(Editor's note: Rocky Mountain College athletics release)
WHITEFISH -- Six Rocky Mountain College Battlin' Bears earned Frontier Conference Player of the Week honors as announced by the Frontier Conference on Monday.
Ruth Chepsat was again named the women's cross country runner of the week, while Hailey Derrickson and Haydn Driver swept the league's golfer of the week honors. Teammates Ayla Embry and Natalie Hilderman were again rewarded for their play on the volleyball courts, and John Tia was recognized as the Frontier Conference football special teams performer of the week.
More information on each athlete and their respective performances is below.
Ruth Chepsat earned the Women's Cross Country Runner of the Week honor for the Frontier Conference. Running a time of 17:49, the junior from Eldoret, Kenya finished in ninth out of 81 runners at the Inland Empire Championships on Saturday. Running in a field of NCAA, NJCAA, and NAIA runners, Chepsat finished with the top individual time of any NAIA teams competing. This week counts as the third time that she has received the award this year.
John Tia earned the Football Special Teams Player of the Week honor for the Frontier Conference. In Rocky's 21-14 loss to Southern Oregon, the sophomore from Boise, Idaho recovered a blocked field goal and ran it back 62 yards for a touchdown.
Hailey Derrickson earned the Women's Golfer of the Week honor for the Frontier Conference. The freshman from Austin, Texas earned individual medalist honors at the Lilac Collegiate after shooting 3-under-par 141. Her first round of 67 tied the record for lowest recorded women's round in Rocky's school history. This is the third time in the 2019-20 season that the freshman has received the honor.
Haydn Driver earned the Men's Golfer of the Week honor for the Frontier Conference. Shooting 4-over-par 144, the sophomore from Southton, South Africa finished in fifth overall at the Lilac Collegiate Invitational.
Ayla Embry earned the Volleyball Defender of the Week honor for the Frontier Conference. The freshman from Bozeman, Montana averaged 6.64 digs per set at the Cornerstone Classic Volleyball Tournament. This is the fourth selection for Embry this season.
Natalie Hilderman earned the Volleyball Setter of the Week honor for the Frontier Conference. The junior from Red Lodge, Montana averaged 10.93 assists and 2.93 digs per set as the Battlin' Bears went 2-2 at the Cornerstone Classic Volleyball Tournament. This is the third week in a row that Hilderman has earned the award and the 18th in her collegiate career.
