Bissau, Beyale Named RMAC September Athletes of the Month

Colorado Springs, Colo. -- October 5, 2010 -- Metro State’s men’s soccer goalkeeper, Issa Bissau, and Western New Mexico’s women’s golfer Faylyn Beyale have been named the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Athletes of the Month for September 2010. The league’s sports information directors nominate the student-athletes that are then selected by the league office. 

Bissau led Metro State to its best start since 2007, which was the last time the Roadrunners won the RMAC regular season title.  In seven games and six starts in September—the first seven games of his career—Bissau posted a 0.15 goals against average and a .955 save percentage.  Through the end of the month, Bissau led the nation in both categories.  He made a total of 21 saves and allowed just one goal in 586 minutes to post a 5-0-1 record with five shutouts.  He opened the season by recording a shutout in a 1-0 double overtime win at the University of Mary on Sept. 3, his first career start.  He backed the performance with three more shutouts, becoming the first goalkeeper in school history to record four consecutive shutouts as he blanked Seattle Pacific, UC-Colorado Springs and Mesa State.  After allowing his first goal of the season in a 2-2 tie with No. 18 Regis, where he only played in the first half, he came in off the bench of a 1-1 game with Colorado Christian to keep the Cougars off the board in the final 54 minutes of a 7-1 victory.  Bissau closed the month by shutting out then-No. 3 and now-No. 1 Colorado Mines in a 0-0 tie.  He made three saves against the Orediggers to preserve the tie.

Beyale, a sophomore from Fruitland, N.M., was named the RMAC Women’s Golfer of the Week two weeks in a row.  Her first honor was for her performance in the first RMAC event of the season held in Silver City.   Beyale shot a tournament-low 151 (75-76). This was her first collegiate victory, defeating the closest in the field by just one stroke. Overall, the Mustangs won the tournament (311-308—619), edging  Mesa State by 14 strokes.   Her second award was for her performance in the second RMAC mandatory event.  She posted a tournament-low 150 (74-76) on Mesa State’s home course. Like the first event, she defeated the next closest in the field, her teammate Jessica Dailleboust, by just one stroke. As a team, WNMU finished with a two-round total 607. Four of the Mustangs’ five players fired 78 or under in the two-round event. The top three Mustangs finished 1-2-3 overall.  In the final event of the month, Beyale shot a 3-under 69 to take a one-shot lead in the first round over teammate Glynnis Price, who carded a 2-under 70.  She then slipped to fourth (tied) with a second-round score of 75.  Beyale’s scores helped lead the Mustangs to their third victory (292-299 – 591), shared with Western Washington. Beyale is in the top 25 of five different statistical categories among Division II golfers.  WNMU is 7-0 versus Top 25 teams.

October's Top Men's Performers
Issa Bissau, Metro State Soccer
Clay Garcia, Colorado Mines Football
Timo Kilp, Western New Mexico Cross Country
Ryan McNiff, Adams State Cross Country
Lee Meisner, CSU-Pueblo Football
Doug Passalaqua, Regis Soccer

October's Top Women's Performers
Faylyn Beyale, Western New Mexico Golf
Xenia Flores, Metro State Cross Country
Tara King, Mesa State Volleyball
Kristen McGlynn, Adams State Cross Country
Joradn Miller, Regis Soccer
Andi Weber, Colorado Christian Volleyball
Ashley Wilkinson, CSU-Pueblo Volleyball
Megan Woodworth, Colorado Mines Soccer

2010-11 RMAC Athletes of the Month

September
Issa Bissau, Metro State – Soccer
Faylyn Beyale, Western New Mexico - Golf