College players of the week named by TSWA - Sept. 23

September 23, 2025 Forrest Freeman

NASHVILLE – Vanderbilt’s Diego Pavia and Cumberland University’s Cannon Johnson were named Tennessee Sports Writers Association Offensive and Defensive Players of the Week, respectively, on Tuesday, as announced by the organization.

Pavia completed 18-of-24 passes for 245 yards and one touchdown while rushing for a season-high 86 yards and one TD on nine carries, accumulating 330 yards of total offense while playing just one series into the third quarter. He surpassed 3,000 yards passing and 4,000 yards of total offense in his Vanderbilt career in the contest. The Commodores scored 70 points for the first time since the 1918 campaign and registered 635 total yards while averaging a school-record 8.9 yards per play. Vanderbilt is 4-0 for the first time since the 2008 season.

Johnson collected nine tackles and returned a blocked punt for a touchdown, helping the Phoenix overcome a 17-point deficit in a 21-17 victory at the University of Pikeville. He registered seven solo stops and returned the blocked punt for a TD late in the third quarter for a score. Pikeville entered the game leading the NAIA with 422 passing yards per game but the Cumberland defense held the Bears to just 271, 151 below their average for the year.

MEN’S SOCCER: Sewanee’s Stokes McConnell scored a goal in each match and handed out one assist in the team’s two road wins, the first road contests of the season for the Tigers. He scored just after halftime in Saturday's triumph at William Peace, giving the Tigers a 3-0 advantage, picking off a poor goal kick before beating his defender for the score in the 51st minute. In Sunday's victory at Guilford, McConnell gave Sewanee a 2-0 edge in the 11th minute, tracking down a ball that bounced off a defender near the end line. He dribbled back into the field of play before beating the keeper low and left. He also assisted on the first goal of the match, feeding Noah Bjorkman in the fifth minute. McConnell has four goals and two assists in nine outings this year.

WOMEN’S SOCCER: Sewanee’s Kylene Monaghan posted two goals and two assists in two victories for the Tigers, at Covenant College and at home versus Greenville University. She scored twice at Covenant on Tuesday, deflecting in a Stella Martin shot in the 27th minute for the game-winner. She was tackled in the box and converted the PK in the 33rd minute and then started the play for an assist on the final goal of the match in the 48th minute. Monaghan added an assist to Mia Ramirez in the 66th minute for the final goal versus Greenville. She has three goals and three assists in six outings this season.

VOLLEYBALL: Vanderbilt’s Kamryn Chaney posted 28 kills and 14 digs in two wins for the Commodores. She registered nine kills, six service aces and three digs in a sweep of Western Kentucky and followed that with her first double-double of the season against UC Irvine, recording 19 kills and 11 digs along with two block assists. She ranks eighth in the SEC with 4.63 points per set and 10th in the conference, averaging 3.89 kills per set.

2025 TSWA FOOTBALL PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Sept. 3 l Diego Pavia, Vanderbilt (Offense); Colton Hood, Tennessee (Defense)
Sept. 9 | Diego Pavia, Vanderbilt (Offense); Theron Gaines, Tennessee Tech (Defense)
Sept. 16 | Bryson Rollins, Maryville College (Offense); CJ Heard, Vanderbilt (Defense)
Sept. 23 | Diego Pavia, Vanderbilt (Offense); Cannon Johnson, Cumberland (Defense)

2025 TSWA MEN’S SOCCER PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Sept. 3 l Grayson White, Sewanee
Sept. 9 | Alpha Bah, Sewanee
Sept. 16 | Grayson White, Sewanee
Sept. 23 | Stokes McConnell, Sewanee

2025 TSWA WOMEN’S SOCCER PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Sept. 3 l Susie Whitsett, Sewanee
Sept. 9 | Sara Wojdelko, Vanderbilt
Sept. 16 | Molly Buciewicz, Carson-Newman
Sept. 23 | Kylene Monaghan, Sewanee

