Kafero Roberts
PEMBROKE — Shakira Kafero Roberts was named the Conference Carolinas Freshman of the Year, while six Braves earned spots on the All-Conference team released Friday afternoon.
Midfielder Anna Grossheim, forward Mercy Bell, and defender Freya Lodge Whitham were all named to the first team. Midfielders Eugenie Amidou and Maria Cancio, as well as goalkeeper Anna Bass each picked up second team selections.
Kafero Roberts becomes the eighth Brave to earn the award, and the first since Grossheim in 2021.
Grossheim was an All-Conference selection for the fourth straight year, becoming just the second Brave in program history to complete the feat, joining Jasmine Senecal-Guzman who did it from 2014-17. Bell picked up her second-consecutive first-team selection, and her third career All-Conference award. Amidou picked up her second career All-Conference honor, while Cancio, Lodge Whitham, and Bass each earned their first.
The announcement marked the 11th straight year that the Braves have boasted multiple All-Conference representatives. The six All-Conference selections for the second-seeded Braves trailed only Francis Marion’s seven honorees.
Kafero Roberts has tallied four goals and four assists this season. The London, United Kingdom native tallied a goal and an assist on two occasions.
Grossheim ranks third in the conference in goals (11) and points (29), and is tied for fourth in assists with seven. The Garner native made program history multiple times this season, breaking career records for games started, games played, and assists. Her 85 games played, 85 games started, and 41 assists all sit atop the program leaderboard, while she also set a new single-game school record for goals scored with five against King on October 26. Grossheim has recorded six multi-point matches this season.
Bell currently sits fourth in Conference Carolinas with her ten goals, while her seven assists is tied for fourth. The Jacksonville native leads the league in both shots (86) and shots on goal (45), and is second in all of D2 in shots per game at 5.38, and fourth in the country in shots on goal per game with 2.81. Bell recorded her fourth career hat trick back on September 14 to set a new program career record.
Lodge Whitham joined Grossheim and Bell on the 1st Team after anchoring a back line that has held opponents to less than a goal per game, while allowing just ten total shots per game. The Christchurch, New Zealand native has been on the pitch for all 90 minutes in every game this year, tallying 1,440 minutes.
Amidou has logged four goals and an assist from her midfield position, while playing the full 90 minutes in 14 of 16 matches.
Cancio ranks is tied for 13th in Conference Carolinas in shots on goal with 19, and is tied for 14th in the league in goals with six. The San Juan, Puerto Rico native secured her first multi-goal match as a Brave with a brace in the win at Shorter on September 28, and has also tallied two game-winning goals on the year.
Bass has logged 1,375 minutes between the pipes this season, and currently ranks fourth in Conference Carolinas in save percentage (.789) and shutouts (5), while ranking fifth in goals against average at .981. The Edenton native has recorded a season-high six saves on four different occasions this year.
The No. 2 seed in the Conference Carolinas Tournament, the Black & Gold will begin its quest for a fourth-straight tournament championship on Friday, November 18. The Braves received a bye into the semifinals, and will take on the winner of No. 3 seed Francis Marion and No. 6 seed Young Harris at 1:45 p.m. at Truist Soccer Complex at Bryan Park in Browns Summit.
Whaley tabbed as CC Freshman Of The Month for volleyball
A strong performance in the month of October paid dividends for Savannah Whaley who has been named as the Conference Carolinas Volleyball Freshman of the Month, league officials announced Friday morning.
A product of Farmville, Whaley saw action in all 14 matches and played in 49 sets. The month was highlighted by a career-best 16 kills against Mount Olive on October 4. The freshman also logged six double-double performances during the 14 games as well.
Whaley has scored 194.5 points this season and averages 2.00 kills per set. The outside hitter ranks 18th in the league for digs per set with 3.02.
Kibet named CC Freshman Of The Month for cross country
A fourth-place finish at the Conference Carolinas Championship led the way for men’s cross country runner, Kelvin Kibet, to be named Conference Carolinas Men’s Cross Country Freshman of the Month, league officials announced Friday.
Kibet turned in an 8K time of 25:26.5 at the conference meet and was named Conference Carolinas Freshman of the Year, while also placing 73rd at the UAH Chargers Invite with a personal-best 8K time of 25:16.2 on October 12.
Kibet and the Braves will be back in action Saturday, as they head back to Spartanburg, S.C. for the NCAA Southeast Regional races. The men’s 10K is set for 10 a.m., with the women’s 6K to follow at 11:15 a.m.
