Sydney Abbott earned NCCAA player of the week honors for the Grace women’s golf team. (File photo by Mike Deak)

WINONA LAKE – The fall athletic season is drawing to a close, but Grace College is still cranking out award winners for its active programs.

Bethany Blackwood of Grace’s women’s soccer team may need a new trophy shelf after this year.

For the third straight week, Blackwood was named the NCCAA National Defensive Player of the Week. The freshman goalkeeper also picked up her third Player of the Week award from the Crossroads League on Monday.

Blackwood has already established herself as one of the top goalkeepers in the nation. She picked up two more shutouts last week, making a combined 13 saves to blank Indiana Wesleyan and Mt. Vernon Nazarene.

For the season, she leads the NAIA with 12 shutouts. She has yet to allow a goal in Crossroads League play. Against IWU, she made eight saves to preserve a 1-0 shutout victory.

Blackwood was named the NAIA National Defensive Player of the Week on Tuesday, the second straight week she has earned the accolade.

Blackwood won all three awards last week as well (NAIA, NCCAA, CL). For the season, she has incredibly amassed eight Player of the Week honors in her first collegiate season.

The Lady Lancers are enjoying their best start in program history (14-1, 6-0 CL). Grace will play for first place in the league standings on Wednesday with a road match at No. 1 Spring Arbor. Grace’s 10-game winning streak is also on the line during Wednesday’s match.

The Crossroads League named Ulisses Miranda of Grace’s men’s soccer team as the Offensive Player of the Week on Monday.

Miranda racked up three goals and an assist, leading Grace to a pair of road wins in the Crossroads League.

He had a goal and an assist to beat Indiana Wesleyan 3-1, and he had a brace during Grace’s 4-0 rout of Mt. Vernon Nazarene.

The Lancers face one of their most important matches at home on Wednesday when Spring Arbor comes to town for a 7 p.m. clash. The match features the top two teams in the league standings and is a rematch of last year’s Crossroads League Tournament championship game, which Grace won in overtime.

For the second time this fall, Grace women’s golfer Sydney Abbott was recognized as the NCCAA National Golfer of the Week.

She made the All-Tournament Team at the MVNU Invitational after finishing in fourth place. She shot a first-round 79 before carding 37 in nine holes of the second round. The tournament was called after 27 holes due to darkness.

The Lady Lancers have one tournament remaining in the fall. Grace will play at the 2018 NCCAA National Championships starting Oct. 22 in Florida.