ROME, Ga. Four Monarchs were recognized in the USA South’s latest round of Athletes of the Week, the league office announced Monday afternoon. Jack Barriger, Blake O’Brien, Carolina Simpkins and Antonio Rubino Zapata all earned accolades for their performances over the last week.
Barriger, a senior, was named the Men’s Cross Country Runner of the Week after finishing 12th out of 50 runners at the Greensboro XC Invitational on Saturday. He was the fastest Monarch at the event, recording a PR 5k time of 17:19.80.
O’Brien earned the title of Volleyball Defensive Player of the Week for the second time this season after logging 43 digs across two matches. The senior libero averaged 6.14 digs per set and 1.14 assists per set as her team posted a 1–1 record.
Simpkins went 2–0 while playing 135 minutes in goal for Methodist, garnering her second Women’s Soccer Defender of the Week award. The junior played a full 90 minutes versus Greensboro College on Tuesday, earning a shutout. She total five saves across the two matches.
Rubino Zapata claimed the Men’s Soccer Rookie of the Week title following the first multi–goal performance of his young career. The freshman tallied two goals in Methodist’s 8–0 victory over Mary Baldwin University on Saturday, lifting the Monarchs to a 1–0 record in USA South play.