CHARLOTTE, N.C. (September 15, 2021) - Three student-athletes from Region 8 captured NJCAA Player of the Week awards on Wednesday.

Two of the award winners hailed from Daytona State College - Division II Men's Cross Country Runner of the Week Andy Martinez and Division I Men's Soccer Player of the Week Yutaro Tsukada - while the third was Florida SouthWestern State College's Deborah Riberio, the Division I Volleyball Defensive Player of the Week.

Martinez, a sophomore from Melbourne, Fla., was the top NJCAA runner at the annual Mountain Dew Invitational, hosted by the University of Florida. There, Martinez posted a time 19:23.7 in the 6K race. 

He was named the NJCAA Region 8 Men's Cross Country Runner of the Week on Tuesday.

Tsukada, a sophomore forward from Tokyo, Japan, recorded a hat trick against Georgia Military College, scoring three goals in the Falcons' 4-2 victory. 

Ribeiro, a freshman middle hitter from Minas Gerais, Brazil, averaged 1.5 blocks and 0.3 digs over 12 sets for the Buccaneers. 

She recorded a school-record 10 blocks in the team's five-set victory over Miami Dade College in a battle of nationally-ranked teams. 

Ribeiro was named NJCAA Region 8 Division I Volleyball Defensive Player of the Week on Tuesday.