Fall and winter sports roundup Soccer men take second in GSAC vs Maryville The Piedmont vs Maryville rivalry in men’s soccer heated up a little more this past season as the Lions dropped a 2-1 overtime loss to the Scots in the GSAC championship match. It marked the third straight year that Piedmont finished second to Maryville and the second time in three years that the final match went into overtime. In an even contest fit for a championship, the Lions struck first in the 55th minute when junior Nick Weatherby of Grayson broke free to put a punted ball from keeper Brian Gaid into the Maryville net. The 1-0 advantage would last 20 minutes before the Scots found an equalizer in the 75th minute to put the score at 1-1, where it stayed through regulation. In the first overtime period, Maryville scored the winning goal only three minutes in. Gaid, a junior keeper from Marietta, was selected as the GSAC championship tournament MVP for his effort between the sticks for PC. Coach Jimmy Stephens’ Lions ended their season at 11-8 overall. Five Piedmont players were named to the All-Conference team. They include Weatherby, Gaid, sophomore Brian Reulbach of Grayson, sophomore Sidney Smith of Dallas, and freshman Justin Whitaker of Lawrenceville. Weatherby led the conference in six different offensive categories during the regular season, including goals, assists, and total points. Whitaker also earned a spot on the All-Freshman list, joining teammates Chase Rivers of Lawrenceville and Stephen Sherfy of Cookeville, Tenn. Sophomore Tyler Buttram of Cartersville was honored with the GSAC’s Individual Sportsmanship Award for Piedmont. Buttram, Gaid, Reulbach, and Weatherby joined teammates Koffi Ametohoun of Atlanta and Brooks Willis of Acworth on the GSAC All-Academic team for carrying at least a 3.25 GPA.
Nick Weatherby was one of five GSAC All-Conference Team players fielded by Piedmont this past season.
Cross Country men 2nd, women 5th in GSAC races Hoping to repeat as GSAC champions, the Piedmont men came up just short of Huntingdon College in the season finale held at Maryville, Tenn. Fittingly, it was Huntington that edged the Lion runners for this year’s title. Despite falling short of team success, the men did receive some good news when runner A.J. Meyer was named GSAC Freshman of the Year. Meyer placed third individually with his race time of 28:57, while teammates Wesley Milton and Chez Maxwell followed closely behind with times of 29:37 and 29:42 respectively. Junior Matt Collins was next for Piedmont at 30:13 and was one of four Lions to finish in the top ten of the race. Meyer, Milton, and Maxwell each earned All-Conference honors, while Meyer also earned a spot on the All-Freshman squad as did teammate Brett Grantham. Collins and Milton also were named as GSAC All-Academic selections. On the women’s side, the Lady Lion runners took fifth place in the seventeam GSAC championship meet. The team was not short of hardware, however, as Molly Atkinson was honored as the GSAC Freshman of the Year. Atkinson came in at 29:27 on the day, a time that was good enough to place her 11th individually. Fellow freshman Kristen Payne was right behind with a time of 29:31. Payne and Atkinson were both named members of the GSAC All-Freshman team for their performance in the conference meet.
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Goalkeeper Brian Gaid and the Lions recorded five shutout victories this season.