Devries, Long named Applebee's Student-Athletes of the Month for January

GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- Tusculum University track & field athlete Guillaume Devries and basketball guard Mia Long have been named the Applebee's Student-Athletes of the Month for January.

Devries was named South Atlantic Conference Field Athlete of the Week twice during January after winning the high jump at both the ETSU Invitational and the Liberty Kickoff Invitational. Both times, he cleared 2.10 meters (6 feet, 10 3/4 inches) which is an NCAA Division II indoor provisional qualifying mark.

At ETSU on Jan. 11, the junior from Valenciennes, France was honored as Men's Field Athlete of the Meet after first clinching first place with a height of 2.06 meters, then making 2.10 meters on his third and final attempt.  At the Gamecock Inaugural on Jan. 19, Devries finished fourth overall with a height of 2.03 meters (6 feet, 8 inches). He then competed at Liberty on Jan. 26 and again cleared the bar at 2.10 meters, this time on his second attempt, to win first place on fewer misses.

Devries is currently ranked second in the SAC and is tied for eighth nationally with his best jump of 2.10 meters. His mark is also the second-best in the Southeast Region, trailing only All-American Isaiah Kyle of Wingate who he beat to win the event at Liberty.

Long averaged a team-high 14.4 points per game during January, scoring in double figures eight times in 10 games. She scored a season-high 23 points in a 71-57 victory over Coker on Jan. 12, and matched that total in the Pioneers' 72-64 overtime win over Catawba on Jan. 26. Long also had 19 points in a 75-54 victory over 25th-ranked Newberry on Jan. 21 as the Pioneers compiled a 7-4 record during January.

The Ann Arbor, Michigan native excelled on the defensive side of the basketball during January, averaging 4.9 steals per game and grabbing 4.2 rebounds per contest. Long had at least two steals in all 10 games in which she played, including a career-best eight against Coker and seven in wins over Bluefield State (Jan. 2) and Mars Hill (Jan. 9). Over the final six games she played during January, Long was on the court for 231 of a possible 245 minutes.

For the season, Long leads the Pioneers in scoring at 13.8 points per game and ended the month leading Division II with an average of 4.39 steals per game. She is also averaging 4.4 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game, and begins February needing 41 points to reach 1,000 for her collegiate career.

The Tusculum Student-Athlete of the Month Award is sponsored by Applebee's Neighborhood Grill & Bar of Greeneville.  The Applebee's Student-Athlete of the Month Award honors one male and one female student-athlete each month from an in-season sport during the 2018-2019 academic year, recognizing their hard work, effort and performance.

2018-2019 Applebee's Student-Athletes of the Month