn. native followed with two Ks on seven pitches and a save in a bases-loaded jam on Friday against the Cougars. He then flung three and third innings for his third save and 3-2 Tech victory on Sunday.

Gabby LaSala
Sophomore | Softball

Week's Acheivements: LaSala went three for six over Tech's two contests this past weekend. She tallied two RBI, one home run, and one double, while committing just two errors in the field. 

Week 30: Mar. 6-Mar. 12

Ryan Flick
Junior | Baseball

Week's Acheivements: Playing four games in three days, Flick spent the week tearing the cover off the ball and producing runs for the Golden Eagles, batting a red hot .579 with eight runs scored, seven RBI and slugging percentage of 1.053. The junior DH finished 3-for-5 in a slugfest at Lipscomb, smashing a home run and double while scoring three times. He then tallied four hits in five at bats in the OVC opener at UT Martin, driving in three and scoring twice. He then carried the Tech offense in the series finale, finishing 4-for-6 with two runs scored, three RBI a double and a home run. He posted an on base percentage of .619 during the week as well. He finished just a triple shy of the cycle in two games.

Alyssa Richards
Senior | Softball

Week's Acheivements: Richards drove in four runs against East Tennessee State on Friday as she went 2-for-4 with a home run and a double, then went 3-for-4 with a home run in Tech’s win over Michigan State on Saturday with three RBI. For the three games, she had a 1.091 slugging percentage, a .455 on-base percentage and a 1.000 fielding percentage.

Week 29: Feb. 27-Mar. 5

Michael Wood
Senior | Baseball

Week's Acheivements: Wood put together one of the best outings of his career Friday night, twirling his first complete-game shutout in the purple and gold at Bethune-Cookman. The senior hurler scattered five hits across nine innings of work, striking out five Wildcat batters and walking none. He faced just two batters above the minimum in the contest and worked the first four innings of the contest without allowing a base runner. In midweek action, Wood took the tough-luck loss against Central Arkansas, allowing a 2-run single up the middle during a live-action bullpen session.

Yaktavia "Shug" Hickson
Junior | Women's Basketball

Week's Acheivements: Hickson led the Golden Eagles last week in the first round of the OVC Tournament, when she totaled a game-high 25 points, five rebounds, and three assists. She shot 61.5 percent (8-for-13) from the field and connected on a perfect 5-of-5 from the charity stripe. Her 25-point game marked the 23rd time she scored in double-figures on the season, including her 10th 20+-point appearance. The junior, Stone Mountain, Ga., native was also named to the All-OVC first team on Feb. 28.

Week 28: Feb. 20-Feb. 26

Collin Harris
Junior | Baseball

Week's Acheivements: Harris spent the weekend tearing the cover off the baseball, beginning with a program-tying, three-home run showing Friday evening against Bradley. The junior drove in four runs and scored three times in Tech’s 13-7 victory, finished 3-for-4 with his three homers. He doubled in game two while also scoring a run and then drove in two more with two more runs scored in the game three victory over the Braves.

Na'Asha Robinson
Sophomore | Track and Field

Week's Acheivements: Robinson was a key performer for the Golden Eagle squad last weekend at the Ohio Valley Conference Championships. Robinson claimed two individual OVC titles: her first in the 400-meter when she recorded a time of 54.14 (Lantz Fieldhouse record), and her second in the 200-meter with a time of 24.01 (just one second shy of tying her own school record). Robinson was also a part of the 4x400 relay team that claimed a first place finish in the OVCs with a time of 54.14, which was a Lantz Fieldhouse and Tech school record.

Week 27: Feb. 13-Feb. 19

Chase Burkett
Senior | Baseball

Week's Acheivements: Burkett and Lancaster were nearly infallible for the Golden Eagles during opening weekend, each making the most of their starts with a combined 13 innings of shutout baseball to help Tech sweep a four-game series against Toledo. Burkett threw seven scoreless frames on Sunday, including three perfect innings to start the game. He allowed just four hits and one walk while fanning three batters. The two helped Tech post back-to-back shutouts for the first time since 2013.

Devin Lancaster
Freshman | Baseball

Week's Acheivements: Burkett and Lancaster were nearly infallible for the Golden Eagles during opening weekend, each making the most of their starts with a combined 13 innings of shutout baseball to help Tech sweep a four-game series against Toledo. Making his collegiate debut in Tech’s second game of a Saturday doubleheader, Lancaster tossed six shutout innings, scattering three hits and two walks while also striking out six Rocket batters. The two helped Tech post back-to-back shutouts for the first time since 2013.
 

