NEW ORLEANS – Coastal Carolina’s Reese White and Josaiah Stewart and South Alabama’s Diego Guajardo claim Sun Belt weekly awards after propelling their teams to 2-0 starts. 

Football Offensive Player of the Week
Reese White, Coastal Carolina
(Jr., RB – Sandy Springs, Ga.)

Chanticleers junior running back Reese White rushed for a career-high 102 yards and three touchdowns in Coastal Carolina’s 49-22 victory over Kansas. The 100-yard rushing game was the first of the Sandy Springs, Ga., native’s career, while his three rushing touchdowns are the most by a Sun Belt running back in a single game this season.

Football Defensive Player of the Week
Josaiah Stewart, Coastal Carolina
(Fr., DL – Everett, Mass.)

Chanticleers freshman defensive lineman Josaiah Stewart set a single-game program record with 3.5 sacks and tied the Coastal Carolina high-water mark with 3.5 tackles-for-loss. The Everett, Mass., product tallied eight total tackles to lead the Chanticleer defense that accumulated 11.0 tackles-for-loss, 6.0 sacks, a blocked punt and a blocked extra-point in a 49-22 win over Kansas.

Football Special Teams Player of the Week
Diego Guajardo, South Alabama
(So., K – Spanish Fort, Ala.)

Jaguars sophomore kicker Diego Guajardo kicked a 44-yard field goal as time expired to lift South Alabama to a 22-19 win over Bowling Green. The Spanish Fort, Ala., native also connected from 22 and 41 yards out, as part of a 10-point effort. Guajardo’s three field goals tied his career high, while his walk-off kick provided the Jaguars their first win on the final play of the game since Oct. 20, 2012.

2021 Sun Belt Football Offensive Players of the Week
Week 1 – Corey Rucker, Arkansas State
Week 2 – Reese White, Coastal Carolina

2021 Sun Belt Football Defensive Players of the Week
Week 1 – Zion Williams, Troy
Week 2 – Josaiah Stewart, Coastal Carolina

2021 Sun Belt Football Special Teams Players of the Week
Week 1 – Britton Williams, Georgia Southern
Week 2 – Diego Guajardo, South Alabama

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NEW ORLEANS – The Sun Belt Conference announced the South Alabama athletic department as the winner of the 2020-21 Vic Bubas Cup on Thursday.

The Jaguars claimed their 15th all-time Bubas Cup—and fifth over the past seventh seasons—following the conclusion of the 2020-21 campaign.

The Bubas Cup is the Sun Belt’s annual all sports championship trophy, awarded to the top athletic department in the conference based on a points system.

“Congratulations to South Alabama. Winning the Bubas Cup acknowledges their comprehensive excellence during the 2020-21 academic year,” said Sun Belt Conference Commissioner Keith Gill. “The award is a testament to the hard work and dedication of South Alabama’s student-athletes, coaches, staff and university leadership.”

South Alabama earned 131 points to outpace Louisiana (117), Coastal Carolina (108), Texas State (107.5) and Arkansas State (106.5) in this year’s Bubas Cup standings.

South Alabama collected Sun Belt tournament championships in men’s cross country, women’s soccer, men’s tennis and baseball, along with runner-up accolades in women’s tennis, men’s outdoor track & field and women’s outdoor track & field.

The Jaguars—who sponsor 17-of-18 Sun Belt sports—were also the regular-season champions in baseball and runners-up in women’s soccer and women’s tennis.

The Vic Bubas Cup is named after the Sun Belt Conference’s first Commissioner. Bubas was named the conference’s commissioner on Oct. 6, 1976 and served for 14 years until his retirement in 1990. He led the conference during a period in which its membership increased from six to eight members and its sport sponsorship grew from four to 10 sports. Bubas was a three-time ACC Coach of the Year at Duke in the 60’s, taking his team to three Final Fours. In 2007, he was inducted into the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame. Bubas passed away in April 2018 at the age of 91.

Points for the Bubas Cup are awarded based on regular season finish for sports that have a regular season conference schedule. Points are awarded based on Sun Belt Championship finish if that sport does not have a regular season conference schedule. Points are awarded based on the number of schools sponsoring the sport. Institutions not sponsoring a sport do not receive points in that sport. Institutions tying for positions split the combined points of their positions.

