JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. - Carson-Newman men's basketball's Charles Clark (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) and softball's Bri Lockett (Fontana, Calif. have been named Bojangles' Male and Female Athletes of the Week.
Clark becomes the third Eagles to win SAC Player of the Week honors since the New Year started and the first C-N freshman to capture the accolade since Ish Sanders snagged one his freshman year in 2011 after scoring a school-record 51 points on Mars Hill.
Clark logged a 30-point effort Wednesday night as the Eagles' knocked No. 1 LMU from the ranks of the unbeatens with an 87-72 triumph in Harrogate. Clark became the first freshman to score 30 points in a game for C-N since Ish Sanders did it in 2011 when he set the school's single game scoring record against Mars Hill.
Against LMU, Clark reset his career highs for points (30), field goals made (11), field goals attempted (17) and blocked shots (2).
Then, against Lenoir-Rhyne, Clark scored six of his eight points as the Eagles went on an 8-2 run over the game's final 2:30 minutes to collect their first road win at L-R since the 2010-11 season. Clarks hit four free throws in the game's final 90 seconds to give the Eagles the lead and then a three-point cushion.
Clarks was a perfect 10-for-10 from the charity stripe in the final five minutes of games this week.
Lockett reset Carson-Newman school records for home runs (3), total bases (13) and runs batted in (9) in the Eagles' 26-0 pounding of Bluefield State.
Of Lockett's three homers, one was an inside-the-parker – the first for C-N player since Haley Taylor (Strawberry Plains, Tenn.) touched them all against Limestone in 2014 – another was a two-run shot and then the final was a grand slam. Lockett homered twice in one inning in game one against Bluefield State.
Lockett resets the school record for total bases that was shared by Brittany Hefner and Sara Kelley at 10. The previous record for runs batted in was eight and was shared by Hefner, Kelley and Whitney Hickam.
Lockett was 7-for-12 at the dish this week for a .583 average. Her slugging percentage in the Eagles four victories was 1.333.
Bojangles is a proud corporate sponsor of Carson-Newman athletics. Eagle fans can get a free large sweet tea from the Jefferson City location the day after Carson-Newman basketball games where the Eagle women score 65 points or the men score 70 points by telling the cashier, "It's Bo Time at Carson-Newman."