2025 TSWA VOLLEYBALL PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Sept. 3 l Caroline Macander, Middle Tennessee
Sept. 9 | Kylie Wilhelmi, Maryville College
Sept. 16 | Emerson Ahsmuhs, Carson-Newman
Sept. 23 | Kamryn Chaney, Vanderbilt

TSWA/USA Today Network Prep Poll - Sept. 22

September 22, 2025 Forrest Freeman

NASHVILLE – The Tennessee Sports Writers Association and USA Today Network announced football rankings after Week 4 on Monday. Top 10 teams in each of the six Division I classifications and Top 5 in three Division II classes were selected by TSWA members and USA Today writers with first-place votes in parentheses and total points based on 10 points for a first-place vote through one point for a 10th-place vote.

Division I
Class 1A
1. McKenzie (4-1) – 168 (15). Last Week: No. 1
2. South Pittsburg (3-1) – 155 (2). Last Week: No. 2
3. Coalfield (3-2) – 130. Last Week: No. 3
4. Oliver Springs (4-1) – 123. Last Week: No. 4
5. Clay County (4-1) – 87. Last Week: No. 5
6. Eagleville (3-2) – 69. Last Week: No. 6
7. Dresden (3-2) – 64. Last Week: No. 7
8. Hampton (4-1) – 53. Last Week: No. 8
9. South Fulton (4-0) – 49. Last Week: No. 9
10. Huntland (4-1) – 30. Last Week: No. 10
Other who received 10 or more points: None

Class 2A
1. Milan (5-0) – 167 (14). Last Week: No. 2
2. East Robertson (5-0) – 155 (3). Last Week: No. 3
3. Peabody (5-0) – 124. Last Week: No. 4
4. Marion County (4-1) – 121. Last Week: No. 1
5. Huntingdon (4-1) – 104. Last Week: No. 5
6. Gordonsville (5-0) – 80. Last Week: No. 6
7. Fairley (3-2) – 60. Last Week: No. 8
8. East Nashville (0-4) – 44. Last Week: No. 7
9. Bledsoe County (4-1) – 40. Last Week: No. 9
10. Lewis County (5-0) – 27. Last Week: No. 10
Other who received 10 or more points: Happy Valley (11)

Class 3A
1. Westview (4-0) – 170 (17). Last Week: No. 1
2. Gatlinburg-Pittman (5-0) – 147. Last Week: No. 2
3. Covington (5-0) – 137. Last Week: No. 3
4. Tyner Academy (5-0) – 121. Last Week: No. 4
5. Meigs County (4-1) – 102. Last Week: No. 5
6. Melrose (4-1) – 84. Last Week: No. 6
7. Dyersburg (4-1) – 69. Last Week: No. 7
8. Sequatchie County (3-2) – 49. Last Week: No. 8
9. Waverly (5-0) – 28. Last Week: Not Ranked
10. Chattanooga Prep (2-3) – 20. Last Week: Not Ranked
Other who received 10 or more points: Whites Creek (13)

Class 4A
1. Alcoa (5-0) – 170 (17). Last Week: No. 1
2. Springfield (5-0)– 143. Last Week: No. 2
3. Greeneville (5-0) – 139. Last Week: No. 3
4. Anderson County (3-1) – 124. Last Week: No. 4
5. Macon County (5-0) – 101. Last Week: No. 6
6. Upperman (3-2) – 70. Last Week: No. 5
7. Elizabethton (4-1) – 66. Last Week: 8
8. Pearl-Cohn (1-4) – 56. Last Week: No. 9
9. Haywood (3-2) – 33. Last Week: No. 7
10. Jackson North Side (3-1) – 15. Last Week: Not Ranked
Other who received 10 or more points: None

