Region 20 Announces October Players of the Month
Congratulations to the NJCAA Region 20 Players of the Month for excellence in October, 2023. The Region recognized 10 student-athletes from six member institutions.
Men's Soccer Division I
Luis Marquez, Harford, Goalkeeper, Fr.
Marquez allowed just four goals on 28 shots faced in the month of October, logging 720 minutes between the pipes for the Region 20 Division I runner up Fighting Owls. He posted 24 saves and five shutouts in eight games, recording a 365:03 scoreless streak spanning five games to start the month. Marquez finished the season with an 0.52 goals-against average, which ranked fifth in NJCAA Division I.
Men's Soccer Division II
Eliass Elfasoukhi, College of Southern Maryland, Forward, Fr.
Elfasoukhi scored six goals and provided eight assists to amass 20 points over seven games during the month of October. He registered braces in consecutive games and tallied points in six straight games. He improved upon his stats from earlier in the year when he had five goals and nine assists over 12 games during August and September. Elfasoukhi's assists and points ranked first and goals ranked third among Region 20 Division II players in October.
Men's Soccer Division III
Francis Ogbankwa, Prince George's, Forward, So.
Ogbankwa had his most productive month as an Owl during October, recording 17 points which was highlighted by a hat-trick performance against Harrisburg Area during a 6-0 shutout win to kick off the postseason. Ogbankwa also had two other multiple goal games, netting a brace each in an earlier matchup with Harrisburg and again later in the month on the road at Cecil.
Women's Soccer Division I
Ava Lewis, Harford, Forward, R-Fr.
Lewis scored 10 goals and added two assists in eight games, helping the Fighting Owls to a 6-2 record and their second-straight Region 20 title in October. Five of her goals were game-winners, including the lone goal in the Region 20 Division I championship that sent Harford to the District championship.
Women's Soccer Division II
Dayana Rivera Cordero, CCBC Essex, Forward, Fr.
Rivera Cordero scored five goals and added three assists in nine games in October. Three of her goals were game-winners, including the winning strike with one second left in overtime of the Region 20 Division II championship game. She put 33 of 49 shots on goal (.673) and scored at least one goal in each round of the Region 20 tournament.
Volleyball Division II (co-recipients)
Maria Peña, College of Southern Maryland, Right Side/Setter, Fr.
Peña averaged 3.77 kills per set in 10 matches and 35 sets in October. Her 4.5 points per set average helped Southern Maryland to a nine-game win streak and a 9-1 overall record in October, losing only in the Region 20 title game to Harford. Peña also contributed 22 assists, 22 service aces, and 143 digs. She had double-digit kills in eight of her 10 matches in October, and posted double-doubles in seven matches.
Laura Piva, Harford, Outside Hitter, Fr.
Piva averaged 3.62 kills per set in October, totaling 134 in 12 matches. Named the Region 20 DII tournament MVP, Piva had 23 kills and 23 digs in the Fighting Owls' semifinal win over Hagerstown, and followed that up with a 22 kill, 18 dig performance in Harford's championship game victory over CSM. She also added 21 service aces and 88 digs throughout the month as Harford went 12-2 with their only losses coming to Division I Monroe College.
Volleyball Division III
Nina Szymanski, Butler County, Libero, Fr.
Szymanski recorded 10+ digs in six of seven matches in October, finishing her season with a career-high 37 digs against Caldwell Tech in the District Championship. Szymanski is currently ranked 11th in Division III in digs per set with 5.60. She helped BC3 to six-straight three-set wins in October, and to the Pioneers' fifth-straight Region 20 title.
Men's Cross Country
Will Hanna-Leverett, CCBC Essex, So.
Hanna-Leverett was the top two-year school finisher and the 13th overall runner to cross the finish line at Gettysburg's Aubrey Shenk Invitational with a time of 25:32. He finished first overall in the MDJUCO/Region 20 meet with a time of 27:29, over 45 seconds ahead of the next runner, and over one minute faster than the next runner in Division II.
Women's Cross Country
Alexandrea Kile, Potomac State College, So.
Kile was the top finisher among all divisions at the Region 20 Championship, clocking a time of 22:00.8 to lead the 15th-ranked Catamounts to the Region 20 Division II team title and to nationals for the second time in two years. She started the month as the top two-year finisher at the Coach Caslin Classic on October 6, finishing second overall in the field of 51 runners. She finished in the top half of all racers at the Aubrey Shenk Invitational at Gettysburg on October 14, completing the race as the second-fastest two-year runner.