FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT Evan O’Kelly Director of Communications O: (406) 657-2130 E: evan.okelly@msubillings.edu Tuesday, October 27, 2015 Palomino tabbed HERO Sports D2 Hero of the Week
After scoring a second-half hat trick against Concordia, MSUB men’s soccer sophomore Ricardo Palomino is named HERO Sports D2 Hero of the Week and is in the running for Hero of the Year honors. BILLINGS, Mont. – After a memorable second-half hat trick that lifted the Montana State University Billings men’s soccer team to a come-from-behind 3-2 victory over Concordia University on Oct. 17, sophomore Ricardo Palomino has been voted as the HERO Sports D2 Hero of the Week announced Tuesday. Palomino was one of 10 Studs of the Week nominated to receive the honor, and after a week-long voting poll he emerged as the Hero of the Week with 37.79 percent of the votes (99 total). He edged Cal Flitch of Le Moyne College (81 votes, 30.91 percent) and Mathew Perez of Cal Poly Pomona (71 votes, 27.1 percent) to win the honor. “This is another great achievement for Ricardo and the team,” commented MSUB head coach Alex Balog. “The impact he is making on our program cannot be underestimated and it is good to see that is being valued. That being said, we keep focusing on the tasks that lie ahead of us.” Palomino will now be in the running for the D2 Men’s Soccer Hero of the Year award, as he will compete against other Hero of the Week winners in a voting poll at the end of the season.
Palomino’s effort also landed him Great Northwest Athletic Conference Player of the Week honors for the second time this season, as he pushed his conference-leading goals total to 16 on the season. The mark also ranks No. 4 in all of the NCAA Division II. Palomino, a native of Puebla, Mexico, is in his first year with the Yellowjackets after transferring from fellow Division II school Nova Southeastern University. He is the conference leader in total points with 34, as he has two assists to go with his 16 goals. MSUB is currently in third place in the GNAC standings with 18 points, and has three matches to play including a road contest against first-place Seattle Pacific on Saturday. HERO Sports is a ranking algorithm and sports media site whose mission is to advance interest and appreciation for small-school athletics through aggregating and publicizing stories about teams, players, fans and coaches. Palomino was also nominated for the award after he scored six goals in two matches from Sept. 11-13, and he finished as the runner up. --@MSUBSports | #JacketNation--