Class 5A
1. Sevier County (4-0) – 170 (17). Last Week: No. 1
2. Page (4-0) – 151. Last Week: No. 2
3. Powell (4-0) – 137. Last Week: No. 3
4. Munford (4-0) – 117. Last Week: No. 4
5. Beech (3-1) – 95. Last Week: No. 5
6. Lincoln County (5-0) – 79. Last Week: No. 7
7. East Hamilton (5-0) – 73. Last Week: No. 8
8. Walker Valley (4-1) – 54. Last Week: No. 9
9. Knox Central (4-1) – 32. Last Week: No. 10
10. Kirkwood (4-1) – 20. Last Week: No. 6
Other who received 10 or more points: None

Class 6A
1. Oakland (5-0) – 170 (17). Last Week: No. 1
2. Ravenwood (5-0) – 152. Last Week: No. 2
3. Germantown (5-0) – 134. Last Week: No. 3
4. Maryville (4-1) – 121. Last Week: No. 4
5. Oak Ridge (5-0) – 96. Last Week: No. 5
6. Blackman (5-0) – 88. Last Week: No. 6
7. Southwind (5-0) – 63. Last Week: No. 7
8. Whitehaven (3-2) – 39. Last Week: No. 8
9. Science Hill (5-0) – 36. Last Week: No. 9
10. Riverdale (3-2) – 24. Last Week: No. 10
Other who received 10 or more points: None

Division II-A
1. Nashville Christian (5-0) – 85 (17). Last Week: No. 1
2. Jackson Christian (5-0) – 65. Last Week: No. 2
3. University School of Jackson (5-0) – 48. Last Week: 3
4. Friendship Christian (4-1) – 38. Last Week: No. 4
5. Donelson Christian (3-2) – 17. Last Week: No. 5
Other who received 10 or more points: None

Division II-AA
1. Battle Ground Academy (4-0) – 84 (16). Last Week: No. 1
2. Boyd Buchanan (5-0) – 67 (1). Last Week: No. 2
3. Franklin Road Academy (4-0) – 52. Last Week: No. 3
4. Grace Christian Academy-Franklin (5-0) – 32. Last Week: 4
5. Grace Christian Academy-Knoxville (4-0) – 19. Last Week: No. 5
Other who received 10 or more points: None

Division II-AAA
1. Baylor School (4-0) – 85 (17). Last Week: No. 1
2. Brentwood Academy (4-0) – 62. Last Week: No. 2
3. Ensworth School (4-1) – 52. No. 3
4. McCallie School (4-1) – 39. Last Week: No. 5
5. Montgomery Bell Academy (4-0) – 16. Last Week: Not Ranked
Other who received 10 or more points: None

Publications that participated in the voting include The Tennessean in Nashville, the Knoxville News-Sentinel, The Commercial Appeal in Memphis, The Daily Herald in Columbia, The Daily News Journal in Murfreesboro, The Leaf-Chronicle in Clarksville, 615Preps.com, the Chattanooga Times-Free Press, Five Star Preps, The Mirror-Exchange in Milan, Tri-Cities Sports, the Herald-Citizen in Cookeville, the Union City Messenger and the Westmoreland News.

TSWA honors college players of the week - Sept. 16

September 16, 2025 Forrest Freeman

NASHVILLE – Maryville College’s Bryson Rollins and Vanderbilt’s CJ Heard were named Tennessee Sports Writers Association Offensive and Defensive Players of the Week, respectively, on Tuesday, as announced by the organization.

Rollins completed 29-of-36 passes for 502 yards and five touchdowns, setting a school and conference record for passing yards in a single game. He tossed touchdown passes of 17, 35, 75, eight and 36 yards, with three scoring throws in the second quarter and two more in the third period. He broke the previous record of 497 passing yards in the Southern Athletic Association set in 2017 by Miles Thompson from Rhodes College.

Heard posted a season-high 12 stops, all solo, in Vanderbilt’s victory at nationally-ranked South Carolina. He registered a third-down stop early in the fourth quarter followed by a quarterback hurry on the following fourth-down play to force a turnover on downs. He also collected a tackle on third down forcing a punt with the game tied early in the second quarter.

