DeVey Earns Another WCC Honor

DeVey Earns Another WCC Honor

Oct. 6, 2005

Santa Clara University junior Keith DeVey capped-off an amazing start to the season today when he was named the West Coast Conference Men's Soccer Player of the Month.

A native of Kula, Hawai'i, DeVey has been an instrumental figure in the fifth-ranked Broncos' 7-2-0 start this season and is the team leader in goals scored with six and points with 14. An exceptional 12 of his 16 shots have been on frame and two of his goals were game-winners.


"Keith's performance during the first month of the season were outstanding," said SCU's fourth-year head coach Cameron Rast. "He certainly gave us a spark when we needed it and scored some really important goals at critical times."

Santa Clara is in action Friday in a 7 p.m. contest at 21st-ranked San Diego then travels to Los Angeles to face Loyola Marymount Sunday afternoon in a 2 p.m. start. Both West Coast Conference matches will feature live online Gametracker coverage via SantaClaraBroncos.com.

WCC Players of the Month

MEN'S SOCCER - Keith DeVey, Santa Clara University
Keith DeVey propelled the Santa Clara men's soccer team to a 6-2-0 record and a top-10 national ranking during the month of September. The junior established himself as a super-sub early in the season, coming off of the bench to score game-winning goals against then-No. 2 ranked UCLA and Cal State Fullerton on the first weekend of play. DeVey's goal against the Bruins came with three minutes remaining in the contest, while his tally against the Titans came five minutes from time. DeVey was tabbed as the Soccer America National Player of the Week on September 7 and was named to the National Team of the Week by College Soccer News, Soccer America, and Top Drawer Soccer following his performances against UCLA and Cal State Fullerton. The Kula, Hawai'i native did not slow down, notching an assist against Maryland and scoring a pair of goals in a 4-0 win over previously undefeated Georgetown the following weekend. The two-time WCC Player of the Week closed out the month with goals in Bronco wins over Stanford and San Jose State, and finished September ranked second in the conference with six goals and 13 points.

WOMEN'S SOCCER - Christine Sinclair, University of Portland
Portland forward Christine Sinclair enjoyed an outstanding first month of her senior campaign scoring 13 goals in leading the Pilots to an 8-0 record. Sinclair scored in all eight of Portland's wins, while also adding five assists for 31 points in the month of September. Her 13 goals, five assists, five game-winning goals, and 31 points were the most by any WCC player for the month. On September 23rd, in a 3-0 win over No. 21 Arizona, the Burnaby, B.C. native became the WCC's all-time leader in goals scored with her first of two goals in the game. Sinclair, who enters conference play this weekend with 93 career goals, topped the previous record of 87 career goals held by former Portland standout Shannon MacMillan. For the month, Sinclair scored multiple goals in four of the Pilots' eight matches. She became the third Pilot and second player in WCC history to reach 200 career points. For her efforts, Sinclair was named the WCC Player of the Week twice, named to the Soccer America National Team of the Week three times and named the Soccer America National Player of the Week on September 7.

VOLLEYBALL - Kristen Carlson, University of San Diego
San Diego junior outside hitter Kristen Carlson enjoyed an outstanding month of September, helping the Toreros to an 8-2 record and a ranking as high as 12th nationally by the AVCA (9/26). Carlson was named as an all-tournament performer three times during the course of the month, with key non-conference wins over then-No. 21 California, No. 25 Long Beach State, and 2004 NCAA participants, American, Arkansas, and Florida A&M. Carlson led all WCC performers with a 5.26 kills per game average, while also pacing the conference in points with a 5.69 ppg clip. In addition, the Purcellville, VA native tallied six double-doubles, tying for the fourth most among WCC players during the month. She collected 2.92 digs per game, while posting a solid .299 hitting percentage. She twice led USD to tournament championship honors during the month and was twice named a tournament MVP. Carlson was also selected as the WCC Player of the Week on September 19 after turning in one of the best single-match performances in school history, killing 22 of 26 attempts (.808 hitting %) to lead the Toreros to a sweep over American. That performance followed a then-career high 34 kills on a .529 attack percentage in USD's 3-1 win over Arkansas. For the month, Carlson topped the 20-kill mark on six different occasions.

WOMEN'S CROSS COUNTRY - Tiffanie Marley, University of San Diego
Tiffanie Marley has led the San Diego cross country team to an impressive start to the 2005 season, posting two of the top three 5K times among West Coast Conference harriers during the month of September. Marley, who became the first San Diego runner to capture first place at the WCC Championship in 2003, got the season off to a fantastic start by capturing first place with a time of 18:26 in the 5K race at the Cal State Fullerton Invitational on September 3. After finishing eighth in the 6K race at the USD Invitational with a time of 22:42 on September 10, the graduate student posted a WCC-best 5K time of 17:47 at the Notre Dame Catholic Universities Invitational on September 17 to place third in a highly competitive field.

MEN'S CROSS COUNTRY - Justin Houck, University of Portland
Justin Houck led the Portland men's cross country team to a second place finish at the Sundodger Invitational in Seattle on September 17. In his first competition of the season, the redshirt freshman traversed the 8K course in 24:10 to finish in sixth place overall. The time posted by the Spokane, Wash. native is the fastest 8K mark recorded by a West Coast Conference harrier so far this season. All 10 of the WCC's fastest 8K times this season were recorded at the Sundodger Invitational, with eight of those marks being recorded by Portland runners. As a team, the Pilot men's squad maintained a top-25 national ranking throughout the season's first month, checking in at No. 22 on September 27 before assuming their current ranking of No. 16 on October 4.

WOMEN'S GOLF - Eileen Vargas, Pepperdine University
Pepperdine junior All-American Eileen Vargas captured individual medalist honors and helped the Waves to the championship of the Branch Law Firm Dick McGuire Invitational on September 28. Vargas carded a 54-hole score of 8-under par 211 to register a 1-shot victory. It marked Vargas' first career win and included a career-best final round 68. The tournament included eight teams that were ranked in Golfweek's Top 30 preseason poll. The victory helped Vargas move to No. 2 in Golfweek's individual rankings and also helped the Waves to a No. 1 national ranking. The No. 1 ranking marks the second time in program history that Pepperdine has earned a top national ranking. The Waves, who finished fourth at last year's NCAA Championships, were previously ranked No. 1 during the spring of 2003 after winning five straight tournaments.

MEN'S GOLF - Chadd Cocco, Saint Mary's College
Saint Mary's junior Chadd Cocco posted two top 10 finishes and a 69.8 stroke average in two tournaments during the month of September. In the Mid-Pines Intercollegiate on Sept. 12-13, Cocco shot rounds of 71-66-69 to capture his first career individual medalist honor with a score of 206 (-10), while leading SMC to a fourth place finish. His second round 66 score at the Mid-Pines is the lowest in his career. One week later at the Northwest Collegiate Classic, the Bend, Ore. native posted an 8th place finish following rounds of 67-74-72 for a 3-under score of 213, helping the Gaels to a sixth place finish out of a field of 15 teams. His 69.8 stroke average ranks 19th in the country. Cocco has a total of three eagles and 25 birdies in six rounds and 108 holes played, averaging 4.17 birdies per round, and a sub par strokes per round average of 5.17.