Football
ROCK HILL, S.C. (TheSAC.com) – The South Atlantic Conference announced its WePlayed Football Players of the Week for games played during Week Two of the 2026 season. Mars Hill RB Rayvon Durant was named the Offensive Player of the Week, and fellow Lion Jamarion Farrior was named the Defensive Player of the Week, while Carson-Newman’s Bennett Smith was named the Special Teams Player of the Week for the second week in a row.
Durant, a redshirt sophomore from Lake Butler, Fla., accounted for both Mars Hill touchdowns in a season-opening 17-0 win at Winston-Salem State this weekend. Durant carried the ball 28 times for 201 yards and two touchdowns, becoming the first Mars Hill running back to eclipse 200 yards since 2023. He averaged 7.2 yards per carry and had a long run of 52 yards in the win.
Farrior, a redshirt freshman from South Pittsburg, Tenn., led a dominating Mars Hill defense that shut out Winston-Salem State and held the Rams to 100 total yards of offense. Farrior led the team with eight tackles and added 3.5 tackles for loss and half a sack. It was Mars Hill’s first shutout since blanking Lenoir-Rhyne in 2016.
Smith, a junior from Cleveland, Tenn., earned his second consecutive SAC Special Teams Player of the Week honor. In a 44-0 win over Thomas, Smith converted all four extra-point attempts and tied a Burke-Tarr Stadium record with a 52-yard field goal. Smith tied his own mark for the fourth-longest field goal in school history and accounted for seven points for the Eagles.
2026 SAC Football Players of the Week
Offensive Player of the Week
Aug. 31 – McCalan Beason, UVA Wise
Sept. 7 – Rayvon Durant, Mars Hill
Defensive Player of the Week
Aug. 31 – Kevin Jordan, Tusculum
Sept. 7 – Jamarion Farrior, Mars Hill
Special Teams Player of the Week
Aug. 31 – Bennett Smith, Carson-Newman
Sept. 7 – Bennett Smith, Carson-Newman
Volleyball
ROCK HILL, S.C. (TheSAC.com) – The South Atlantic Conference announced its WePlayed Sports Volleyball Players of the Week for matches played during Week Two of the 2026 season. Carson-Newman’s Emerson Ahsmuhs was named the Offensive Player of the Week for the second straight week, while Newberry’s Hailey Clayworth brought home Defensive Player of the Week honors.
Ahsmuhs, a junior from Placentia, Calif., led Carson-Newman in kills in every match this week, recording at least 13 in each contest. The junior racked up 88 kills across the week, averaging 4.4 kills per set. In a five-set win over Augusta, Ahsmuhs set a career high with 26 kills, besting her previous mark by four. She delivered when it mattered most, putting away six kills in the final set. Ahsmuhs leads the SAC in kills per set by nearly a full kill and ranks among the top 25 nationally in the category. Her production helped C-N earn its first SAC win and post a 3-1 record against regional opponents.
Clayworth, a senior from Myrtle Beach, S.C., had a strong weekend, contributing 46 digs, 12 assists and two service aces across three matches while helping Newberry remain undefeated. Her defensive consistency was highlighted by a match-high 18 digs against Saint Anselm. She added 13 digs against King and 15 against Winston-Salem State, with all three matches resulting in three-set wins for the Wolves.
2026 SAC Volleyball Players of the Week
Offensive Player of the Week
Aug. 31 – Emerson Ahsmuhs, Carson-Newman
Sept. 7 – Emerson Ahsmuhs, Carson-Newman
Defensive Player of the Week
Aug. 31 – Jamie Juhnevicz, Anderson
Sept. 7 – Hailey Clayworth, Newberry
Women's Soccer
ROCK HILL, S.C. (TheSAC.com) – The South Atlantic Conference announced its WePlayed Sports Women’s Soccer Players of the Week for matches played during Week Two of the 2026 season. Emory & Henry’s Kalyssa Carter was named the Offensive Player of the Week, while Lincoln Memorial’s Emma Cooke brought home Defensive Player of the Week honors.
Carter, a freshman from Kenosha, Wis., scored the game-winning goal in a victory over Glenville State on Sept. 2 and added an assist in the contest for three points. She netted the lone Wasps goal on Saturday in a 1-1 tie with Mars Hill. Her five points were the most by a SAC player during the week.
