The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Three UAB Athletes Earn Player Of The Week Awards
9/19/2011 12:00:00 AM | General
Sept. 19, 2011
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- Three different UAB student-athletes in three different sports have been honored as Conference USA Players of the Week, the league office announced on Monday. Football's Nick Adams was tabbed the league's special teams player of the week, while men's soccer's Mladen Lemez and volleyball's Heather Thomas were selected as defensive players of the week.
It marks the first time for each player to be tabbed as the league's player of the week in their respective sports.
Adams, a native of Walterboro, S.C., had big day Saturday against Tulane as he broke the UAB single-game record for kick return yards in the loss to the Green Wave. He returned a Tulane kickoff 92 yards for a touchdown in the first quarter and finished with 194 kickoff return yards (on five returns) on the afternoon.
The 6-2, 195-pound Adams broke the UAB mark previously held by former Blazer Frantrell Forrest who had 190 kickoff return yards against Tulsa in the 2008 season opener. Adams' 92-yard touchdown was UAB's first on a kickoff return since Forrest went 90 yards vs. Tulsa in 2008, a span of 37 games. Adams' return also matched the longest kick return tourchdown in Blazer history.
Meanwhile, Lemez, who was also selected to the College Soccer News National Team of the Week, had a tremendous weekend in leading the Blazers to the 2011 UAB "Soccer For A Cure" Classic title. The central defender was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player by helping shut down the opposition and also scoring three goals in wins over No. 20 VCU and Milwaukee.
Lemez played every minute of both overtime contests. In the victory over the nationally-ranked Rams, he scored the Blazers' first goal off a direct kick to even the score and help UAB to a 2-1 overtime win. On Sunday, Lemez scored the game-tying goal in the 86th minute and the game-winning tally at the 95:27 mark, both on headers, to lift the Blazers to a 2-1 comeback victory over the Panthers.
Thomas earned her conference honor after being tabbed the MVP at the Creighton Classic over the weekend. Thomas averaged 6.73 digs per set as the Blazers' defense held opponents to an attacking clip of just .128 over a perfect 3-0 weekend. UAB knocked off Creighton, Drake and McNeese State to close out non-conference play with a 10-2 record, the best start to a season through 12 games since 2005.
The Madison, Ala. native recorded match-highs in digs in each contest for UAB as Thomas corralled 24-or-more digs versus each opponent and upped her season digs average to 5.47 per set. She added five service aces, including two extremely important ones against McNeese State on Friday afternoon. With the score knotted at 25 in the fourth set, Thomas stepped to the line and calmly laced back-to-back aces to claim the victory and avoid a deciding set with the Cowgirls.
