(Aliso Viejo, CA) For the third time this season, Park University Gilbert has swept GSAC Offensive and Defensive Player of the Week Honors. Kayla Schroeder (Offensive) and Alynna Palacios (Defensive) were honored again this week by the conference Athletic Communications Directors and will move on to be considered for national Player of the Week honors.
Park Gilbert has swept the GSAC Offensive and Defensive Player of the Week award three of the four weeks it has been voted on.
This is the second time Schroeder has won the award this season, winning the first week the award was voted on when she put up a career high 35 points against Bethesda. This time around she scored 29 points against Hope International making 8 of 11 three-pointers, tying her career high for made three’s in the game against Bethesda.
Schroeder has now won conference player of the week honors five times in her career. Once in her freshman campaign in 2021-22, twice last season and now twice this season.
This was Schroeder’s fourth 20-plus point game of the season. She is fourth in the country in three-point baskets made per game 3.6. In addition, she also corralled 11 rebounds to give her a double-double, the fifth double-double of her career.
Palacios makes the Buccaneer defense a formidable one and has now won the GSAC Defensive Player of the Week award three times in four weeks, winning in week one with Schroeder, last week with Aubry Saleapaga and again this week.
“AP” had six steals in each of the Bucs two games this week and tied her career high with 13 rebounds at Life Pacific and totaled 19 boards for the week. She also added one block for good measure. Offensively, she added 14 points in the game against Hope International.
Palacios now has had six games with six or more steals and has led the team in steals in 11 of their 13 games.
The Honolulu, Hawaii native, is second in the country averaging almost five steals per game (4.9). She is fifth overall in total steals but has played between four to seven fewer games than the four players ahead of her on the list.
Schroeder and Palacios now lead the Bucs into two key home games against Embry Riddle and The Master’s this Thursday, January 16, at 5:30 p.m. and Saturday, January 18 at 12 p.m. The game on Thursday will be played at Arizona Athletic Grounds and Saturday’s game will be contested at Chandler-Gilbert Community College.
The Bucs have won five of the last six games against Embry Riddle and lead the overall series 5-3. Schroeder has averaged 15 points a game against ERAU in her career with a high of 18 points in her freshman season. The Bucs trail in the series with The Master’s 2-0. They lost by three-points in the seven-game 2020-21 season and lost by 30 a year ago. Schroeder scored 14 in the Bucs non-conference game at the Master’s last season in Santa Clarita, California.
Press Release courtesy of Park University Athletics – Preston English
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