McCathern, Thom, Braswell receive top MSC honors
Triston McCathern is named Co-Freshman of the Year for the MSC West Divsion
November 19
Faulkner University's football team took home a host of honors in this year's Mid-South Conference awards release. Freshman Triston McCathern was named Co-Freshman of the Year for the West Division along with Stephon Ransom of Cumberland University. McCathern also received All-Conference team honors as a kick return specialist.
Sean Thom is named to the MSC West Division Definsive All-Conference team
Senior linebacker Sean Thom, who was recently named the NAIA Defensive Player of the Week, made the Defensive All-Conference team for the West Division for the second straight season. Thom led the nation in tackles for two straight seasons.
Q Braswell is named to the MSC West Division Definsive All-Conference team
Sophomore defensive back Q Braswell also landed on the Defensive team after a stellar season for the Eagels. Faulkner's Mitchell Thornton received honorable mention recognition.
Faulkner also had six athletes on the MSC All-Academic team. Thom made the list and was joined by quarterback Trey Martin, wide receivers Jurell Williams and Robert Britton, running back Lincoln Taylor and linebacker Landon Taylor.
Thom named NAIA Defensive Player of the Week
Sean Thom earns his first NAIA Defensive Player of the Week honor
November 16
Faulkner’s Sean Thom has been named the NAIA Defensive Player of the Week after picking up the same honor at the conference level. Thom had 14 total tackles, including 1.5 sacks, to help catapult the Eagles to a season-ending 24-21 win over Mid-South Conference rival UVA-Wise on Saturday.
Thom has led the nation in tackles per game for two consecutive seasons. The 14 tackles he tallied in the Eagles’ Homecoming victory over the weekend pushed him to 142 on the year. His 12.9 tackles per game average is an NAIA best and down only slightly from his 14.3 per game average last season.
The senior middle linebacker from Fort Walton Beach, Fla., also ranks 20th in the country in total tackles for a loss with 15.5 and 25th in the NAIA in tackles for loss per game with 1.4.
Thom is the nation's top defensive player for two straight seasons
Though Thom secured the Defensive Player of the Week award he also made his offensive debut against the Cavs on Saturday, rushing for the game-sealing two-point conversion with under a minute remaining in the ball game.
Thom took home the same award at the conference level in November of last year, but this is the first time that an Eagle has been recognized at the national level in football.
Ireland, Jagt receive top conference honors
November 14
The Southern States Athletic Conference released the annual women’s soccer awards yesterday and Faulkner head coach Jeff Ireland and senior forward Nikki Jagt received to of the year’s most distinguished awards.
Jeff Ireland named SSAC Women's Soccer Coach of the Year
Ireland was named the 2009 SSAC Women’s Soccer Coach of the Year, a first for the Faulkner program. Ireland, who just completed his third season with the Eagles, helped lead the the women’s team to its highest finished ever.
Last year the Eagles finished the season with a respectable 9-6-1 overall record (5-5 SSAC) and made it to the playoffs for only the second time in program history. Faulkner fell to Berry College 7-1 in the opening round.
In 2007, Ireland’s first season, the team was 6-10-1 overall and 1-8-1 in the league and failed to make post season play.
Ireland has continued to push this team forward and the 2009 season was its most successful yet. The Eagles finished the season 11-7 overall and 5-3 in the conference for a third place finish. The team also defeated rival Brenau University 2-0 in the opening round of the conference tournament, catapulting the Eagles into their first semi finial appearance.
The consistent progress that the Faulkner soccer team has made culminated this season with several firsts for the Eagles. The results didn’t go unnoticed by the conference and Ireland was named this year’s most outstanding coach.
Nikki Jagt named SSAC Women's Soccer Offensive Player of the Year
Jagt, meanwhile, took home the league’s Offensive Player of the Year award. Jagt missed four matches this season, including showdown’s with Berry College and No. 2 Lee University, due to an ankle injury. The senior out of Burlington, Ontario, still led the conference in total shots (6.57), shots on goal (3.79) and goals scored (1.5) per game, however, and was named the conference Offensive Player of the Week twice in the regular season. Jagt was named Offensive Player of the Week six times in her career.
Jagt finished the year with 21 goals bringing her career total to 113, good for second place all-time in the SSAC and eighth overall in NAIA history. She is also the conference all-time points leader.
Athletic Headlines
Football
McCathern, Thom, Braswell receive top MSC honors
Thom named NAIA Defensive Player of the Week
Basketball
Faulkner cruises past Concordia
Volleyball
Women's Soccer
Ireland, Jagt receive top conference honors
Men's Soccer
Men's soccer receives conference Sportsmanship Award