For sports that have both a regular season schedule and a conference tournament, one additional point will be awarded to the winner of the conference tournament. For sports with divisions, the conference records of all teams are ranked and points are awarded regardless of divisional finish.

Vic Bubas Cup Winners
1977       Jacksonville
1978       South Florida
1979       South Florida
1980       South Florida
1981       South Florida
1982       South Florida
1983       Old Dominion
1984       South Florida
1985       South Florida
1986       South Florida
1987       Western Kentucky
1988       South Alabama
1989       South Alabama
1990       South Florida
1991       South Alabama
1992       South Alabama
1993       South Alabama
1994       South Alabama
1995       Arkansas State
1996       South Alabama
1997       South Alabama
1998       Arkansas State
1999       South Alabama
2000       South Alabama
2001       Middle Tennessee
2002       Western Kentucky
2003       Western Kentucky
2004       Middle Tennessee
2005       Middle Tennessee
2006       Western Kentucky
2007       Middle Tennessee
2008       Western Kentucky
2009       Middle Tennessee
2010       Middle Tennessee
2011       Middle Tennessee
2012       Middle Tennessee
2013       Middle Tennessee
2014       Western Kentucky
2015       South Alabama
2016       South Alabama
2017       South Alabama
2018       South Alabama
2019       Texas State
2020       Arkansas State
2021       South Alabama

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MONTGOMERY, Ala. – South Alabama claimed its conference-best 13th all-time tournament title at the 2021 Guardian Credit Union Sun Belt Baseball Championship presented by Troy University with a 10-4 victory over Georgia Southern in Sunday’s championship game.

Sun Belt Player of the Year graduate student outfielder Mason McWhorter got things started for Georgia Southern with a solo shot to left field with two outs in the top of the first inning. The Eagles then manufactured a pair in the top of the second—stringing together a double, a single, a sacrifice fly and two more singles and chasing South Alabama starter senior right-handed pitcher Matt Boswell—to take a 3-0 lead.

South Alabama got those three runs back on one swing, with a two-out, three-run home run by senior catcher Richard Sorrenti in the bottom half of the second to knot the game at 3-3.

The Eagles and Jaguars combined to strand seven runners in the third and fourth innings, before South Alabama broke through with a run in the bottom of the fifth. Senior outfielder Michael Sandle drew a walk to open the inning, stole second and advanced to third on a throwing error. A double down the left field line by redshirt senior second baseman Hunter Stokes plated the go-ahead run for the Jaguars.

South Alabama added an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth—when senior outfielder Michael Sandle’s single to left center plated freshman outfielder Hunter Donaldson—and tacked on another in the seventh—when Donaldson beat out a throw for an infield single, allowing senior first baseman Kaleb DeLaTorre to score.

A four-run bottom of the eighth cemented the Jaguar lead for good, though the Eagles plated one in the top half of the ninth to provide the final 10-4 margin.

Senior right-handed pitcher Miles Smith, who came back on short rest and allowed just one run on six hits over the final 7.2 innings, earned the win for the Jaguars en route to Most Outstanding Player honors at the Sun Belt Baseball Championship.

South Alabama will represent the Sun Belt in the NCAA Baseball Regionals as the conference’s automatic qualifier—and will learn its destination during the selection show on ESPN2 at 12 noon ET on Monday, May 31.

Most Outstanding Player
Miles Smith, South Alabama (Sr., P – Laurel, Miss.)

All-Tournament Team
Nick Lucky, Coastal Carolina (Jr., OF – Denver, Pa.)
Parker Biederer, Georgia Southern (Sr., OF – Cumming, Ga.)
Jordan Jackson, Georgia Southern (Sr., P – McDonough, Ga.)
Jason Swan, Georgia Southern (Sr., 1B – Jacksonville, Fla.)
Josh Smith, Georgia State (So., OF – College Park, Ga.)
Spencer Arrighetti, Louisiana (So., P – Katy, Texas)
Ben Fitzgerald, Louisiana (Jr., DH – Mason City, Iowa)
Kaleb DeLaTorre, South Alabama (Sr., 1B – Fort Scott, Kan.)
Hunter Donaldson, South Alabama (Fr., OF – Phenix City, Ala.)
Santi Montiel, South Alabama (Jr., SS – Alpharetta, Ga.)
Ethan Wilson, South Alabama (Jr., OF – Andalusia, Ala.)
Connor Aube, UTA (Sr., OF – Falmouth, Maine)
Carlos Tavera UTA (Jr., P – Fort Worth, Texas)

The post South Alabama claims conference-best 13th Sun Belt title appeared first on Alabama Sports.

