Duo Named Student-Athletes of the Week

November 19, 2018 01:58 PM | General, Men's Soccer, Men's Swimming & Diving, Rifle, Women's Basketball, Women's Soccer, Women's Swimming & Diving, Volleyball, Wrestling

Varsity Sports Report

By: WVU Athletics Communications

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Following a sweep of the individual titles in the No. 1-ranked West Virginia University rifle team's win over NC State and a victory in the men's 100 breaststroke for the Mountaineer swimming and diving team at the Ohio State Invitational, junior Milica Babic and redshirt senior Tristen Di Sibio have been named the WVU Student-Athletes of the Week, presented by University Apartments.

A native of Belgrade, Serbia, Babic paced the Mountaineers (10-0, 5-0) to a 4690-4638 win over the Wolfpack on Nov. 17, at the Bill McKenzie Rifle Range inside the WVU Shell Building, shooting a winning 584 smallbore and 594 air rifle. Babic's smallbore mark was her best score since shooting a season-high 589 on Oct. 21.

WVU rifle breaks for two months with a perfect 10-0 record.

Di Sibio, a native of Lantana, Texas, won the men's 100 breast in a season-best time of 53.52 on Nov. 16, at the McCorkle Aquatic Pavilion in Columbus, Ohio. The mark is good for No. 16 nationally. Di Sibio also helped the Mountaineers to a second-place finish in the men's 200 medley relay (1:26.76) and fourth-place finish in the men's 400 medley relay (3:12.37). He closed out the weekend with a win in the B final of the men's 200 breast, touching the wall in 1:59.51 for 11th overall in the event.

The Mountaineer men finished sixth at the three-day meet, while the women's team placed eighth.

This Week in Women's Soccer: The Mountaineers have concluded their 2018 season.

Last Week in Women's Soccer: No. 8-ranked and second-seeded WVU dropped a heartbreaking draw to Wake Forest in the second round of the 2018 NCAA Tournament, settling for a 2-2 (2OT) tie before falling 5-6 in penalty kicks, on Nov. 16, at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium … trailing 2-1 with under two minutes remaining in regulation, WVU found its equalizer when senior midfielder Nadya Gill setup senior forward Sh'Nia Gordon with 1:25 remaining … 20 minutes of overtime could not produce a winner, and the teams headed to a penalty kick shootout … the Mountaineers had misses in the second and seventh rounds, while junior Rylee Foster stopped a Wake Forest attempt in the fourth round … freshman defender Jordan Brewster earned the team's first equalizer, scoring off a free kick in the 41st minute … WVU finished with a 15-10 shot advantage and a 6-5 shots on-goal edge … Foster made three saves for WVU, while Wake Forest made four stops, two credited to the team … the Mountaineers earned a 13-4 edge in corner kicks.

Notes: The Big 12 Soccer champion Mountaineers finished the year at 15-4-4 (7-2) … Gordon finished with a team-best 20 points (9 G, 2 A) … with the draw, WVU moves to 21-17-5 in all-time NCAA Tournament matches … Friday was the last match for nine Mountaineer seniors: Gordon, Gill, Hannah Abraham, Grace Cutler, Patricia Fernandez, Vanessa Flores, Easther Mayi Kith, Amanda Saymon and Bianca St. Georges.

This Week in Men's Soccer: West Virginia's season has concluded.

Last Week in Men's Soccer: WVU played a pair of NCAA Tournament games last week, with a 4-2, come-from-behind win over LIU Brooklyn in the first round on Thursday before a season-ending, 1-0 loss at No. 8-ranked and 13th-seeded Georgetown in the second round on Sunday … the Mountaineers trailed 2-0 nine minutes into Thursday night's match, but responded with a goal in the 15th minute and the match-tying score in the 35th … WVU took its first lead in the 72nd minute and added a fourth goal in the 81st to advance to the NCAA Second Round … junior midfielder Logan Lucas put the Mountaineers on the board with a goal in the 15th minute, and sophomore forward Tsubasa Takada tied it up in the 35th with his first career goal … senior midfielder Jorge Quintanilla scored his first of the season in the 72nd minute to give West Virginia a 3-2 lead, and senior midfielder Joey Piatczyc made it 4-2 in the 81st … in goal, sophomore Steven Tekesky made four saves in the victory, three in the second half … at Georgetown, WVU and GU played 87 scoreless minutes before the deciding goal was scored at 87:01 … Tekesky had a career-best 11 saves in the loss, and West Virginia was shut out for just the fifth time this season.

Notes: West Virginia concludes the season with a 14-7-0 record and won the Mid-American Conference regular-season title with a 5-0-0 mark … WVU's 14 wins in 2018 are its most since 2007 and one shy of the program record of 15, set in 2006 … West Virginia made its 13th NCAA Championship appearance in team history and fifth in coach Marlon LeBlanc's 13-year tenure … WVU earned its seventh second-round berth in program history … the Mountaineers fall to 6-13-0 all-time in the tournament, though five of their six all-time NCAA wins, and six of seven second-round appearances, have come since 2005 … Saturday's NCAA Second Round match marked the final time that seniors Joey Piatczyc, Jorge Quintanilla, Rushawn Larmond and Stephen Banick wore the Flying WV on their kits … in Thursday's NCAA-opening win over LIU Brooklyn, WVU tied several program NCAA Championship records, as the four goals were tied for the most in an NCAA Championship match in team history and junior defender Albert Andres-Llop also tied a program NCAA record with two assists … additionally, WVU's first goal at 14:59 was its quickest score in NCAA Tournament play.

