Whyte, Chappell named Student-Athletes of the Month
Story written and posted by Hayden Barbosa, Rivier University Assistant Sports Information Director
NASHUA, N.H. – The Rivier University Athletic Department is pleased to announce that Senior Jess Whyte of the Women's Volleyball team has been selected as the Rivier Female Student-Athlete of the Month and senior Issaiah Chappell of the Men's Basketball team has been named the Rivier Male Student-Athlete of the Month for November 2019.
The senior middle hitter shook the GNAC with a tremendous performance through the final few weeks of the season capturing a Great Northeast Athletic Conference 1st Team All-Conference selection along with being named to the GNAC All-Tournament Team.
While the month of November was short, Whyte took advantage of every minute of her collegiate career as she collected 47 kills and 7 blocks in the last 4 matches she played for Rivier.
On November 2nd Whyte was instrumental in Rivier sweeping Emmanuel College as she tallied 14 kills hitting at .476 and 3 blocks. Three days later she tallied another 12 kills hitting at an impressive .545 at home against the Norwich University to close out the regular season. These two performances lifted her to new heights as she dropped 14 kills in the following match at #2 Simmons University in the GNAC Semifinal. In her final performance, Whyte tallied another 7 kills against #1 Johnson & Wales in Providence, Rhode Island.
Whyte finished her season with a total of 303 kills, averaging 2.94 per set with her final hitting percentage at .322. On defense she collected 17 digs and 64 blocks.
Chappell is off to an impressive start to the season as he leads the Raiders in all but one individual scoring category. He currently leads the program with 19 points per game and a team high 43.3% shooting percentage from the floor and 86.5% from the line. He also leads the team in rebounds at 5.3 per game. The guard currently sits 4th in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference in points per game.
Chappell was instrumental in the Raiders’ first two wins last month. On November 10th, Lesley College was served their second loss of the season thanks to Chappell’s stellar offensive performance. The veteran scored 24 points on 8-for-10 from the floor, went 7-for-8 from the line and pulled down six rebounds in their 92-83 victory over the Lynx.
The following weekend the Raiders took a trip up to Norwich University to earn their second win where Chappell led the way for the Raiders as he scored a game-high 19 points. The veteran guard shot 5-for-10 from the floor, including drilling three 3-pointers while collecting seven rebounds. The Raiders ran away with a 70-57 win over the Cadets.