GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- Tusculum University guards Trenton Gibson and Mia Long have been named the Zaxby's Athletes of the Week. Gibson earns his second Athlete of the Week honor this season.
Gibson, a sophomore guard from Murfreesboro, Tennessee, averaged 18 points and six rebounds per game as the Pioneers went 1-1 last week. The 2019 South Atlantic Conference Freshman of the Year poured in 19 points in Tusculum's 70-58 league-opening win over Lenoir-Rhyne. He shot 10-of-12 from the free throw line and pulled down seven rebounds. He followed with 17 points and five boards in TU's 75-71 home loss to Catawba.
Gibson is tied for the team-lead in scoring averaging 14.9 points per game (20th in SAC) and is second on the roster in rebounding averaging 7.3 boards per contest (10th in SAC). He also leads TU in assists (4.1 apg – 7th in SAC) and steals per game (1.8 spg – T9th in SAC).
Long averaged 16.0 points per game as the Pioneers opened SAC play with a 66-49 win over Lenoir-Rhyne on Tuesday and a 78-71 loss to Catawba on Saturday. Against Lenoir-Rhyne, Long had 11 points, four rebounds, five assists and five steals in just 21 minutes of playing time after being held scoreless in the first half due to foul trouble. Against Catawba, Long had a game-high 21 points on 7-for-9 shooting, and had five steals, four rebounds and four assists. Her five steals against Catawba marked the third straight game and fourth time overall this season that Long has had at least five steals in a game.
The senior from Ann Arbor, Michigan became the seventh player in program history to make 200 career steals with her five thefts against Lenoir-Rhyne. For the season, she is averaging a team-high 13.6 points per game and shooting 54.3 percent from the field to rank eighth in the conference. Her 3.6 steals per game are tied for the SAC lead, and she is fifth in the league with 3.4 assists per game.
The Tusculum University Athlete of the Week Award is sponsored by Zaxby's, located at 3280 Andrew Johnson Highway in Greeneville. The Zaxby's Athlete of the Week Award honors one male and one female athlete each week from an in-season sport.
2019-2020 Zaxby's Athletes of the Week
Week |
Male Athlete of the Week |
Female Athlete of the Week |
Sep. 5-8, 2019 |
Will Cronin (Cross Country) |
Nicole McMillen (Cross Country) |
Sep. 9-15, 2019 |
Yago Fernandez (Men's Tennis) |
Rory Church (Women's Tennis) |
Sep. 16-22, 2019 |
Jeffery Perez (Men's Golf) |
Gabby Gray (Women's Volleyball) |
Sep. 23-29, 2019 |
Henrique Devens (Men's Soccer) |
Carli Pigza (Women's Volleyball) |
Sep. 30-Oct. 6, 2019 |
Kyler Hodges (Cross Country) |
Nicole McMillen (Cross Country) |
Oct. 7-13, 2019 |
Nikola Vujicic (Men's Soccer) |
Danielle Breen (Women's Soccer) |
Oct. 14-20, 2019 |
David Johnson (Football) |
Annie & Caitlin McCullough (Tennis) |
Oct. 21-27, 2019 |
Henrique Devens (Men's Soccer) |
Nicole McMillen (Cross Country) |
Oct. 28-Nov. 3, 2019 |
Thurlow Wilkins (Football) |
Tatum Thornton (Women's Volleyball) |
Nov. 4-10, 2019 |
Trenton Gibson (Men's Basketball) |
Nicole McMillen (Cross Country) |
Nov. 11-17, 2019 |
Brandon Mitchell (Men's Basketball) |
Tatum Thornton (Women's Volleyball) |
Nov. 18-24, 2019 |
Tariq Jenkins (Men's Basketball) |
Aliyah Miller (Women's Basketball) |
Nov. 25-Dec. 1, 2019 |
Trenton Gibson (Men's Basketball) |
Mia Long (Women's Basketball) |