This Week in Women's Basketball: West Virginia heads to Bimini in The Bahamas for Junkanoo Jam … the team will play a pair of games in the tournament, which will be held at Gateway Christian Academy … WVU will face No. 13 Iowa on Friday in a 5:15 p.m. contest … the Mountaineers will then face either Florida State or Eastern Kentucky on Saturday in a time to be determined.

Last Week in Women's Basketball: The Mountaineers hosted Bryant on Thursday as part of Education Day … a crowd of 9,687 fans came out to watch WVU down the Bulldogs, 94-48 … redshirt junior guard Tynice Martin had a team-best 20 points … redshirt sophomore Kysre Gondrezick made her debut for the Mountaineers, coming off the bench for 16 points and five assists … senior guard/forward Naomi Davenport had 16 points, while senior guard Katrina Pardee added 15 in the win.

Notes: Senior guard/forward Naomi Davenport was named the Big 12 Player of the Week last week … Davenport is the first Mountaineer to earn a Big 12 weekly honor since Teana Muldrow did so on Nov. 20, 2017 … she is just the fifth WVU player to earn the honor since West Virginia joined the league in 2012: Bria Holmes (Feb. 29, 2016), Chania Ray (Jan. 2, 2017), Tynice Martin (Feb. 13, 2017) and Muldrow … the 9,687 fans that came out for Education Day marked the second-largest crowd on record for a women's basketball game at the WVU Coliseum … the Mountaineers have put up 90 or more points in two of three contests thus far … WVU forced 33 turnovers, the most since it forced 42 against NC Central on Nov. 20, 2011 … redshirt junior guard Tynice Martin scored a game-high 20 points, her 17th career 20-point game … freshman forward Kari Niblack recorded a career-high eight rebounds, while freshman guard Madisen Smith matched her career high with six assists … senior guard Katrina Pardee is 25 points shy of reaching the 1,000-point mark.

This Week in Wrestling: West Virginia (1-2, 1-1) will not compete this week … looking ahead, WVU travels to Pitt on Dec. 15 for a 7 p.m. dual against the Panthers ... the longest-running series in WVU history, West Virginia has topped Pitt four times in the last five seasons, including last year ... following the Backyard Brawl, the Mountaineers welcome the Virginia Tech Hokies to the WVU Coliseum on Dec. 19, at 7 p.m., before the team departs for a holiday break.

Last Week in Wrestling: Despite taking a 9-0 lead after three matches and holding a 15-11 edge with two bouts remaining, West Virginia fell to No. 9 Cornell, 20-15, on Nov. 17, at Newman Arena, in Ithaca, New York … the Mountaineers collected five wins by decision to split the 10 duals with the Big Red … however, it was the bonus-point victories that made the difference, as Cornell earned a pair of major decisions and one pin in the win … West Virginia then returned to Morgantown the next day, suffering a 27-19 defeat at the hands of No. 14 Northern Iowa at the WVU Coliseum … the Mountaineers picked up a trio of bonus-point victories over the Panthers, including two wins by fall … true freshman Caleb Rea earned his first dual-match victory of the season with a pin at 133 pounds, while redshirt senior Christian Monserrat captured a major decision at 149 pounds to remain undefeated in dual action ... redshirt junior Zachary Moore also won by fall at 157 pounds.

Notes: The 2018-19 campaign marks the program's 95th season … 25 newcomers joined 10 letterwinners from last year's squad … redshirt sophomore Matthew Schmitt is the lone Mountaineer to check-in to this week's rankings at 133 pounds … the 2018 NCAA qualifier sits at No. 16 by the Open Mat, as well as No. 20 by FloWrestling and Intermat … sophomore Nick Kiussis (165) and Rea each sport a team-best nine victories on the season, followed by redshirt freshman Noah Adams (197) and Moore with eight.

This Week in Volleyball: The Mountaineers (11-17, 2-12) will close their regular season slate with a pair of Big 12 matches in Texas this week … West Virginia takes on Baylor (18-8, 10-5) on Wednesday, Nov. 21, at 8 p.m. ET, followed by a 2 p.m. ET league tilt at No. 5 Texas (18-4, 13-1) on Saturday, Nov. 24 … the Longhorn Network will televise Saturday's match, and the contest will be streamed live through WatchESPN and the ESPN app.

