Sunshine State Conference Athletes of the Week are chosen from a pool of nominees for their performances during the week of January 1 – 7, 2024. Athletic Communication Directors of member institutions nominate athletes. Thanks to the Sunshine State Conference for sharing their information with Sports Talk Florida and please check out their website for all the best coverage of the strongest DII league in college sports.
Men’s Basketball Player of the Week
Luke Anderson – Florida Southern
Junior – Forward – Lakeland, Florida
Anderson earns Player of the Week for the second time in 2023-24 by leading Florida Southern to a win over No. 1 Nova Southeastern. The Lakeland, Florida forward scored a game-high 22 points in the 93-92 win over the Sharks. Anderson also recorded eight rebounds, three assists, a block, and a steal as the Moccasins ended NSU’s 46-game win streak. Anderson followed up with a 17-point / 10-rebound double double in a road loss at Florida Tech (71-68). The junior totaled 39 points last week by shooting 33% from the field (9-27), 44% from behind the arc (4-9), and 94% from the free-throw line (17-18). Anderson averaged 19.5 points, 9.0 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and 1.0 steals while playing 38.0 minutes per game.
Men’s Basketball Defensive Player of the Week
David McCullough – Florida Tech
Grad Student – Guard – Bowie, Maryland
McCullough grabs Defensive Player of the Week for his performance in a pair of SSC contests. The graduate student from Bowie, Maryland, tallied six defensive rebounds, three blocks, and two steals in a narrow loss to Palm Beach Atlantic (75-74). In a win over Florida Southern (71-68), McCullough pulled in nine defensive rebounds, blocked three shots, and had a pair of steals. With McCullough’s play, the Panthers kept PBA and FSC to 10 and 17 points below their season scoring averages, respectively. Offensively, he scored 38 points, pulled in five offensive rebounds, and had five assists across the two games.
Women’s Basketball Player of the Week
Lauryn Vieira – Eckerd
Senior – Guard – Haute-Savoie, France
Vieira earns Player of the Week by tying the Sunshine State Conference single-game scoring record. The guard from Haute-Savoie, France, tallied 43 points, eight assists, five rebounds, and five steals in Eckerd’s 69-56 win at Lynn. She becomes the third SSC women’s basketball athlete to score 43 points in a game, joining Florida Southern’s Kim Disbro (vs. Rollins on 2/28/87) and Tampa’s Missy Mack (vs. Rollins on 1/9/99). The mark is the highest in NCAA Division II this season. Vieira followed with 15 points, six steals, five rebounds, and four assists in a 67-56 loss to Rollins. She totaled 58 points by shooting 59% from the field (23-39), 36% from 3PT (4-11), and 89% from the line (8-9). She averaged 29.0 points, 6.0 assists, 5.5 Steals, and 5.0 rebounds while playing all 80 minutes for the Tritons. The weekly award is the seventh of her career.
Women’s Basketball Defensive Player of the Week
Bella Green – Eckerd
Junior – Forward/Center – Perth, Australia
Green collects Defensive Player of the Week following her performance in a pair of SSC contests. The junior forward/center registered two blocks, four steals, and 10 defensive rebounds as the Tritons defeated Lynn on the road (69-56) and fell to Rollins (67-56). Offensively, she tallied 13 points, three assists, and three offensive rebounds across the two games.
Men’s Swimmer of the Week
Luke Dinges – Rollins
Sophomore – Denver, Colorado
Dinges receives Swimmer of the Week following six total wins over the weekend, leading Rollins to three dual meet victories. The Denver, Colorado native opened the weekend with a win in the 200 medley relay (1:33.55) as well as victories in the 100 butterfly (50.70) and 200 butterfly (1:51.32) to help Rollins pick up wins over both opponents in a tri-meet, knocking off No. 12 Oklahoma Christian (134-119) and NAIA No. 23 Arizona Christian (202-30). He followed with a win in the 100 backstroke (51.21) as well as the 200 medley relay (1:33.64) and 200 freestyle relay (1:24.06) during a 132.5-125.5 win over NAIA No. 5 SCAD-Savannah.
Women’s Swimmer of the Week
Abigayle Wood – Rollins
Senior – Lawrenceville, Georgia
Wood gathers Swimmer of the Week with six wins over the weekend, as the Rollins went 2-1 to kick off 2024. The senior captured wins in the 100 breaststroke (1:06.91) and the 200 individual medley (2:13.87) as Rollins split a tri-meet, beating NAIA No. 18 Arizona Christian (183-56) and narrowly falling to No. 17 Oklahoma Christian (126-125). The Lawrenceville, Georgia native followed up with victories in the 200 freestyle (2:00.17) and 200 breaststroke (2:26.70) while also helping the 200 medley relay (1:52.11) and 200 freestyle relay (1:41.36) teams win their races, leading the Tars to a 153-104 win over NAIA No. 9 SCAD-Savannah.