Zeidan, Didderiens Named Mercer Scholar-Athletes Of The Week
10/7/2026 1:07:00 PM | Football, Women's Tennis, Athletics Department
MACON – Simon Zeidan etched his name in school history and Kayleigh Didderiens dominated the tennis courts to receive Mercer Scholar-Athlete of the Week recognition for the week of September 28 through October 4.
Zeidan, a sophomore kicker from Kennesaw, Georgia, broke the single-game record for the most points by a kicker with 18 against VMI this past Saturday. Zeidan went 4-for-4 on field goal attempts and converted on all six PAT tries. Zeidan also averaged 63.7 yards on kickoffs and sent eight of his 11 reps through the back of the endzone. Zeidan also holds the record for the longest made field goal in program history after booting a 55-yarder through the uprights in his Mercer debut.
Didderiens, a junior from Bree, Belgium, went a perfect 3-0 in singles play and 2-1 on the doubles courts at the Mercer Gridiron Classic this past weekend. The South Dakota transfer defeated Georgia College's Natalie Kirka, 6-0, 7-6 (7-5), Florida A&M's Aleynah Thomas, 6-4, 6-4 and fellow Bear Manon Rosa-Dubreuil, 6-2, 6-1, to earn a spot in the finals of Flight B1 which would not be played due to weather in the area. Didderiens teamed up with Rosa-Dubreuil on the doubles courts and earned wins over ABAC's Catalina Pan and Clara Roman, Western Carolina's Kelly Coetzee and Laura Sparnina and Kennesaw State's Ema Baraniakova and Adela Zingorova.
Zeidan and the football team return to Five Star Stadium after a three-game road trip this Saturday, October 10 to play Southern Conference rival Western Carolina. Kickoff is scheduled 3:00 p.m.
Didderiens and the women's tennis team are currently in Miami, Florida, for the ITA Southeast Regional Championships. Didderiens' first singles match is scheduled for Thursday, October 8 at 10:15 a.m. against Georgia State's Ayra Salim, a rematch from the Georgia Mid-Major Mayhem.
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Zeidan, a sophomore kicker from Kennesaw, Georgia, broke the single-game record for the most points by a kicker with 18 against VMI this past Saturday. Zeidan went 4-for-4 on field goal attempts and converted on all six PAT tries. Zeidan also averaged 63.7 yards on kickoffs and sent eight of his 11 reps through the back of the endzone. Zeidan also holds the record for the longest made field goal in program history after booting a 55-yarder through the uprights in his Mercer debut.
Didderiens, a junior from Bree, Belgium, went a perfect 3-0 in singles play and 2-1 on the doubles courts at the Mercer Gridiron Classic this past weekend. The South Dakota transfer defeated Georgia College's Natalie Kirka, 6-0, 7-6 (7-5), Florida A&M's Aleynah Thomas, 6-4, 6-4 and fellow Bear Manon Rosa-Dubreuil, 6-2, 6-1, to earn a spot in the finals of Flight B1 which would not be played due to weather in the area. Didderiens teamed up with Rosa-Dubreuil on the doubles courts and earned wins over ABAC's Catalina Pan and Clara Roman, Western Carolina's Kelly Coetzee and Laura Sparnina and Kennesaw State's Ema Baraniakova and Adela Zingorova.
Zeidan and the football team return to Five Star Stadium after a three-game road trip this Saturday, October 10 to play Southern Conference rival Western Carolina. Kickoff is scheduled 3:00 p.m.
Didderiens and the women's tennis team are currently in Miami, Florida, for the ITA Southeast Regional Championships. Didderiens' first singles match is scheduled for Thursday, October 8 at 10:15 a.m. against Georgia State's Ayra Salim, a rematch from the Georgia Mid-Major Mayhem.
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Players Mentioned
Tuesday, October 06
Tuesday, October 06
Sunday, October 04
Friday, October 02