Gabby LaSala
Sophomore | Softball

Week's Acheivements: LaSala saw her first action of the season at the Chattanooga Challenge this week where she went on a tear, with three hits -- all three home runs -- and driving in eight runs as she helped the Golden Eagles claim theirf irst win of the season against Chattanooga.

Week 26: Feb. 6-Feb. 12

Kajon Mack
Senior | Men's Basketball

Week's Acheivements: Mack could do no wrong in helping the Golden Eagles hand Belmont its first OVC loss of the season Saturday night, posting his first career double-doule with career-highs of 24 points and 12 rebounds. He finished the contest 8-for-11 from the field and aslo dished out six assists and two steals and a block. For the week, the guard averaged 14.5 points, 11.0 rebounds, and 5.0 assists.

Sharnique Leonce
Senior | Track and Field

Week's Acheivements: Leonce was a key performer for the Golden Eagles track and field team this past weekend. She topped her Tech school record in the 60-meter hurdles in the preliminary rounds of the Samford Open with a time of 8.65. Leonce established a second school record in the meet in the long jump with a 5.33-meter leap.

Week 25: Jan. 30-Feb. 5

Kajon Mack
Senior | Men's Basketball

Week's Acheivements: Mack scored in double figures twice for Tech, leading the Golden Eagles with 12 points at UT Martin before pouring in 17 points in Tech's huge road victory at Eastern Illinois. The senior finished the week shooting over 50 percent from the field and 42 percent from deep while averaging 5.5 rebounds. He grabbed seven off the glass at EIU.

Na'Asha Robinson
Sophomore | Track and Field

Week's Acheivements: Robinson was a key performer for the Golden Eagle track team last weekend at the Meyo Invitational. She and her teammates of Micayla Rennick, D'Airrien Jackson, and Sarah Brandt claimed a Tech school record in the distance medley relay on day one of the invite with a time of 11:35.22. She then went on to day two to claim another school record in the 400-meter dash with a time of 53.20m, which landed as the top time recorded this season in the OVC and ranked 13th in the nation.
 

Week 24: Jan. 23-Jan. 29

Aleksa Jugovic
Junior | Men's Basketball

Week's Acheivements: Jugovic averaged 21.5 points per game for the second straight week, leading the way with a spotless mark from the charity stripe. The junior hit all 16 of his attempts from the line and also knocked down seven 3-pointers. In the team’s victory over Morehead State, Jugovic scored a team-high 25 points, hitting four straight free throws with under 30 seconds to play to ice the game for the Golden Eagles. He followed it up with 18 points against Eastern Kentucky.

Yaktavia "Shug" Hickson
Junior | Women's Basketball

Week's Acheivements: Hickson led the Golden Eagles in both of Tech’s games this past week. She totaled her second career double-double in the victory over Eastern Kentucky when she put up 14 points and 10 rebounds in the contest. She totaled a team-high 18 points at Morehead State, while grabbing six off the glass and connecting on nine-of-ten free throw attempts. She closed out the week shooting 34.8 percent from the field, 92.9 percent from the charity stripe, and 75 percent from the free throw line.

Week 23: Jan. 16-Jan. 22 

Aleksa Jugovic
Junior | Men's Basketball

Week's Acheivements: Jugovic willed the Golden Eagles to an overtime victory at Tennessee State, tying his career-high with 30 points and posting career best marks with 43 minutes of action and 11 free throws both made and attempted. He scored 17 of Tech’s final 25 points in the win, including the team’s first 11 in overtime. He posted 13 more points at Belmont, swiping a career-high five steals. For the week, Jugovic averaged 21.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 3.0 steals.

Yaktavia "Shug" Hickson
Junior | Women's Basketball

Week's Acheivements: Hickson had a phenomenal weekend for the Golden Eagles, scoring a career-high 37 points at Belmont (her third career 30+-point game). She went 12-for-13 from the charity stripe and added seven rebounds with three steals vs. the Bruins. She also led the Golden Eagles with 15 points in the victory over Tennessee State. She grabbed six off the glass, while adding two assists and three steals to her performance.

Week 22: Jan. 9-Jan. 15

Mason Ramsey
Junior | Men's Basketball

Week's Acheivements: Tied his career-highs in points (19) and steals (4). Averaged 13.5 points and 5.0 rebounds per game on the weekend. Ramsey shot 50 percent from the field and 63.6 percent from the free throw line.