Heard was credited with 10 stops in the first half to help the Commodores build a 14-7 advantage. Vanderbilt won its SEC opener for the first time since 2011 and recorded its first road victory over an AP Top 25 opponent dating to 2007.

MEN’S SOCCER: Sewanee’s Grayson White collected four goals in two matches for the Tigers, a draw and a win, with a hat trick. He recorded all three goals in a 3-3 draw versus Maryville College, scoring in the 47th and 54th minutes before the game-tying goal with just 23 seconds remaining on a PK. He added a goal in the 44th minute in a victory against Talladega College for his sixth score of the year in six matches.

WOMEN’S SOCCER: Carson-Newman’s Molly Bukiewicz registered three goals and one assist in two matches for the Eagles. She netted a pair of goals with an assist versus King University, finding the back of the net in the 14th and 23rd minutes and assisting on an Elly Leander score in the 74th minute. She recorded the first goal in a 2-0 win over Trevecca Nazarene in the 43rd minute. Bukiewicz is the first Carson-Newman player with goals in three straight games since 2018 and leads the SAC in points (10) and is tied for the most goals (4).

VOLLEYBALL: Carson-Newman’s Emerson Ahsmuhs posted 89 kills and 78 digs with three double-doubles in five outings for the Eagles. She tallied 18 kills and 16 digs versus UVA Wise and 22 kills and 26 digs against Francis Marion, matching her career-high in kills and fifth-most in a single match in program history in a four-set match. She added 17 kills and 20 digs versus North Greenville. She ranks 13th nationally in kills per set and her double-double against North Greenville marked her team-leading sixth of the season.

2025 TSWA MEN’S SOCCER PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Sept. 3 l Grayson White, Sewanee
Sept. 9 | Alpha Bah, Sewanee
Sept. 16 | Grayson White, Sewanee

2025 TSWA WOMEN’S SOCCER PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Sept. 3 l Susie Whitsett, Sewanee
Sept. 9 | Sara Wojdelko, Vanderbilt
Sept. 16 | Molly Buciewicz, Carson-Newman

2025 TSWA VOLLEYBALL PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Sept. 3 l Caroline Macander, Middle Tennessee
Sept. 9 | Kylie Wilhelmi, Maryville College
Sept. 16 | Emerson Ahsmuhs, Carson-Newman

TSWA/USA Today Network Prep Poll - Sept. 15

September 15, 2025 Forrest Freeman

Division I
Class 1A
1. McKenzie (3-1) – 198 (18). Last Week: No. 1
2. South Pittsburg (2-1) – 182 (2). Last Week: No. 2
3. Coalfield (2-2) – 151. Last Week: No. 4
4. Oliver Springs (3-1) – 145. Last Week: No. 5
5. Clay County (3-1) – 93. Last Week: No. 10
6. Eagleville (2-2) – 76. Last Week: No. 3
7. Dresden (2-2) – 57. Last Week: No. 8
8. Hampton (3-1) – 49. Last Week: No. 6
9. South Fulton (3-0) – 46. Last Week: Not Ranked
10. Huntland (3-1) – 43. Last Week: Not Ranked
Other who received 10 or more points: Cornersville (26), Richland (12)

Class 2A
1. Marion County (4-0) – 194 (15). Last Week: No. 1
2. Milan (3-0) – 183 (5). Last Week: No. 2
3. East Robertson (4-0) – 162. Last Week: No. 3
4. Peabody (4-0) – 127. Last Week: No. 5
5. Huntingdon (3-1) – 111. Last Week: No. 6
6. Gordonsville (4-0) – 95. Last Week: No. 7
7. East Nashville (0-3) – 76. Last Week: No. 4
8. Fairley (2-2) – 58. Last Week: No. 8
9. Bledsoe County (3-1) – 57. Last Week: Not Ranked
10. Lewis County (4-0) – 19. Last Week: Not Ranked
Other who received 10 or more points: Happy Valley (14)

