College Athletics News – Guilford Collects Four ODAC Player of the Week Awards

GREENSBORO, N.C. – Guilford College student-athletes received four Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) Player of the Week awards Monday. Senior Greg Nash (Walpole, Mass./Walpole) won the men’s lacrosse award, sophomore John Macon Smith (Greensboro, N.C./Western Guilford (Western Carolina)) earned the baseball hitter’s honor, sophomore E’leyna Garcia (Plantation, Fla./Pine Crest Prep) took the women’s lacrosse award, and senior Clayton Hamilton (Greensboro, N.C./Page) won men’s tennis prize. Nash also collected Guilford’s Student-Athlete of the Week Award, presented by the school’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC).

Nash win twice last week with nine points (7 goals, 2 assists) in the Quakers’ opening week. He scored a career-high five goals and had one assist in a 14-4 season-opening win over Shorter University Feb. 13. The senior attackman netted the game-winning goal with 1.9 seconds left in Guilford’s 14-13 comeback win over Ferrum College Feb. 18. The game-winner marked the sixth of his career. Nash also scored with 4:14 left as part of a 5-1 Quakers’ run that ended the game.

Guilford is off to its second 2-0 start in the last two seasons. Nash leads the Quakers in scoring and has five ground balls in the two wins. Coach Tom Carmean’s Quakers look to continue their winning ways Saturday (2/25) when they play Birmingham Southern College in Greenville, S.C.

Smith helped the Quakers baseball team to a 2-1 week with six hits, including three homers, four runs and six RBI. He registered a .750 on-base percentage and a 1.778 slugging percentage in the three games. Smith was 5-for-7 with a double, three homers and six RBI in Guilford’s doubleheader sweep of Maryville (Tenn.) College Feb. 18. He belted a three-run shot followed by a solo blast in the 10-6 opening-game win. The first baseman finished with three hits and four RBI in the contest. He homered in his first at bat of the nightcap and added a game-tying double in the bottom of the seventh. Smith had two hits and two RBI in Guilford’s 4-3 win. He also was 1-for-3 in a Feb. 15 game with Averett University.

Coach Nick Black’s ’02 club is off to 3-2 start after Saturday’s doubleheader sweep. The Quakers continue their 11-game home stand with a game Friday (2/24) versus the University of Maine-Presque Isle, followed by a doubleheader Saturday (2/25) against Southern Virginia University and another twinbill on Sunday (2/26) with Case Western Reserve.

Hamilton earned his first weekly tennis honor, the ODAC’s first of the season. The senior won all four matches in the Quakers’ 2-0 week. He teamed with Tyler Mercier to win first-doubles matches against Bluefield College and Greensboro College and won in straight sets at second and third singles, respectively. Coach Dave McCain’s Quakers (2-2) visit N.C. Wesleyan College Saturday (2/25) at 1:00 p.m.

Guilford‘s 2011 Rookie of the Year and an honorable mention All-ODAC selection, Garcia earned her first ODAC Player of the Week honor Monday. The sophomore scored a team-high 12 points with 10 goals and two assists in the Quakers’ first two games. She had four goals and an assist in Guilford’s 17-16 season-opening win over Berry College Feb. 18. Garcia added a team-high six goals and one assist in an 11-10 loss to the University of the South Feb 19. The attacker had a hand in seven of Guilford’s 10 goals against the Tigers. Garcia moved into 19th place on Guilford’s career scoring chart with 76 points (55 goals, 21 assists). Coach Matthew Grosso’s Quakers (1-1) host Marymount (Va.) College Saturday (2/25) at 2:00 p.m.

The Student-Athlete of the Week Award is presented by Guilford’s SAAC, which is comprised of representatives from each of the school’s 20 varsity teams. The group meets regularly to discuss the state of Guilford Athletics and seeks to build community among Guilford’s student-athletes and non-student-athletes. Recent Guilford SAAC activities include a cancer awareness promotions, canned-food drives, volunteer assistance with the North Carolina Special Olympics and tutoring at New Garden Friends School.