9/23/2026 12:35:00 PM | Men's Golf, Women's Cross Country, Athletics Department
MACON – A pair of career-best performances that led their respective teams to astonishing milestones from Nikki Harris and Cooper Franklin led the pair of Bears to receive Mercer Scholar-Athlete of the Week recognition for the week of September 14-20.
Harris, a fifth-year senior from Ocala, Florida, ran a personal best 17:13.7 5K to finish 19th in a field of 309 competitors at the Southern Showcase this past weekend. Harris reclaimed the third-fastest 5K time in program history and led the women's cross country team to a fourth-place finish over several Power Four schools including Mississippi State, the University of Central Florida, Baylor, and Georgia Tech. The team's finish jumped them to eighth place in the USTFCCCA South Region Ranking.
Franklin, a freshman from Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, finished tied for seventh individually and led the men's golf team to its first tournament win since 2022 at the Sandestin Collegiate Classic last week. Franklin shot three under par with rounds of 69-66-72 at the Raven Golf Club (Par 70) in Destin, Florida. Despite extremely windy conditions and all the pressure in the world on his shoulders, Franklin parred the final hole to secure a piece of first place for Mercer.
Harris and the cross country team travel to Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, to compete in the Paul Short Run on Friday, October 2. The race will take place at the Goodman Campus Cross Country Course.
Franklin and the men's golf team travel to West Columbia, South Carolina, for the Bryan Bros. Collegiate on September 28-29.
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Harris, a fifth-year senior from Ocala, Florida, ran a personal best 17:13.7 5K to finish 19th in a field of 309 competitors at the Southern Showcase this past weekend. Harris reclaimed the third-fastest 5K time in program history and led the women's cross country team to a fourth-place finish over several Power Four schools including Mississippi State, the University of Central Florida, Baylor, and Georgia Tech. The team's finish jumped them to eighth place in the USTFCCCA South Region Ranking.
Franklin, a freshman from Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, finished tied for seventh individually and led the men's golf team to its first tournament win since 2022 at the Sandestin Collegiate Classic last week. Franklin shot three under par with rounds of 69-66-72 at the Raven Golf Club (Par 70) in Destin, Florida. Despite extremely windy conditions and all the pressure in the world on his shoulders, Franklin parred the final hole to secure a piece of first place for Mercer.
Harris and the cross country team travel to Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, to compete in the Paul Short Run on Friday, October 2. The race will take place at the Goodman Campus Cross Country Course.
Franklin and the men's golf team travel to West Columbia, South Carolina, for the Bryan Bros. Collegiate on September 28-29.
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| 2026-27 MERCER SCHOLAR-ATHLETES OF THE WEEK | |||
| Week Ending | Female Honoree | Male Honoree | Official Release |
| September 20 | Nikki Harris, Cross Country | Cooper Franklin, Golf | September 23 |
| September 13 | Aubri Martin, Volleyball | Phillips Swift, Golf | September 16 |
| September 6 | Olivia Bori, Soccer | Jaylen King, Football | September 9 |
| August 30 | Lara Matta, Volleyball | Simon Zeidan, Football | September 2 |
| August 23 | Olivia Bori, Soccer | Chris Nezianya, Soccer | August 26 |
Players Mentioned
Tuesday, November 10
Sunday, November 08
Friday, November 06
Tuesday, November 03