Class 3A
1. Westview (3-0) – 200 (20). Last Week: No. 1
2. Gatlinburg-Pittman (4-0) – 168. Last Week: No. 2
3. Covington (4-0) – 164. Last Week: No. 3
4. Tyner Academy (4-0) – 140. Last Week: No. 4
5. Meigs County (3-1) – 124. Last Week: No. 5
6. Melrose (3-1) – 94. Last Week: No. 6
7. Dyersburg (3-1) – 84. Last Week: No. 8
8. Sequatchie County (2-2) – 49. Last Week: No. 7
9. White House Heritage (3-1) – 33. Last Week: No. 9
10. Unicoi County (3-1) – 26. Last Week: Not Ranked
Other who received 10 or more points: Waverly (11)

Class 4A
1. Alcoa (4-0) – 200 (20). Last Week: No. 1
2. Springfield (4-0)– 174. Last Week: No. 2
3. Greeneville (4-0) – 159. Last Week: No. 3
4. Anderson County (2-1) – 135. Last Week: No. 4
5. Upperman (3-1) – 18. Last Week: No. 5
6. Macon County (4-0) – 108. Last Week: No. 6
7. Haywood (3-1) – 63. Last Week: No. 8
8. Elizabethton (3-1) – 44. Last Week: 10
9. Pearl-Cohn (0-4) – 41. Last Week: No. 7
10. Marshall County (2-2) – 29. Last Week: No. 10
Other who received 10 or more points: Dyer County (25)

Class 5A
1. Sevier County (3-0) – 200 (20). Last Week: No. 1
2. Page (3-0) – 180. Last Week: No. 2
3. Powell (3-0) – 157. Last Week: No. 3
4. Munford (3-0) – 136. Last Week: No. 4
5. Beech (3-1) – 106. Last Week: No. 5
6. Kirkwood (4-0) – 96. Last Week: No. 6
7. Lincoln County (4-0) – 85. Last Week: No. 7
8. East Hamilton (4-0) – 67. Last Week: No. 8
9. Walker Valley (3-1) – 42. Last Week: No. 9
10. Knox Central (3-1) – 21. Last Week: Not Ranked
Other who received 10 or more points: None

Class 6A
1. Oakland (4-0) – 200 (20). Last Week: No. 1
2. Ravenwood (4-0) – 179. Last Week: No. 2
3. Germantown (4-0) – 157. Last Week: No. 3
4. Maryville (3-1) – 136. Last Week: No. 4
5. Oak Ridge (4-0) – 114. Last Week: No. 6
6. Blackman (4-0) – 112. Last Week: No. 5
7. Southwind (4-0) – 71. Last Week: No. 9
8. Whitehaven (2-2) – 40. Last Week: No. 8
9. Science Hill (4-0) – 32. Last Week: Not Ranked
10. Riverdale (2-2) – 27. Last Week: No. 10
Other who received 10 or more points: Collierville (23)

Division II-A
1. Nashville Christian (4-0) – 100 (20). Last Week: No. 1
2. Jackson Christian (4-0) – 78. Last Week: No. 3
3. University School of Jackson (4-0) – 57. Last Week: 4
4. Friendship Christian (3-1) – 41. Last Week: No. 2
5. Donelson Christian (2-2) – 21. Last Week: Not Ranked
Other who received 10 or more points: None

Division II-AA
1. Battle Ground Academy (4-0) – 100 (20). Last Week: No. 1
2. Boyd Buchanan (4-0) – 77. Last Week: No. 2
3. Franklin Road Academy (3-0) – 63. Last Week: No. 3
4. Grace Christian Academy-Franklin (4-0) – 34. Last Week: 5
5. Grace Christian Academy-Knoxville (3-0) – 21. Last Week: Not Ranked
Other who received 10 or more points: None

Division II-AAA
1. Baylor School (2-0) – 100 (20). Last Week: No. 1
2. Brentwood Academy (3-0) – 71. Last Week: No. 3
3. Ensworth School (3-1) – 52. Not Ranked
4. Knox Catholic (3-0) – 39. Last Week: No. 4
5. McCallie School (3-0) – 31. Last Week: No. 2
Other who received 10 or more points: None

