GREENVILLE, S.C. (April 7) – The University of Mount Olive featured five March Conference Carolinas Freshman of the Month recipients in their respective sports, as announced by the league office.
Caleb Bass of men's track & field,
Nina Bernier of women's tennis,
Janara Bryant of women's track & field,
Luca Colombo of men's volleyball, and
Brayden Rieger of men's lacrosse each garnered the league accolade.
Bass registered four Conference Carolinas qualifying marks in the opening month of the outdoor season while boasting top-10 marks in three events. At the Trojan Challenge on March 28, he set the fourth-best mark in the league with a distance of 49.54 meters to finish third overall. Bass also recorded a third-place finish in the javelin with a toss of 47.30 meters, which sits ninth in the Conference Carolinas. Additionally, he placed fourth overall in the discus and ranks 11th in the conference with a mark of 42.57 meters. Bass would also place fifth in the shot put with a toss of 13.98 meters, which ranks seventh across the entire league.
Bernier delivered an outstanding 8-1 overall record in singles play and a 5-0 mark in conference play while competing in three different lineup positions. She is currently on a four-match winning streak with victories in the fifth slot over Erskine, North Greenville, and Young Harris. Additionally, she boasts a 5-4 mark in doubles action in the month of March with a 3-2 record in Conference Carolinas while playing primarily in the first position.
Bryant established a top-five distance in NCAA Division II in the triple jump, while boasting a trio of top-four marks in the Conference Carolinas. At the Trojan Challenge on March 28, Bryant delivered an outstanding performance at her first home meet with the Trojans. She established a new UMO record in the triple jump and placed first overall with a distance of 12.28 meters, which ranks fifth in the nation and first in the Conference Carolinas. Additionally, Bryant captured first place in the high jump after clearing 1.60 meters to match the top mark in the league. She also registered a third-place finish and reached the conference mark with a leap of 5.50 meters in the long jump, which sits fourth in the Conference Carolinas.
Colombo continued his outstanding freshman campaign at libero after averaging 3.16 digs per set, as the Trojans posted a perfect 8-0 record in the month of March. He reached double-digit digs in five of the eight matches while boasting a .985 reception percentage with just two errors in 25 sets played. Colombo registered 10 digs and three assists in a 3-0 sweep at Barton on March 18 before an impressive 14-dig performance at King in a 3-0 win. He also registered 10 digs in back-to-back contests with sweeps over Emmanuel and Erskine.
Rieger delivered a balanced effort on the offensive side of the field with a team-best 17 points in March behind eight goals and nine assists in five games played. He recorded at least a goal and an assist in all five contests, while also securing seven ground balls. Rieger registered three-pointer performances against Lees-McRae, North Greenville, and Young Harris before an impressive three goal and three assists in an 11-3 win over Barton on March 25.