NEW ORLEANS –  The Sun Belt Conference announced its Women’s Basketball Player of the Week on Monday – Alexus Dye, senior forward from Troy.

Dye recorded back-to-back double-doubles giving her eight on the season which is tied for the second most in the NCAA (three-way tie for first with 9). Dye is one of only three players to earn a double-double this weekend and the only one to do it twice. The other was Dye’s teammate Felmas Koranga. Dye’s 16 rebounds are the third most in a game this season by a Sun Belt player. The senior forward averaged 16.5 points per game and 14 rebounds per game. Dye added 2.5 assists per game and a steal per game.

Player of the Week 2020 – 21 Recap:
Week 1 – Pre Stanley, App State
Week 2 – Mayra Caicedo, Little Rock
Week 3 – Tiyah Johnson, Troy 
Week 4 – Alexus Dye, Troy
Week 5 – A’Tyanna Gaulden, Georgia Southern
Week 6 – Shondell Vickers, Georgia Southern
Week 7 – Antoinette Lewis, South Alabama
Week 8 – Alexus Dye, Troy

The post Troy’s Dye named SBC WBB Player of the Week for second time appeared first on Alabama Sports.

NEW ORLEANS –  The Sun Belt Conference announced its Women’s Basketball Player of the Week on Tuesday – Antoinette Lewis, senior from South Alabama.

Lewis averaged a double-double, shot 54 percent from the floor and recorded four blocks and two assists to lead the Jaguars to a pair of victories over Coastal Carolina. In the first game on Friday, the senior posted 17 points and a season-best 15 rebounds for a double-double, a team-high fourth of the season, in South Alabama’s 11-point win. On Saturday, Lewis shared game-high honors with 13 points leading the Jags with both eight boards and three blocks. Her assist in the final 30 seconds led to the game-winning basket. She preserved the victory by blocking the Chanticleers’ three-point attempt at the buzzer. With 30 points on the weekend, Lewis moved up to seventh place on the school’s all-time scoring list.

Player of the Week 2020 – 21 Recap:
Week 1 – Pre Stanley, App State
Week 2 – Mayra Caicedo, Little Rock
Week 3 – Tiyah Johnson, Troy 
Week 4 – Alexus Dye, Troy
Week 5 – A’Tyanna Gaulden, Georgia Southern
Week 6 – Shondell Vickers, Georgia Southern
Week 7 – Antoinette Lewis, South Alabama

The post South Alabama’s Lewis named Sun Belt WBB Player of the Week appeared first on Alabama Sports.

NEW ORLEANS –  The Sun Belt Conference announced its Women’s Basketball Player of the Week on Tuesday. Alexis Dye has received the honor this week, making it back-to-back weeks for the Trojans. Tiyah Johnson was SBC Player of the Week last week.

Dye made significant contributions in all three of Troy’s games this week, averaging 21 points and 9 rebounds per game. The senior forward posted back-to-back double-doubles against No. 12 Mississippi State (20 pts, 11 reb) and Middle Tennessee (30 pts, 10 reb). Her 30 points vs. Middle Tennessee and her 11 boards against the Blue Raiders were both career highs.

This season, the 12 Sun Belt women’s basketball programs will be split into an East Division and a West Division to minimize travel amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Teams will play each other on back to back days (Fridays and Saturdays) at the same location. Conference openers are set for New Year’s Day 2021.

All 12 teams will compete in the Sun Belt Conference Championship which will be held March 5-8, 2021 in Pensacola, Fla.

Player of the Week 2020 – 21 Recap:
Week 1 – Pre Stanley, Appalachian State
Week 2 – Mayra Caicedo, Little Rock
Week 3 – Tiyah Johnson, Troy
Week 4 – Alexus Dye, Troy

The post Troy’s Dye named Sun Belt WBB Player of the Week appeared first on Alabama Sports.

