CORVALLIS, Ore. – Two Eastern Oregon University student-athletes earned
Cascade Collegiate Conference Player of the Week honors, with volleyball's
Kate Stidham named Setter of the Week and men's wrestling's
Nico Rodriguez earning Wrestler of the Week honors, as announced Monday afternoon.
Volleyball – Setter of the Week
Senior setter
Kate Stidham helped lead the Mountaineers to a strong finish to the regular season, earning two sweeps in their final road matches to secure a share of the CCC regular-season championship. Stidham recorded 58 assists and 18 digs across the two matches, distributing 23 assists against Walla Walla and 35 against Lewis-Clark State. She averaged 9.67 assists per set over the weekend.
This marks Stidham's second weekly honor of the season and the fifth of her career.
Stidham and the Mountaineers will open postseason play this week at the CCC Volleyball Tournament Championship in Caldwell, Idaho. Eastern Oregon will face the highest remaining seed from the quarterfinal round in the semifinal matchup on Friday, November 13 at 2 p.m. PT.
Men's Wrestling – Wrestler of the Week
No. 5-ranked senior heavyweight
Nico Rodriguez went a perfect 6-0 over the weekend at the Mountaineer Duals and Mountaineer Open. He opened competition with a 17-2 technical fall against Arizona Christian and a 2-1 tiebreaker decision against Clackamas Community College, finishing the dual portion of the weekend undefeated at 2-0.
Rodriguez continued his dominant performance at the Mountaineer Open on Sunday, capturing the 285-pound title. He recorded technical falls over Arizona Christian's Samuel Moore (19-4) and Providence's Conrad Miller (19-3), followed by a 6-0 decision over Providence's Gabriel Finley. He closed out the weekend with a 5-0 decision over North Idaho College's Brendan Hughes to finish 6-0.
This is Rodriguez's first Wrestler of the Week honor this season and the second of his career.
Rodriguez and the Mountaineers will return to the road this weekend for a dual against No. 2-ranked Southern Oregon University on Saturday, November 14, at 6 p.m. PT.