Yaktavia "Shug" Hickson
Junior | Women's Basketball

Week's Acheivements: Hickson was a key player in the come from behind victory over Jacksonville State. She scored a game-high 14 points, shooting 75 percent from the field (6-for-8). Hickson scored the game winning jumper with four seconds on the clock to give the Golden Eagle’s their 56-54 victory over the Gamecocks.

Week 21: Jan. 2-Jan. 8

Kajon Mack
Senior | Men's Basketball

Week's Acheivements: Named the Ohio Valley Conference adidas® Newcomer of the Week, Mack sparked a 12-point Golden Eagle rally Thursday evening against Austin Peay, scoring 16 points, hauling in four rebounds, dishing out three assists and making three steals. He finished a meticulous 7-for-9 from the floor in the contest, making every shot count in the Tech victory. He then followed that up with another stat-stuffing performance on Saturday, lifting Tech to a 71-67 win against long-time OVC rival Murray State. Mack again made every shot count, finishing 5-for-6 from the floor, 3-for-3 from 3-point range and 4-for-4 from the charity stripe on his way to 17 points. He added six rebounds, four assists, a block and two steals in the contest, the Golden Eagles' second straight victory over the Racers for the first time in 10 years.

Akia Harris
Freshman | Women's Basketball

Week's Acheivements: Harris had a phenomenal weekend for the Golden Eagles. She became the fifth player in Tech school history to record a triple-double and only the second freshman when she totaled 19 points, 12 assists, and 10 rebounds in the 72-54 victory over Murray State (marking career-highs in both points and rebounds and tying her career-high in assists). The 5-foot-7 freshman led the Golden Eagles in points (31), rebounds (17), assists (21), and steals (6) over Tech’s two contests this past week. Harris also came up just shy of a triple-double in Tech’s first contest the week vs. Austin Peay when she recorded 12 points, nine assists, and seven rebounds in the matchup. Harris shot 37 percent from the field, 60 percent from the three-point range, and 72.7 percent from the free throw line on the weekend.

Week 20: Dec. 27-Jan. 1 

Kajon Mack
Senior | Men's Basketball

Week's Acheivements: Mack kicked off OVC play with a his best offensive performance of the season, scoring a career-high 22 points while leading the Golden Eagles to victory at SIUE. The senior finished 4-for-6 from 3-point range and a perfect 6-for-6 from the charity stripe, icing the game late with a combination of both triples and free throws. He also hauled in a team- high seven rebounds while helping Tech snap its five-game losing streak.

Yaktavia "Shug" Hickson
Junior | Women's Basketball

Week's Acheivements: Hickson kicked off conference play on a high note. The junior tallied her second 30-point game of the season at Southeast Missouri, while also collecting her first career double-double with 30 points and 12 boards in the contest. Hickson continues to serve as the primary scorer for the Golden Eagle squad, finishing the weekend averaging 18.5 points and 9.5 rebounds per game (highest mark in both categories on the team this weekend). In Tech’s win over Southeast Missouri Hickson drained four threes, dished out four assists, and put up one block to complete her all-around solid performance.

Week 19: Dec. 20-Dec. 25 

Hakeem Rogers
Senior | Men's Basketball

Week's Acheivements: Rogers led the Golden Eagles over the weekend averaging 16.5 points per game. Rogers shot 31 percent from the field, 25 percent from the three-point range, and connected on a perfect 9-of-9 from the charity stripe. He rounded out his solid week performance corralling five rebounds and two steals over Tech's two contests.

Yaktavia "Shug" Hickson
Junior | Women's Basketball

Week's Acheivements: Hickson had an all-around solid performance for the Golden Eagle’s one matchup at Lipscomb. She led Tech with 24 points in the contest, shooting 50% from the field, 90% from the free throw line, and 50% from the three-point range. Hickson continues to be a consistent scorer for the Golden Eagles, ranking second amongst OVC opponents in scoring average (16.2 ppg) and third in free throw percentage (87.3%) on the season.

Week 18: Dec. 13-Dec. 18

Aleksa Jugovic
Junior | Men's Basketball

Week's Acheivements: Jugovic poured in 24 points in a buzzer-beating loss against Lipscomb, hitting 6-of-11 triples and extending his consecutive free throws streak to 17 over the past five games. The senior averaged 37 minutes in two games for Tech, averaging 19 points and 3.5 rebounds. He also tallied 14 points earlier in the week at Tennessee, a comeback attempt that fell just short.

