FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Nova Southeastern University student-athletes
Katie Pyles (So., Denver, Colo.) of the volleyball team and
Lucas Ruiz (Jr., Tucson, Ariz.) of the men's cross country team have each earned Sunshine State Conference Athlete of the Week honors for their respective sports.
Pyles earned SSC Offensive Player of the Week after she led the Sharks to a 4-0 weekend and made history for the program. Pyles became the first player in program history to record back-to-back triple-doubles and the first player to reach a triple double since 2007. The sophomore's triple-double against Daeman was most impressive as she recorded a .579 hitting percentage with 12 kills, 18 assists and 11 digs in just three sets. Against Queens, Pyles recorded 14 kills (two errors), 28 assists and 12 digs.
She finished the week with a .324 hitting percentage, 2.73 kills per set, 6.55 assists per set and 2.91 digs per set. She is the first person to receive the SSC offensive honor since former All-American setter Valia Petrova won the award in 2008.
Ruiz earns SSC Male Runner of the Week for finishing fourth overall, first among SSC runners, at the Tampa Early Bird Classic on Friday, Sept. 13. The junior ran a time of 21:22.50 in the four-mile run event. Nova Southeastern won the team event with 35 points.
Ruiz had a breakout performance in which he served as the lead runner for NSU for the first time since arriving in South Florida. He is the first SSC Runner of the Week since former lead Shark Kevin Meagher earned the honor in 2012.
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