NEW ORLEANS – The Sun Belt announced its football honors for Week 15 of the season on Monday.

Offensive Player of the Week
Grayson McCall, Coastal Carolina
(Fr, QB – Indian Trail, N.C.)

For the third time this season, redshirt freshman quarterback Grayson McCall was named SBC Offensive Player of the Week after leading a late fourth-quarter comeback to defeat Troy 42-38 on the road. McCall finished the game going 24-of-29 for 338 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception. He also rushed 10 times for 40 yards and a TD in the win. After throwing just his second interception of the season which allowed Troy to take the lead with 1:20 left in the game, McCall answered by going 4-of-4 for 71 yards to lead the Chants’ game-winning drive. He connected with Jaivon Heiligh for a 23-yard touchdown pass to cap the five-play, 75-yard drive that took just 45 seconds to put the Chants back on top for good 42-38. McCall’s 24 pass completions and 338 yards were both career highs and his three touchdowns gives him eight games this season with two touchdown passes or more. With the win, the Chants finish the regular season undefeated at 11-0. The perfect regular season is the first-ever in Coastal Carolina’s program history and the first-ever in Sun Belt Conference history.

Defensive Player of the Week
Carlton Martial, Troy
(Jr, LB – Mobile, Ala.)

Carlton Martial recorded 21 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, 1.0 sacks and an interception against Coastal Carolina. His interception set up Troy’s go-ahead touchdown in the final minutes of the game. It was his fourth career interception and his 10th career game with a forced turnover. Martial’s 21 tackles were a career high and his 13th career game with double-digit tackles, and his fifth this season. Martial has averaged 12.7 tackles per game over a seven-game stretch. The junior’s 21 tackles are tied for the most in the country this season and the second most in school history (Anthony Rabb had 23 vs. Middle Tennessee in 1999). He has 113 tackles on the season becoming the first Troy player since Naazir Yamini in 2001-02 to record more than 100 tackles in consecutive seasons. Martial moved into 11th place all-time in Troy history with 315 career tackles, 20th place with 156 solo tackles and fifth place with 159 career assisted tackles. His 2.5 tackles for loss pushed his career total to 37, one away from ninth all-time in Sun Belt history and fourth in Troy history.

Special Teams Player of the Week
Jalen Virgil, App State
(Sr, WR – Lawrenceville, Ga.)

Jalen Virgil’s 100-yard kickoff return gave App State its first lead of the game at 24-20 in the fourth quarter and helped lift the Mountaineers to a 34-26 road win at Georgia Southern. Virgil’s first career touchdown return was the third 100-yard return in school history (Darrynton Evans in 2018 and Keith Nash in 1968). After fielding the kickoff over his head, Virgil sprinted left and weaved his way through a couple of defenders, untouched, before using his sprinter’s speed to streak down the left sideline to the end zone. Virgil finished the game with 171 all-purpose yards and two total touchdowns (one receiving).

SBC Weekly Honors Season recap:

Offensive Player of the Week
Sept. 7         Jalen Tolbert, South Alabama
Sept. 14       Jonathan Adams, Arkansas State
Sept. 21       Elijah Mitchell, Louisiana
Sept. 28       Daetrich Harrington, App State
Oct. 5          Grayson McCall, Coastal Carolina
Oct. 12        Gunnar Watson, Troy
Oct. 19        Jonathan Adams, Arkansas State
Oct. 26        Kawaan Baker, South Alabama &
Zac Thomas, App State
Nov. 2         Grayson McCall, Coastal Carolina
Nov. 9         Cornelious Brown IV, Georgia State
Nov. 16       Levi Lewis, Louisiana
Nov. 23       Brady McBride, Texas State
Nov. 30       Jalen Tolbert, South Alabama
Dec. 7         Corey Rucker, Arkansas State
Dec. 14       Grayson McCall, Coastal Carolina

The 2020 Sun Belt Conference Football Championship Game will pit No. 9 Coastal Carolina Chanticleers (11-0) against the No. 17 Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns (9-1). Kickoff is set for 2:30 p.m. CT/3:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, December 19 at Brooks Stadium in Conway, South Carolina. The game will be televised by ESPN.

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