Cooke, a senior from Knoxville, Tenn., allowed just one goal in two matches for the Railsplitters last week and posted a 92.9 percent save percentage. In a 1-1 tie at Clayton State, Cooke made five saves and followed that performance with eight stops in a 2-0 shutout of Georgia College.
2026 SAC Women’s Soccer Players of the Week
Offensive Player of the Week
Aug. 31 – Olivia Shannon, Carson-Newman
Sept. 7 – Kalyssa Carter, Emory & Henry
Defensive Player of the Week
Aug. 31 – Aliyah Morgan, Anderson
Sept. 7 – Emma Cooke, Lincoln Memorial
Men's Soccer
ROCK HILL, S.C. (TheSAC.com) – The South Atlantic Conference announced its WePlayed Sports Men’s Soccer Players of the Week for matches played during Week Two of the 2026 season. Lincoln Memorial’s Lasse Kidde Amstrup was named the Offensive Player of the Week, while Catawba’s Guilherme Quintas brought home Defensive Player of the Week honors.
Amstrup, a freshman from Kolding, Denmark, scored both of the Railsplitters’ goals in a crucial early-season victory over Wingate on Saturday. His first goal came in the 47th minute to put LMU on top. After Wingate answered, Amstrup scored the game-winner in the 68th minute to secure the SAC victory.
Quintas, a freshman from São Paulo, Brazil, led a hounding Catawba defense in a 5-0 conference-opening victory at Newberry. The freshman played all 90 minutes for a defensive unit that allowed just two total shots, with only one on goal. Quintas played a foul-free match in which Catawba controlled possession for 66 percent of the time, helping the Indians earn their first clean sheet of the season.
2026 SAC Men’s Soccer Players of the Week
Offensive Player of the Week
Aug. 31 – Oscar Davey, Carson-Newman
Sept. 7 – Lasse Kidde Amstrup, Lincoln Memorial
Defensive Player of the Week
Aug. 31 – Cole Freeman, Wingate
Sept. 7 – Guilherme Quintas, Catawba
Cross Country
ROCK HILL, S.C. (TheSAC.com) – The South Atlantic Conference announced its WePlayed Sports Men’s and Women’s Cross Country Runners of the Week for meets contested during Week One of the 2026 season. Catawba’s Seth Caudill was named the Men’s Runner of the Week, while Lincoln Memorial’s Greta Chizzali brought home Women’s Runner of the Week honors.
Caudill, a senior from Asheville, N.C., finished sixth in a Division I-heavy 6K at the Friday Night Lights Elon XC Opener. Caudill’s time of 19:20.6 was good for a 5:11.3 per-mile pace as he led Catawba to the overall team title. Catawba finished with 66 points, ahead of second-place Coastal Carolina with 82.
Chizzali, a sophomore from Lajen, Italy, finished eighth in the 4K at the Golden Eagle Invitational, hosted by Tennessee Tech on Friday. She ran a career-best 4K time of 14:26.00, leading LMU to a podium finish against Division I competition and finishing ahead of Chattanooga in the team standings. Her 5:48 per-mile pace was the fastest among all nominated women’s runners.
2026 SAC Cross Country Runners of the Week
Men’s Runner of the Week
Sept. 7 – Seth Caudill, Catawba
Women’s Runner of the Week
Sept. 7 – Greta Chizzali, Lincoln Memorial
Field Hockey
ROCK HILL, S.C. (TheSAC.com) – The South Atlantic Conference announced its WePlayed Sports Field Hockey Players of the Week for games played during Week One of the 2026 season. Newberry swept the weekly awards, with Wibien Dahmen named the Offensive Player of the Week, while Payton Keeler brought home Defensive Player of the Week honors.
Dahmen, a senior from Bavel, Netherlands, led the Wolves to a 10-0 season-opening win over Barton over the weekend. Dahmen totaled one goal and three assists while tallying five shots, including three on goal, in the victory.
Keeler, a senior from Bridgeville, Del., starred on the defensive end in the shutout of Barton. Her aggressive defensive play helped limit Barton to zero shot attempts in the contest. Keeler also contributed offensively, scoring two goals in the victory.
2026 SAC Field Hockey Players of the Week
Offensive Player of the Week
Sept. 7 – Wibien Dahmen, Newberry
Defensive Player of the Week
Sept. 7 – Payton Keeler, Newberry