As fall sports begin for the 2024 season, here are 10 athletes to keep an eye on during their respective seasons.
Football:
Pierce Holley
The quarterback, who hails from Arvada, Colorado, completed 240 passes for 2,741 yards and 17 touchdowns in the 2023 season.
Holley helped the team to an 8-3 season and was one of the biggest turnarounds in the Football Championship Subdivision.
Holley was also named the 2024 Big South-Ohio Valley Conference Preseason Offensive Player of the Year and is also on the preseason watch list for the Walter Payton Award.
Elijah Tolbert
The experienced linebacker from Country Club Hills recorded a total of 87 tackles (46 solo, 41 assists) and one interception.
Tolbert finished third for most tackles in the Big South-OVC Conference.
Tolbert was also named a Stats Perform FCS Preseason All-American and is also on the candidate list for the Buck Buchanan Award.
Volleyball:
Catalina Rochaix
The junior setter from Cordoba, Argentina, was named OVC Setter of the Year and earned a spot on the First Team All-OVC.
Rochaix finished the 2023 season with 1,279 assists, 214 digs, 56 kills and 25 service aces.
Rochaix helped the team finish the 2023 season with a 28-5 overall record, a 15-3 OVC record, the OVC regular season championship, the OVC tournament championship and a berth in the NCAA volleyball tournament.
Ireland Blow
The trained middle blocker from Highland Park returns to the roster and is using her COVID-19 season to play with the Panthers. Hieb used her medical redshirt season in 2023
Hieb finished the 2022 season with 128 kills, 67 blocks, 34 digs and seven service aces.
Football:
Sam Eccles
The striker from Sheffield, England, was named to the 2023 All-OVC second team.
Eccles played all 18 games for the Panthers and scored four goals and three assists during the season.
Eccles helped lead the team to the OVC Tournament, edging out third-seeded Liberty University as the No. 8 seed.
Alex Tetteh
The sophomore forward from Plainfield started nine times and played every game in the 2023 season.
Tetteh scored three goals and one assist and had twelve shots on goal.
As a freshman, Tetteh was named to the 2023 All-OVC Newcomer Team and the Second Team All-OVC.
Tennis:
Zach White
The senior from Lexington, Kentucky, finished the 2024 spring season with a total of six wins in singles matches.
White had won four of his six singles victories when he was scheduled to play as the event’s fourth opponent.
White also won four games in doubles.
Aleyla Wooten
The junior from Lakeland, Tennessee, won five singles matches in the 2024 spring season.
Wooten won her five matches when they were scheduled as the second match of the event.
Wooten also won five doubles matches.
Cross country:
Michael Atkins
The junior from Wheaton was named to the First Team All-OVC 2023.
Atkins finished the final race of the 2023 cross country season with an 8K time of 23:50.06. Atkins took third place and helped the Panthers to their fifth consecutive OVC title.
Mackenzie Aldridge
The fifth-grader from Crystal Lake made the First Team All-OVC for the second year in a row last season.
Aldridge finished second at the OVC Championships with a 6K time of 21:11.85, helping the Panthers to their second consecutive OVC title. Aldridge’s time also ranks second on the all-time list in program history.
Aldridge also finished 70th at the NCAA Regionals with a 6K time of 22:02.4.
You can reach Zaria Flippin at 581-2812 or (email protected).
