(KJCCC) February 3, 2021 – Strong performances by conference athletes are recognized in Week 2 of the KJCCC Athletes of the Week voting.  Week 2 Indoor Track & Field recognition will be released next week with the Week 3 winners.

Division II Women's Basketball Athlete of the Week
Sophomore Hannah Valentine recorded her first career Double-Double for the Kansas City KS Blue Devils on 1/28 and then followed it up the next night with another impressive performance to help lead the Blue Devils on a 2-0 week. Valentine averaged 23 points on the week shooting 76% from the field and averaged 11 boards for the week as well.

Division II Men's Basketball Athlete of the Week
Hesston freshman guard Elijah Smith scored a career high 26 points and grabbed 18 rebounds on January 25 versus Sterling JV. He shot 37 percent from the field (10-of-27) and 60 percent at the free throw line (6-of-10). He also dished out four assists.

Division I Women's Basketball Athlete of the Week
Lauryn Vieira, sophomore point guard for Northwest Tech, set a career high with 28 points against Cloud County. She is leading the conference in points per game, and third in the NJCAA in points per game. Vieira is third in the conference in assists per game and second in the conference in steals per game. She was integral in her team's two two huge wins on the road to start the season.

Division I Men's Basketball Athlete of the Week
Standout sophomore transfer, Walyn Napper has entered KJCCC play picking up where he left off last year after an NJCAA First Team All-American nod. In the first conference game of Napper's career, he plays all 40 minutes in a tight contest on the road on his way to flirting with a triple double of 19 points, 8 assists, and 6 rebounds. He follows that up with a 27-point performance in a three-point thriller over Butler. 18 of his 27 points and 3 of his 5 assists came after intermission, leading the Conquistadors to a big win.

Division I Volleyball Athletes of the Week
Offense: Mylena Testoni – Barton - Mylena Testoni had a phenomenal weekend for Barton helping the Cougars to a 3-1 trip to the Laramie County Invitation.  Piling up 46 kills on 75 attempts, Testoni had just six errors in a .533 attack in the four matches including a .778 attack in Barton's first game. Testoni capped Friday's action with her second double-double of the year with a career high fourteen kills and thirteen digs then concluded the four match weekend matching the fourteen kills on a .778 attack.

Setter: Yunju Lee – Seward County - Yunju Lee has been the Lady Saints main setter and had 145 assists in 17 sets played and added 42 digs as well. Lee, a freshman from Hwaseong, South Korea, can make adjustments mid match and was a main reason for the turnaround against Iowa Western, after losing 9-25 in the first set the Lady Saints won the next three sets to defeat the Reivers. Lee will lead the Lady Saints this season as the floor general and started off with an amazing week one performance.

Defense: Shelby Reeder – Hutchinson - Hutchinson Community College freshman libero Shelby Reeder had a strong debut weekend for the 3-2 Blue Dragons. Reaching double figures in digs in all five matches last week, Reeder averaged 4.94 digs per set. She had a weekly high of 24 against Eastern Wyoming and had 20 against North Platte. Reeder was also 66 of 67 in service reception last week.

Division II Volleyball Athletes of the Week
Iva Halacheva, Cowley College, Sophomore, Outside Hitter, Plovdiv, Bulgaria - With her 17 kills against Allen County, Iva Halacheva passed the coveted 500 career kills mark at Cowley College. She finished with 54 kills, 22 digs, eight blocks, and six service aces as Cowley went 2-1 on the week. Halacheva had a solid .429 hitting percentage in the three matches. 

Makenzie Griffel, Johnson County, Sophomore, Defensive Specialist, Blue Springs, MO - Sophomore defensive specialist Makenzie Griffel led the No. 11-ranked Lady Cavaliers with 45 digs over two victories last week. She tallied 23 digs in a five-set win over No. 12 Highland, and followed with 22 digs in a four-set win over Metropolitan. She also led JCCC with six service aces on the weekend.

Gracie Story, Cowley College, Freshman, Setter, Holliday, Texas - Freshman Gracie Story finished with 116 assists in No. 15-ranked Cowley's three matches. She is currently leading an offense that is third in the NJCAA in Kills per set at 13.90 and sixth in the NJCAA in Hitting percentage at .280 and second in total assists at 12.70.

Division I Softball Athletes of the Week
From her nine-hole position in the lineup, Butler COVID sophomore Shayna Espy went 6 of 10 on the weekend at the plate with two double and a triple and six runs scored helping the Grizzlies to a 3-1 opening weekend. Espy was walked once, recorded no strikeouts and stole three bases. Espy made 12 put outs from her centerfield position with one assist throwing the runner out at second.

Freshman pitcher Izzy Erickson, Butler, got her first taste of collegiate softball this weekend and didn't disappoint. She finished the weekend 1-1 with a save starting two games and coming in relief in Friday's second game. She pitched 14.1 total innings throughout the weekend allowing just seven earned runs off 16 hits in her 61 batters faced. She walked just two while striking out six. Without much time outside and against any other competition, Izzy had a great opening weekend in the circle for Butler.

Division II Softball Athletes of the Week
There were no nominations this week.