Williamsburg, KY – After strong performances on the week, defender Selena Barnett and wrestler Chandlar Akins were selected as the Pepsi Athletes of the Week, announced by the athletic department Monday.
 
Selena Barnett earned athlete of the week honors after helping the Patriots to a pair of wins in the NAIA First & Second Round to help UC advance to the NAIA final site for the third straight season.  The grad student opened the week with her first multi-goal game of the season in UC's 4-0 win over fourth-seed IU Kokomo.  Barnett netted the first goal of the contest in the 22' to put Cumberlands in front early and closed out the scoring with header into the net for her first brace since March 21, 2021 against Thomas More.  The Carmel, IN native followed that up with a strong performance in the Patriots second-round 1-0 win over Indiana Wesleyan.  Barnett was instrumental on both ends of the pitch and played a key role on the UC backline, which limited the Wildcats to just two shots over the final 65 minutes of play. 
 
Chandlar Akins earned athlete of the week honors after earning a first-place finish at the Life Open.  The seventh-ranked wrestler in the 125 lbs. wrestler finished the tournament with a 4-0 record.  After advancing to the quarterfinals, Akins knocked off 12^th-ranked Dominic De'Altonaga of Vanguard with an 8-0 major decision.  The junior followed that up with 3-2 decision over Esau Bazilme of Southeastern in the semifinals, before posting a 6-5 win over Matthew Terrence of Vanguard in the championship match.  The Alabaster, AL native is now 7-1 on the season. 
 
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