Yaktavia "Shug" Hickson
Junior | Women's Basketball

Week's Acheivements: Hickson had a superb showing for the Golden Eagles this weekend. She dropped a career-high 31 points against SEC opponent Vanderbilt, where she also went a perfect, career-best 11-for-11 at the free throw line. Hickson led Tech in both contests this past week totaling 12 points at IUPUI to kick off the week’s action, despite being held to playing just 18 minutes in the game. Hickson shot 50% from the field, 44.4% from downtown, and a perfect 100% from the charity stripe (going 13-for-13 on the weekend) to round out an all-around stellar performance.  

Week 17: Dec. 5-Dec. 12

Kajon Mack
Senior | Men's Basketball

Week's Acheivements: Mack tallied 12 points, while grabbing four off the glass at the Golden Eagle's only contest of the week at Michigan State. He shot 50 percent from the floor (4-8), 33.3 percent from downtown (33.3), and 100 percent from the charity stripe (3-3). Mack rounded out his solid performance by dishing out two assists and grabbing one steal and putting up one block.

Anacia Wilkinson
Red Shirt-Freshman | Women's Basketball

Week's Acheivements: Wilkinson notched her first career double-double in Tech's only matchup vs. East Tennessee State. She tallied 16 points and 13 rebounds, which marked career-highs in both categories, while also dishing out a career-high two assists in the contest. Wilkinson shot 70 percent from the field (7-10) and 40 percent from the free throw line (2-5). Her 13 boards were also a game-high, and eight of those off the glass were on the offensive end. 

Week 16: Nov. 28-Dec. 4

Aleksa Jugovic
Junior | Men's Basketball

Week's Acheivements: Jugovic continued his torrid scoring run, averaging 21.0 points over four games, leading Tech to a 3-1 mark. The junior tied a career-high with 30 points at Lipscomb, draining 7-of-11 triples, including seven in-a-row in the second half. He also corralled a season-high six rebounds in the contest. Jugovic dropped 20 points against Hiwassee College and 21 at Alabama A&M, converting a clutch, four-point play to help edge the Bulldogs. For the week, he fired at a 47.2 percent clip from beyond the arc.

Na'Asha Robinson
Sophomore | Track and Field

Week's Acheivements: Robinson opened the 2016-17 season on a high note when she broke a school record in the 200 meter with a time of 24.00. She also clocked in first amongst a field of 53 runners. Robinson also competed in the 60 meter race, where she placed fifth with a time of 7.75.

Week 15: Nov. 21-Nov. 27

Kajon Mack
Senior | Men's Basketball

Week's Acheivements: Mack stuffed the stats sheets over a two-game road stretch for the men's basketball team, averaging 16.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 3.0 steals per game. Shooting 50.0 percent from the field and finishing a perfect 6-for-6 from the charity stripe, the senior remained steady all week while averaging 37.5 minutes of action.

Yaktavia "Shug" Hickson
Junior | Women's Basketball

Week's Acheivements: Hickson led the Golden Eagles in both of their road matchups this past week. She notched her first 20-point game of the season vs. UNC Asheville (who won the Big South Conference title last season) when she posted 23 points and shot 50 percent from the field (7-14), 66.7 percent (2-3) from downtown, and 87.5 percent (7-8) from the line in the contest. She also led the Golden Eagles versus Radford when she tallied 11 points. Over the weekend, she shot a solid 42.9 percent from the field, 85.7 percent from the charity stripe, and 57.1 percent from the three-point range.

Week 14: Nov. 14-Nov. 20

Dontez Byrd
Junior | Football

Week's Acheivements: Byrd caught 14 passes for 198 yards and two touchdowns as Tennessee Tech topped Murray State 55-19 to finish in sole possession of third place in the OVC standings, its highest finish since winning the league in 2011. The performance pushed his season totals to 74 catches for 933 yards, both of which established new TTU single-season records. The junior had a 43-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter and added a 29-yard score late in the second frame. Byrd finished the regular season ranked first in the OVC and 10th nationally in receptions/game (6.7) and 11th nationally in all-purpose yards (147.82/game). For his performance in the Murray State game, Byrd was named the OVC Offensive Player and co-Newcomer of the Week.

