ANDERSON, S.C. – Women's soccer standout Tina Shakes and men's cross country junior Mason Hazel have been named to the Anderson Federal Credit Union Gold Standard for their outstanding performances in the month of October.
Shakes, a graduate student, helped lead the Trojans to a 3-3-1 record during October, as the Trojans earned their third consecutive appearance and fifth appearance in seven years in the South Atlantic Conference Championship.
The native of Coral Springs, Fla., led the team with 34 shots, including 21 shots on goal during the month, while scoring a pair of goals and handing out three assists over the seven-match timeframe. Shakes came on strong during the final two weeks of the season, scoring a goal at Catawba to help preserve a draw against the Indians, while finding the back of the net and also dishing out a pair of assists, including the game-winning assist in the Trojans' thrilling overtime road win over Lincoln Memorial.
She followed up by again handing out the assist on the game-winning score when the Trojans secured the sixth seed in the SAC Tournament with a 1-0 whitewash of Mars Hill in the regular-season finale. The 5-foot-11 forward currently ranks fourth in the conference with a team- high 10 goals and 24 points on the season, while standing ninth with four assists.
Hazel began the month by winning the non-NCAA Division I section of the USC Upstate Invitational, while helping pace the Black and Gold to a third-place finish. He crossed the finish line in a time of 25:44.70, which was nearly 13 seconds ahead of the nearest runner on the 8k Milliken Research Center course.
The Summerville, S.C., native followed up by leading the Trojan effort for the fourth consecutive outing by crossing the finish line in 11th place in a time of 24:47.2 at the Royals Challenge in early October. Hazel slashed 42 seconds off his previous season-best time in Charlotte, N.C.
Hazel helped lead the Trojans to a third place finish at the 2016 South Atlantic Conference Championship nearly two weeks ago by earning second place - his highest career finish – and capturing First-Team All-SAC honors for the second straight year.
Each month, one male and one female student-athlete or teams are honored as the Anderson Federal Credit Union Gold Standard Performers of the Month for his or her performance in competition, in the classroom, or in the community.
Check back for our honorees for the month of November.
