Payton Wilson: N.C. State started its season with a 24-14 win over Connecticut at Pratt & Whitney Stadium in East Hartford, CT on Thursday night. Wilson, a redshirt senior linebacker for the Wolfpack, clinched the game with an interception on the Wolfpack’s final defensive play of the night. Wilson led N.C. State with ten tackles. He also had a pass breakup and a tackle for loss. The Wolfpack will host Notre Dame in its home opener at Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh next Saturday.
Darius Satterfield: Catawba defeated Division II Elizabeth City State 31-23 at Roebuck Stadium in Elizabeth City on Saturday. Satterfield averaged 32.4 yards on five punts. His longest was 56 yards and one was downed inside the 20-yard line.
Trenton Gill: In what was a mere formality, Gill made the final roster of the Chicago Bears after cutdown day across the NFL on Tuesday. Gill’s season will start agains the Green Bay Packers at Soldier Field on September 10.
Braxton Mergenthal: The Division III Hampton-Sydney football team started its season with a 29-28 loss to Wabash (Indiana) in the Gentleman’s Classic at Everett Stadium in Hampden Sydney, VA on Saturday. Mergenthal, a former Cedar Ridge interior lineman, started his senior season with one tackle.
Mia Davidson-Smith: Davidson was announced as a member of Team USA Softball that will play in the Pan American Games this fall. Davidson was one of 16 players who will play in Santiago, Chile on October 29-November 4. This will be the second time this year that Davidson has played in an international competition for Team USA. In June, she played during the WBSC World Cup Group A event in Dublin, Ireland, where the Americans went undefeated to qualify for the World Cup Finals next year.
Cameron Lloyd: The Bucknell volleyball team hosted the Bucknell Invitational at Davis Gym in Lewisburg, PA. The Bison went 1-2 in the two-day event. William & Mary defeated the Bison 3-1 on scores of 25-22, 19-25, 25-23 and 25-19. Lloyd played all four sets and had two aces with eight digs. Bucknell defeated Cornell 3-0 on scores of 25-22, 25-22 and 26-24. Lloyd had her biggest college game thus far with six kills, 13 digs and one ace. On Saturday, Princeton swept Bucknell 3-0 on scores of 25-18, 25-20 and 25-11. Lloyd had six kids, a block and six digs. Bucknell is 2-4 and will face Akron in the Cleveland State Tournament on Friday.
Cameron Lanier: This weekend, the Elon volleyball team went 1-2 in the Wofford Invitational in Spartanburg, S.C. Georgia State defeated Elon 3-0 (25-17, 25-22 and 26-24). Lanier led the team with 14 kills on a whopping 37 attempts. She also finished with eight digs and one block. The Phoenix swept South Carolina State (25-12, 25-15 and 25-16). Once again, Lanier led the team with nine kills. She also had two digs. On Saturday, Wofford swept Elon (25-20, 25-20 and 25-17). Lanier finished with five kills, one ace and one dig. Elon is 1-5.
Grace Young: The UNC Asheville volleyball team lost two matches to Furman last week. On Wednesday, the Paladins defeated the Bulldogs 3-0 (25-17, 25-15 & 25-23) at Alley Gym in Greenville, SC. Young played in two of the sets and had two aces and two digs. In a rematch on Friday, the Paladins once again gained a sweep inside of the Justice Center in Asheville (25-17, 25-20 and 25-19). Young played in two sets and had five digs. The Bulldogs are 3-3 and will travel to Western Carolina on Tuesday.
Anaya Carter: The Division II UNC Pembroke volleyball team started its season by going 3-1 during the Cedarville Invitational in Cedarville, Ohio. On Saturday, Palm Beach Atlantic defeated the Braves 3-0. (25-17, 25-21, and 25-10). Carter played one set.
Julie Altieri: Altieri, the all-time assist leader in Cedar Ridge history, started her college career on Friday with the Division III Salisbury Seagulls with three wins. The Seagulls defeated William Peace University 3-1 in the first match of the Margie Knight Classic at the Maggs Physical Activities Center in Salisbury, MD (25-7, 25-23, 22-25 and 25-22) on Friday. In her first college game, Altieri had ten assists, five digs and one ace in three sets. On Saturday, Salisbury swept Drew (25-15, 25-22 and 25-14). Altieri played all three sets and finished with one kill, 12 assists, two aces and five digs. Salisbury completed the weekend with a 3-2 win over Stevenson (25-23, 16-25, 25-27, 27-25 and 15-11). Altieri registered 23 assists, one ace, and ten digs. The Seagulls will compete in the Garnet Invitational starting on Friday.
Melissa Benkowitz: Another former Cedar Ridge Red Wolf made her college debut this weekend. Benkowitz suited up for Division III Franklin & Marshall College at the Mayser Center in Lancaster, PA. Carnegie Mellon defeated the Diplomats 3-1 in the opening match (25-17, 25-18, 20-25, 25-17). Benkowitz played all four sets and finished with ten kills, seven digs and one ace. On Saturday, Franklin and Marshall defeated SUNY Geneso 3-0 (25-14, 25-17 and 25-21). Benkowitz tallied seven kills, eleven digs and one ace. Also on Saturday, the Diplomats swept Elizabethtown (25-17, 25-23 and 25-19). Benkowitz had two kills, two aces and seven digs.
Emerson Talley: The Lenoir-Rhyne women’s soccer team opened its season with a 1-1 draw with Lee University at Moretz Sports-Athletic Complex in Hickory. Talley, the all-time goals scorer in Cedar Ridge history, started her first game and played all 90 minutes. On Saturday, the Bears played to a scoreless tie with Mount Olive. Talley started and played 73 minutes.