September Athletes of the Month
ARNOLD, MD – Region 20 has announced that 11 student-athletes from seven member institutions have been named Athletes of the Month for play in September, 2022. The first awards of the 2022-23 year also include August performances. Highlighting this month's honorees is men's cross country runner Kevin Baranoski of CCBC Essex, who set school records in each of his four races in the month and was named both the NJCAA and USTFCCCA NJCAA DII Men's Runner of the Week in September.
Men's Soccer
Division I
Andres Javitt, Forward, Montgomery College
Javitt scored 15 goals and added 13 assists in September for the Raptors, who went 11-1 in the month, including a seven-game win streak. The forward led NJCAA Division I in goals, assists, and points through the end of the September. Thirteen of Javitt's goals and 12 of his assists came against Region 20 opponents. He scored a season-high five goals against Howard Community College on September 13.
Division II
Toga Katsuma, Midfield, CCBC Essex
Katsuma recorded 14 goals and 10 assists in September. He leads the fourth-ranked Knights with 38 points, placing him fourth nationally in points. Katsuma scored three game-winning goals, including ones against Division I foes Harford and Montgomery. The midfielder has recorded at least one point in 13 games and was named the NJCAA DII Men's Soccer Player of the Week on September 14 after tallying a pair of goals and two assists in two games that week.
Division III
Mateo Vidaurre, Midfield/Defense, Allegany College of Maryland
Led Region 20 DIII men's soccer players with eight goals and an assist in September. Vidaurre had a hat trick against Hagerstown and a two-goal game against CCBC Catonsville. Vidaurre has played multiple roles for the Trojans and has been on the field for more than 90% of the team's 11 games in the month of September.
Women's Soccer
Division I
Lizzy Mayo, Goalkeeper, Montgomery College
Mayo recorded a 445:04 shutout streak spanning six games as she backstopped the Raptors to a 7-2 record and six clean sheets in September. Mayo allowed goals in just three of nine contests in the month, making 44 saves along the way. She leads all divisions in Region 20 in save percentage (.846), goals against average (0.89) and goals allowed (8). Among Division I keepers across the nation, Mayo ranks 14th in save percentage and 26th in GAA.
Division II
Gabriela Rodriguez, Forward, College of Southern Maryland
Rodriguez tallied 19 points in six games in September on eight goals and three assists. The forward twice recorded hat tricks in the month, securing both in the first half of the game. Rodriguez netted a pair of game-winning goals and factored in all three goals when the Hawks defeated Hagerstown for the first time since the fall of 2019 on September 29th.
Division III
Ryann Brooks, Defense/Midfield, Anne Arundel Community College
Brooks led AACC with five goals and two assists in seven games in the month, posting a four-game scoring streak. Brooks scored the game-winner in overtime to defeat sixth-ranked Suffolk on September 3, leading AACC to a top-10 ranking the following week. Of seven games, Brooks recorded at least two points in four.
Volleyball
Division I
Brooke Naugle, Outside Hitter, Harford Community College
Naugle was a key two-way player for Harford in September, recording 28 total blocks including 22 of the solo variety. Naugle had 10 blocks in four matches as the Owls won six in a row to close out September. Offensively Naugle averaged 2.16 kills per set in the month.
Division II (co-recipients)
Sydney Babb, Outside Hitter, Montgomery College
Babb averaged 3.19 kills per set and 3.70 digs per set in the month of September. The outside hitter totaled 24 blocks in the month, recording six solo stops. Against Potomac State on September 22, she hit an astounding .552% with 16 kills and zero errors. Babb helped Montgomery to an 8-5 record in September, including a six-match win streak to close out the month.
Lillian Reynolds, Setter/Right Side, College of Southern Maryland
Reynolds recorded three triple-doubles and seven double-doubles in the month as she helped the Hawks to a 7-5 record in the month. In addition to leading Region 20 Division II with 8.36 assists per set, Reynolds ranked fourth in hitting percentage (.221) and fifth in digs (131 total) in the month.
Division III
Morgan Jack, Setter, Butler County Community College
Jack averaged 10.09 assists per set as she helped the Pioneers to a 13-2 record and the top spot in the national poll. The setter had two double-doubles in the month, one in a narrow loss to Division II Northern Virginia, and again in a 3-1 win over Penn State Beaver when she hit .800 with four kills.
Men's Cross Country
Kevin Baranoski – CCBC Essex
Baranoski rewrote the CCBC Essex record books in all four of his races this fall, topping his own record three times as the freshman recorded PR's in all four meets. Baranoski was named the NJCAA DII Men's Cross Country Runner of the Week on September 27 and the M-F Athletic National NJCAA DII Athlete of the Week on October 3 after his top JUCO finish at the Paul Short Run 8k on September 30. Baranoski finished first in two of four meets in the month, winning the Dickinson Light Up the Night Invitational 5k and the Dutchmen Invitational, hosted by Lebanon Valley. The only community college student-athlete at the Loch Haven University Invitational, Baranoski finished ninth, just 31 seconds behind the individual leader before wrapping up September with a 23rd-place finish at the Paul Short Tun men's open division 8k as the highest finishing JUCO student-athlete.
Women's Cross Country
No nominees