Yaktavia "Shug" Hickson
Junior | Women's Basketball

Week's Acheivements: Hickson led the Golden Eagles in scoring for all three of Tech's games this past week. She averaged 16.7 points on the weekend, while shooting 52.8 perent from the field, 36.4 percent from downtown, and 72.7 percent from the free throw line. She also totaled eight boards, three assists, three steals, and one block over the Golden Eagle's three game, while averaging 27.0 minutes per game.

Week 13: Nov. 7-Nov. 13 

Gilbert Boit
Freshman | Cross Country

Week's Acheivements: Gilbert Boit had a stellar week for the men's cross country team as he placed 11th overall at the NCAA South Regionals. Boit led the Golden Eagle men to an 11th place finish overall, which was the highest team finish in school history and was the highest finish of any OVC men or women's team that competed in the OVC South Regions. Boit's completed the 10,000-meter race in 30:45.1, which earned him a spot on the All-Region team.

Nick Madonia
Sophomore | Football

Week's Acheivements: Madonia kicked a 57-yard field goal against Tennessee State to establish a new Tennessee Tech program record (by 4 yards) and equal the longest field goal in the FCS this season. It also matches the longest field goal in the OVC this year and the longest in the League over the past 15 years. Madonia also made field goals of 39 and 33 yards and made five PATs to account for 14 total points; he also punted once for 42 yards. After TTU went ahead 14-3 to begin the second quarter, the sophomore executed a surprise on-side kick that he recovered and which led to his record-setting field goal four plays later. Madonia has now converted 11 of his last 12 field goals and is 11-of-14 on the season. His play helped Tennessee Tech top Tennessee State by a 44-16 margin and claim a share of the Sgt. York Championship.

Micayla Rennick
Junior | Cross Country

Week's Acheivements: Micayla Rennick placed 42nd in the NCAA South Regionals this past week. The junior paced the Golden Eagle women and recorded a 6K time of 21:20.7, which clocked in just .3 seconds slower than her personal record. Rennick led the Tech team to a 21st place overall finish out of a field of 30 teams.

Week 12: Oct. 31-Nov. 6

Dontez Byrd
Junior | Football

Week's Acheivements: Byrd caught nine passes for 121 yards in the Golden Eagles' loss to Tennessee. The tally tied the Tech record for receptions against a Football Bowl Subdivision opponent, tying Brock McCoin's nine catches in 2015 against Houston. Byrd also had six kickoff returns for 138 yards.

Mary Francis Hoots
Junior | Soccer

Week's Acheivements: Named to the OVC All-Tournament team, Hoots was a key player on the Golden Eagle defense to hold Eastern Kentucky scoreless in the semifinals of the OVC Tournament and force the match to go to a shootout. Hoots tallied two shots, one one goal and 110 minutes in the contest.

Lauren Brewer
Junior | Soccer

Week's Acheivements: Named to the OVC All-Tournament team, Brewer was a key player on the Golden Eagle defense to hold Eastern Kentucky scoreless in the semifinals of the OVC Tournament and force the match to to a shootout.

Week 11: Oct. 24-Oct. 30

Gilbert Boit
Freshman | Cross Country

Week's Acheivements: Gilbert Boit had a stellar week for the men's cross country team as he became the first male cross country runner in school history to win the OVC Title. Boit beat out all runners from across the 12 league teams in the 8,000-meter race on Saturday with a time of 24:20.9. Boit led the Golden Eagle squad to a fifth place finish, the highest team finish since the 2009 season when Tech also placed fifth. After the completion of Saturday's race, Boit was named the Male Athlete of the Championship, as well as to the All-OVC first team. Boit also received the OVC Male Freshman of the Year honors on Friday's annual OVC banquet for his consistent performances all year long.

Dani Shartouny
Freshman | Soccer

Week's Acheivements: Dani Shartouny was a key player in the Golden Eagle's first-round conference tournament 3-0 win over Belmont. Shartouny put the Golden Eagles on the board first with an unassisted goal in the 21st minute, and then further sealed a Tech shutout when she netted another goal for the Golden Eagles in the 71st minute. Over Tech's two matches this past week, Shartouny tallied five shots (two on goal) over 107 minutes.

Week 10: Oct. 17-Oct. 23

Elliott Normand
Junior | Football

Week's Acheivements: Elliott Normand was a key player for the Golden Eagles in their Homecoming win over Southeast Missouri. The junior grabbed an interception and returned for 25 yards to score Tech's go-ahead touchdown and help seal the Golden Eagle's 21-20 victory over the Redhawks.

