Three Trojans named freshman of the month

MOUNT OLIVE – The University of Mount Olive featured three January Freshman of the Month recipients in their respective sports, as announced by the league office on Feb. 10.

Laila Anderson of women’s basketball, Jason Hart of men’s track and field and Jackson Lahey of men’s volleyball all earned the honor from the conference. Anderson garnered the accolade for the second time this year.

A 5-foot-5 freshman guard, Anderson averaged 12.1 points, 2.8 rebounds, 1.7 steals and 1.3 assists per game while earning a starting role for the Trojans in the final two weeks of January. She tallied six games in double figures, including a 21-point performance on the road at Barton on Jan. 11.

A native of Burlington, Anderson, over a five-game stretch in mid-January, averaged 16.2 points per game. She scored 21 points on eight of 12 shooting with five steals in a 77-72 win against Barton. On Jan. 16, Anderson dropped 17 points, two assists and four steals in a 66-44 win versus Converse. Two days later, she totaled 16 points and four rebounds against Francis Marion.

A sprinter from Richmond, Va., Hart produced a pair of top-10 league-qualifying marks during the indoor season in January. He posted a time of 22.40 seconds to place fifth overall in the 200 meters at the Finn Pincus Invitational, which ranked among the top five marks in the conference this season. In the 60-meter dash, Hart sits seventh in the Conference Carolinas after crossing the line in 7.03 seconds at the Mondo College Invitational earlier this month.

A freshman setter from Pembroke Pines, Fla., Lahey has already made an impact for the Trojans earning two Conference Carolinas Specialist of the Week honors in January. He tallied 148 assists, six aces, 14 digs and four blocks in five matches this month.

Lahey eclipsed 30 assists in three matches as Mount Olive posted a 4-1 record. He registered a season-high 49 assists in the season opener against Tusculum, while his best overall performance came at Fort Valley State with 34 assists, seven digs, three aces and one block in a 3-0 sweep on Jan. 28.

During the 2022-23 athletic year, Mount Olive has collected 14 freshman of the month honors.

— From University of Mount Olive Athletics