Publications that participated in the voting include The Tennessean in Nashville, the Knoxville News-Sentinel, The Commercial Appeal in Memphis, The Daily Herald in Columbia, The Daily News Journal in Murfreesboro, The Leaf-Chronicle in Clarksville, 615Preps.com, Main Street Maury, Wilson Post, the Chattanooga Times-Free Press, Five Star Preps, The Mirror-Exchange in Milan, Tri-Cities Sports, the Herald-Citizen in Cookeville, the Union City Messenger and the Westmoreland News.

College players of the week recognized by TSWA - Sept. 9

September 9, 2025 Forrest Freeman

NASHVILLE – Vanderbilt’s Diego Pavia and Tennessee Tech’s Theron Gaines were named Tennessee Sports Writers Association Offensive and Defensive Players of the Week, respectively, on Tuesday, as announced by the organization.

Pavia garnered the Player of the Week accolade for the second consecutive week, accounting for 254 yards of offense, with 166 after halftime to help Vanderbilt rally from 10 points down to earn a win at Virginia Tech. He passed for 193 yards and two touchdowns, completing 12-of-18 attempts, while adding 61 yards rushing on 11 carries.

The Commodores finished with 490 yards of total offense, a first for Vanderbilt with 475-plus yards in consecutive outings since 2016. Pavia also moved into 10th place on the school’s all-time list with 25 career touchdown passes.

Gaines posted 7.0 tackles with one sack and 1.5 tackles-for-loss as well as a fumble recovery in Tech’s win against Chattanooga. He registered a sack in the first quarter and recovered a fumble in the third period, collecting three solo stops in the contest. Tech’s defense limited Chattanooga to 25 yards rushing and 274 total yards in the win.

MEN’S SOCCER: Sewanee’s Alpha Bah netted a pair of goals with one assist over two matches, both victories for the Tigers. In a win against Berea, he scored twice in the first five minutes, picking up a loose ball and firing into an empty net and then converting a PK after being tackled in the box. In a victory versus Southern Virginia, Bah assisted on a Noah Bjorkman goal in the 59th minute, the final goal in the match for Sewanee. Bah has two goals and two assists through four matches this season.

WOMEN’S SOCCER: Vanderbilt’s Sara Wojdelko anchored the Commodores’ back line in a pair of shutout victories over Georgetown and Middle Tennessee, extending Vanderbilt’s unbeaten streak. Against No. 16 Georgetown, Wojdelko recorded nine saves in a 1-0 victory over the nationally-ranked Hoyas. Time and again she denied quality chances, including multiple stops in the second half that preserved the Commodores’ lead and sealed the program’s first Top-25 win since 2022. During the match, she eclipsed 100 career saves. The Commodores also posted a 1-0 win against Middle Tennessee, improving the club to 6-1-0 this season.

VOLLEYBALL: Maryville College’s Kylie Wilhelmi posted three double-doubles with 55 kills and a hitting percentage of .382, leading the Scots to a 3-1 tournament record. She registered 21 kills and 19 digs at Meredith College and followed that with 19 kills and 10 digs versus Averett University. Wilhelmi collected 12 kills and 12 digs in a three-set win against Gordon College and finished the weekend with 18 kills and nine digs versus Virginia Wesleyan. She leads the Collegiate Conference of the South in hitting percentage (.358), kills (96, 4.26/set), and points (102, 4.64/set).

2025 TSWA MEN’S SOCCER PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Sept. 3 l Grayson White, Sewanee
Sept. 9 | Alpha Bah, Sewanee

2025 TSWA WOMEN’S SOCCER PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Sept. 3 l Susie Whitsett, Sewanee
Sept. 9 | Sara Wojdelko, Vanderbilt

2025 TSWA VOLLEYBALL PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Sept. 3 l Caroline Macander, Middle Tennessee
Sept. 9 | Kylie Wilhelmi, Maryville College