Josh Poplar
Sophomore | Football

Week's Acheivements: Josh Poplar tallied a career-high 16 tackles in the Golden Eagle's Homecoming game versus Southeast Missouri. Poplar also saw two tackles for a loss of seven yards total in Tech's matchup.

Abi Gearing
Senior | Soccer

Week's Acheivements: Abi Gearing closed out her senior regular conference season at the Tech Soccer Field with a goal versus Eastern Illinois on Sunday. The senior saw 180 minutes over Tech's two matches this last weekend, while also tallying four shots and one shot on goal.

Week 9: Oct. 10-Oct. 16

Carlos Tajes
Junior | Tennis

Week's Acheivements: Paired with Marcos Bernardes, the tandem swept the C doubles bracket at the Louisville Fall Invitational. The duo went 3-0 in the tournament; first defeating Campbellsville's pair of Reyes and Ahlbeck 8-2, before going on to defeat Lipscomb's Wong and Panovec in the semifinals 8-4. Tajes and Bernardes then defeated Illinois State's tandem of Boers and Domiter in the finals with a score of 8-7 (4).

Marcos Bernardes
Junior | Tennis

Week's Acheivements: Paired with Carlos Tajes, the tandem swept the C doubles bracket at the Louisville Fall Invitational. The duo went 3-0 in the tournament; first defeating Campbellsville's pair of Reyes and Ahlbeck 8-2, before going on to defeat Lipscomb's Wong and Panovec in the semifinals 8-4. Bernardes and Tajes then defeated Illinois State's tandem of Boers and Domiter in the finals with a score of 8-7 (4).

Nora Vicsek
Freshman | Soccer

Week's Acheivements: Nora tallied a goal in each of Tech's matches this past weeked. Vicsek scored the Golden Eagles only goal in the shutout over Southeast Missouri, tallying two shots, one shot on goal, and 66 minutes in the contest. At UT Martin, Viscek netted one of two Golden Eagles goals while also totaling four shots, three shots on goal and 66 minutes in the match.

Week 8: Oct. 3-Oct. 9

Tim Collins
Sophomore | Football

Week's Acheivements: Tim Collins had a standout defensive game for the Golden Eagles versus conference opponent and No. 3 Jacksonville State. Collins collected two sacks and six tackles, including three for-loss.

Hollee Sadler
Sophomore | Women's Golf

Week's Acheivements: Hollee had a superb weekend for the Golden Eagles, earning her first career individual medal, while leading Tech to a first place finish at Starmount Forest Fall Classic in Greensboro, N.C. The sophomore carded a career-low 74-72-73=219 to defeat Winthrop's Ashley Sloup by three full strokes. Sadler's 54-hole score of 219 was the third-lowest in program history and she became the first Tech medalist since Maddi Everts won the F&M Bank APSU Intercollegiate in the fall of 2014, which notched her adidas® OVC Female Golfer of the Week on October 5.

Week 7: Sept. 26-Oct. 2

Gilbert Boit
Freshman | Cross Country

Week's Acheivements: The men were paced by freshman Gilbert Boit who placed seventh overall in the men's Gold Race with an 8K time of 23:59.70. Boit came in about 20 seconds behind the lead runner from Louisville, who completed his 8K in 23:34.80.

Michael Birdsong
Senior | Football

Week's Acheivements: The Marshall transfer completed 27 of his 42 passes, throwing for three touchdowns, then ran for another score as the Golden Eagles defeated Eastern Kentucky 33-30 in overtime.

Allyson Dunn
Junior | Women's Golf

Week's Acheivements: Allyson tied for third place overall at the Chris Bannister Fall Classic in Gadsden, Ala., while leading the Golden Eagles to a third place finish amongst nine teams. Dunn shot a 75-72-74 = 221, her second lowest 54-hole score of her career.

Micayla Rennick
Junior | Cross Country

Week's Acheivements: Micayla Rennick finished first for the Golden Eagle women in the Blue Race. Rennick placed second overall in a field of 48 teams (six of which were Division I) with a 5K time of 17:53.62. Rennick also led the Golden Eagles to a first place overall finish amongst Division I teams in the women's blue race.

Week 6: Sept. 19-25

Marcos Bernardes
Junior | Tennis

Week's Acheivements: Bernardes went 3-1 in singles and 2-1 in doubles at the Southern Intercollegiate this past weekend. He defeated players from ETSU, Ole Miss, and Arkansas in singles and Eastern Kentucky and UNC Charlotte in doubles. 