Last Week in Volleyball: West Virginia dropped a pair of Big 12 matches at home last week, falling in four sets to TCU on Nov. 14 and dropping a three-set match to Oklahoma on Nov. 17 … WVU finished the week hitting .166 with 86 kills and 16 total blocks … five Mountaineers tallied double-digit kills on the week, as junior right side hitter Natania Levak led the team with 21 kills, averaging 3.00 kills per set … freshman setter Lacey Zerwas also dished out 70 assists to average 10.00 per set last week, while sophomore defensive specialist Alexa Hasting had a team-high 24 digs to average 3.43 per set … additionally, freshman middle blocker Kristina Jordan led WVU's blocking efforts with 11, averaging 1.57 per set last week.

Notes: The Mountaineers are one win away from collecting their 700th win in program history ... West Virginia currently holds a 699-740 all-time record since its inaugural season in 1974 … sophomore middle blocker Katie DeMeo was named to the 2018 Academic All-District 2 Volleyball Team on Nov. 15, as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) … the honor is her first career district award, as she advanced to the CoSIDA Academic All-America National ballot, where first-, second- and third-team All-America honors will be selected in the coming weeks … she was the first Mountaineer to earn the award since Hannah Shreve received the honor in 2016 … DeMeo currently ranks fourth in the Big 12 Conference and 28th nationally in blocks per set, with 1.32 … her average of 1.32 blocks per set would rank No. 3 all-time by a Mountaineer sophomore and ninth overall in a single season in program history … additionally, she boasts 115 total blocks on the year, nine shy of moving into the top four all-time by a sophomore … the Mountaineers also rank sixth in the Big 12, averaging 2.38 blocks per set … WVU is outblocking its opponents, 249.5-217.5 … junior outside hitter Katelyn Evans leads the team with 3.17 kills per set to rank ninth in the Big 12, while Zerwas paces WVU in assists, with 9.22 per set, to rank seventh in the league.

This Week in Rifle: The Mountaineers do not compete this week.

Last Week in Rifle: No. 1-ranked WVU ended its fall season perfectly with a 4690-4638 win over NC State on Nov. 17, at the Bill McKenzie Rifle Range inside the WVU Coliseum … the Mountaineers (10-0, 5-0 GARC) won smallbore, 2328-2295, and air rifle, 2362-2343 … junior Milica Babic paced the Mountaineers and earned both individual victories, shooting 584 (192 kneeling, 197 prone, 195 standing) and 594 air rifle (98-99-99-99-100-99) … classmate Morgan Phillips also shot a winning 584 smallbore (195 kneeling, 197 prone, 192 standing).

Notes: WVU moves into its spring slate with an undefeated mark … Babic's smallbore score was her best since shooting a season-high 589 on Oct. 21 … with the win, WVU improved to 20-0 all-time against NC State … next up for WVU is a training trip to Magaliesburg, South Africa, from Dec. 28–Jan. 8.

This Week in Swimming and Diving: The Mountaineers do not compete this week.

Last Week in Swimming and Diving: WVU split for a pair of midseason invitationals on Nov. 15-17, as swimmers competed at the Ohio State Invitational in Columbus, Ohio, while divers traveled to the Navy Diving Invitational in Annapolis, Maryland … the Mountaineer men placed sixth as a team in Columbus with 959 points, and the women earned an eighth-place team finish with 532.5 points … the Mountaineers earned 10 trips to A finals during the three-day meet, highlighted by redshirt senior Tristen Di Sibio's win in the men's 100 breaststroke (53.52) … sophomore David Dixon earned a pair of top-10 finishes with a second-place finish in the men's 200 butterfly (1:42.90) and a 10th-place finish in the men's 200 breast (2:01.76) … senior Merwane El Merini placed fourth in the men's 50 freestyle (19.84), while junior Julia Nilton finished ninth in the women's 50 free (22.83) … junior Trayton Saladin earned a trip to the A final of the men's 200 backstroke, placing seventh in 1:46.66, while sophomore Angelo Russo tallied an eighth-place finish in the men's 100 back (49.17) … seniors Jake Armstrong (10th – 55.08) and Emma Harris (10th – 1:02.66) also swam in the A final of the men's and women's 100 breast, respectively … junior Morgan Bullock also earned a 10th-place finish in the 200 butterfly in 1:59.27 … in diving, senior Averly Hobbs reached the finals on 1- and 3-meter, placing third and fifth, respectively … freshman Emma Longley (seventh) and senior Julia Calcut (eighth) also reached the finals on 1-meter … on platform, freshman Nick Cover paced the men with a fourth-place finish, while Calcut took fifth for the women.

Notes: The midseason invitational marked the second consecutive season that WVU has competed at the Ohio State Invitational … the men's team competed against three ranked teams, while the women battled against four programs in the CSCAA top 25 … the diving team will return to Annapolis for the 2019 NCAA Zone A Diving Championships, from March 11-13 … WVU next competes on Saturday, Jan. 5 at Pitt … last year, the Mountaineer men topped the Panthers, 187-113, to claim their second win over its Backyard Brawl foe in the last three seasons … Dixon ranks No. 7 nationally in the men's 200 fly with a top time of 1:42.95 … Di Sibio sits No. 16 nationally in the men's 100 breast (53.52), while Bullock is No. 26 in the women's 200 fly (1:57.31).