February 9, 2016

Clark, Webster garner Chick-Fil-A Athlete of the Week honors

JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. - Carson-Newman men's basketball's Charles Clark (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) and softball's Allison Webster (Charlestown, Ind.) have been named the Chick-Fil-A Male and Female Athletes of the Week.

JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. - Carson-Newman men's basketball's Charles Clark (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) and softball's Allison Webster (Charlestown, Ind.) have been named the Chick-Fil-A Male and Female Athletes of the Week.

For the second time this season, and the third time in his career, Carson-Newman men's basketball guard Charles Clark (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) has earned AstroTurf South Atlantic Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Week honors.

The sophomore's latest plaudit comes following a week where he averaged 29 points and shot 60 percent from the field in helping C-N to a 104-88 win at Mars Hill and a 91-88 home win over Catawba.

Clark started his week with a career night. He dropped 39 at Mars Hill. He connected on 14-of-20 shots (both those totals are also career highs) while draining all eight free throws he took. He also handed out five assists for a third time this season and swiped five steals for the second time in his career.

The Murfreesboro, Tenn.-native was especially clutch down the stretch. He had 20 points in the final 8:54 of the game and 10 points in the final five minutes.

That night capped off a four-game stretch unlike any other for any one individual Eagle since the turn of the century.

Clark cleared the 30-point threshold three times in four games and averaged 31.75 points per game over the stretch. His 127 points are the most for any men's basketball player since the year 2000. It is just the fourth stretch for an Eagle featuring more than 100 points cumulative over four games.

Ish Sanders had 114 combined against Mars Hill, Newberry, Lincoln Memorial and Anderson in his senior season and 113 his freshman year against Tusculum, Lenoir-Rhyne, Mars Hill and Newberry. The latter stretch was aided by a school-record 51 points against the Lions.

Clark has the other four-game stretch over 100 points. He closed his freshman season with a combined 101 points against Montevallo, Lincoln Memorial, Newberry and Coker.

The sophomore saw his six-game streak of consecutive 20-point outings end Saturday against Catawba. He only had 19 that night, however, he continued a stretch of solid shooting at the free throw line, going 10-for-10. He also added in three steals.

Allison Webster became the first Carson-Newman Eagle with at least nine strikeouts in her debut performance since 2009 as she fanned nine Lees-McRae Bobcats to open up the season.

Webster started the doubleheader with Lees-McRae by working a complete game shutout in which she faced the minimum. A fourth-inning bloop single to left broke up Webster's no-hitter and perfect game bid; however, a 4-6-3 double play a batter later ended the frame and kept Webster on pace for 21 up and 21 down.

Webster again appeared in relief in game two. She struck out two and made the game-ending out at the plate to earn a save and give C-N a 4-2 win in game two and a double head sweep against Lees-McRae.