Kalyn Pruett
Senior | Soccer

Week's Acheivements: Pruett saw 153 minutes over Tech's two matches this past weekend. She tallied four shots, one shot on goal, and one goal, while also shooting a cross for an own goal to help secure Tech's win over conference opponent Belmont, 2-0.

Week 5: Sept. 12-Sept. 18

Dontez Byrd
Junior | Football

Week's Acheivements: Byrd returned the opening kickoff 100 yards – the longest play in Tech history – for a touchdown. He ended the game with four returns for 183 yards and 227 total all-purpose yards. 

Gilbert Boit
Freshman | Cross Country

Week's Acheivements: Gilbert Boit completed the 8K course in 24:26.8 to place fourth individually and lead coach Wayne Angel's Golden Eagles to ninth place among a very tough 21-team field. Boit's time is the second-fastest in school history, just off the record pace of 24:09.34 he recorded two weeks ago in Mobile, Ala. His time Saturday reflected his average of 4.55.1 per mile.
 

Micayla Rennick
Junior | Cross Country

Week's Acheivements: Micayla Rennick led the Golden Eagles Saturday for the third time this year, posting her best 5K time on head coach Wayne Angel's team with a time of 18:30.2 to place her 78^th individually in a tough field of 261 runners. An addition to the roster from American River Community College, Rennick sliced 23 seconds from her previous best, which came on the opening weekend at Ironwood Golf Course.

Week 4: Sept. 5-Sept. 11

Gilbert Boit
Freshman | Cross Country

Week's Acheivements: Gilbert was once again the top finisher this weekend for the Golden Eagles. He placed first at the Azalea City Classic amongst runners from schools of South Alabama, Southeastern Alabama, Troy, and Alabama State marking him undefeated on the season. His 8K time of 24:09.34 not only clocked in 43 seconds faster than the next Division 1 runner, it also topped another Tech school record and was one of the fastest 8K times in the country. Boit once again ran the fastest time amongst OVC runners, clocking in 21 seconds faster than Erick Rotich of Eastern Kentucky.

Michael Birdsong
Senior | Football

Week's Acheivements: The Marshall transfer passed four touchdowns – tying Robert Craft and Tre Lamb for the second-most touchdowns in a game in Tech history. He completed 19 of his 27 passes against Austin Peay. He had a total of 280 yards. 

Karigan Owens
Junior | Soccer

Week's Acheivements: Karigan had a stellar weekend for the Golden Eagle soccer team. Over Tech's two matches over the weekend, the junior saw 200 minutes and tallied 5 points, 3 assists, and 1 goal.

Micayla Rennick
Junior | Cross Country

Week's Acheivements: Micayla was the runner up at the Azalea City Classic this past week, finishing her 6K in 22:06.17. She posted the second fastest time in Tech school history, as well as one of the top 6K times in OVC history.

Week 3: Aug. 29-Sept. 4

Gilbert Boit
Freshman | Cross Country

Week's Acheivements: Gilbert Boit broke Tech's school record in the 6K with a time of 18:33.7. He was the top finisher at the Golden Eagle Invitational presented by Hometown IGA where he beat out every runner from school's of Purdue, Western Kentucky, and Alabama State. He also had one of the top times in the country, and the top time in the 6K in the OVC. 

Alyssa Povey
Senior | Volleyball

Week's Acheivements: Alyssa Povey was a threat both offensively and defensively for the Golden Eagles this past weekend. She tallied 25 kills and 14 blocks over Tech's four matches. She also notched a .258 hitting percentage, while leading Tech in kills (11) in the Golden Eagle's win over Northwestern State.

Week 2: Aug. 22-28

Rachel Thomas
Freshman | Volleyball

Week's Acheivements: Rachel Thomas had a solid opening weekend in the Purple and Gold. The freshman led the Golden Eagles in blocks vs. UAB, putting up 5 in the match. Thomas also led Tech in hitting percentage (.299) while tallying 32 kills on the weekend (third most on the team). 

Week 1: Aug 15-21

Abi Gearing
Senior | Soccer

Week's Acheivements: Abi Gearing scored both of Tech's goals in their season opener at UNC Asheville, where the Golden Eagles downed the Bulldogs 2-0. The shutout marked the first time since 2004 that a Tech team has shutout an opponent in a season opener.