Gordon Named Student-Athlete of the Week

Photo by: Big 12 Conference

November 05, 2018 02:11 PM | General, Golf, Men's Soccer, Men's Swimming & Diving, Rifle, Women's Basketball, Rowing, Women's Soccer, Women's Swimming & Diving, Tennis, Volleyball, Wrestling

Varsity Sports Report

By: WVU Athletics Communications

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – After leading the No. 14-ranked women's soccer team to the 2018 Big 12 Soccer Championship, senior forward Sh'Nia Gordon has been named the West Virginia University Student-Athlete of the Week, presented by University Apartments.

Gordon finished with a team-best five points (2 G, 1 A) at the championship, including the game-winning goals in the quarterfinal and semifinal wins. She also assisted on the team's second insurance goal in a 3-0 win over No. 9 Baylor in the championship final on Nov. 4, at Swope Soccer Village, in Kansas City, Missouri.

For her efforts all week, Gordon was named the Big 12 Championship Most Outstanding Offensive Player. She also was named to the All-Tournament Team and All-Big 12 First Team.

This Week in Women's Soccer: The No. 14-ranked Mountaineers (14-4-3, 7-2) will learn their fate for the 2018 NCAA Tournament this afternoon, as the NCAA Selection Show streams at 4:30 p.m. EST on NCAA.com.

Last Week in Women's Soccer: Second-seeded WVU captured the 2018 Big 12 Soccer Championship title on Nov. 4, defeating top-seeded and No. 9-ranked Baylor, 3-0, at Swope Soccer Village in Kansas City, Missouri … the Mountaineers advanced to the final following a 1-0 win over No. 18-ranked and third-seeded Texas on Nov. 2 …. on Friday, senior forward Sh'Nia Gordon tallied the game-winning goal in the 64th minute, slotting home a ball from senior midfielder Nadya Gill … WVU finished with a 28-9 shot edge and forced UT into seven saves … junior Rylee Foster made four saves for the clean sheet, and WVU earned an 8-2 edge in corner shots … on Sunday, WVU benefitted from an own-goal in the 36th minute and earned back-to-back late insurance goals from senior defender Amanda Saymon and sophomore forward Lauren Segalla … defender Jordan Brewster earned the assist on Saymon's goal, while Gill and Gordon assisted on Segalla's score … WVU finished with a 19-7 edge in shots, placing five on-goal, and Foster made one stop for WVU's 11th shutout of the season, her 10th … the Mountaineers earned a 7-1 edge in corner kicks.

Notes: WVU's title is its fourth at the Big 12 Soccer Championship and ninth since joining the conference in 2012 … the Mountaineers now own 17 conference titles … WVU is a perfect 4-0 at the Big 12 Soccer Championship, and this year's title is its first won as a No. 2 seed … the shutout halted BU's scoring streak and 21 matches and the Bears' win streak at 10 … WVU outscored its opponents, 7-0, at the tournament … Gordon was named the Big 12 Championship Most Outstanding Offensive Player, and senior Easther Mayi Kith was named the Most Outstanding Defensive Player … Gordon, Mayi Kith, Foster, Gill, Segalla and senior defender Bianca St. Georges were named to the All-Tournament Team … earlier this week, St. Georges was named the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year … she was joined on the All-Big 12 First Team by Gordon, Mayi Kith and Foster … seniors Vanessa Flores and Grace Cutler, as well as Brewster, were named to the All-Big 12 Second Team … Brewster and midfielder Addison Clark were named to the All-Big 12 Freshman Team.

This Week in Men's Soccer: As the No. 1 seed, West Virginia will host the Mid-American Conference Championship at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium this weekend … semifinals will be held on Friday, Nov. 9, with kickoff set for 2:30 p.m. ET, and 5:30 p.m., while the championship match will be on Sunday, Nov. 11, at 1 p.m. … the Mountaineers will play in Friday's second semifinal, at 5:30 p.m., against the winner of Tuesday's quarterfinal contest between No. 4 Akron and No. 5 SIU Edwardsville … tickets for the semifinals and championship are on sale now, at WVUGAME.com, by calling 1-800 WVU GAME, or at the Mountaineer Ticket Office at the WVU Coliseum … tickets also will be sold on match day at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium … one ticket will be good for both semifinal matches on Nov. 9.

Last Week in Men's Soccer: The Mountaineers concluded the regular season with a 4-3, overtime win at Northern Illinois on Saturday … WVU took a 1-0 lead in the first half on a goal by junior midfielder Andres Muriel Albino, and extended it to 2-0 just minutes into the second half, thanks to senior midfielder Joey Piatczyc … however, NIU rallied with a pair of goals in 50 seconds to tie the contest at 2-2, in the 56th minute … the Mountaineers wasted no time taking back the lead, with a goal by sophomore defender Kevin Morris 31 seconds later to regain a 3-2 advantage … after Northern Illinois tied it again in the 74th minute, junior defender Pascal Derwaritsch won it in the 97th minute … Muriel Albino's goal was his third in the last two matches and team-leading fifth in MAC play … Piatczyc added a pair of assists for a four-point night … sophomore goalkeeper Steven Tekesky made four saves.

Notes: West Virginia enters the postseason with a 13-5 record and has won five in a row and 11 of its last 13 … WVU will host the MAC Championship for the first time since joining the league in 2012 … the Mountaineers' perfect 5-0 record in MAC play is the second time in the last six seasons that a team has won every league game … WVU's 13 wins are its most since a 14-win campaign in 2007 … along with a goal Saturday at NIU, Piatczyc assisted on West Virginia's final two goals to break the school record for multi-assist matches, with five … he also extended his school-record career assist total to 33, while he now has 12 game-winning assists, which ranks No. 2 all-time, and 21 game-winning points, sixth-most in a career in WVU history … In the national rankings, the Mountaineers climbed to No. 16 in the TopDrawerSoccer.com poll, while the United Soccer Coaches and Soccer America polls are released on Tuesday … WVU is No. 14 in the latest NCAA RPI.

This Week in Women's Basketball: The Mountaineers officially open the season on Tuesday when they host Coppin State in a 7 p.m. tipoff a the WVU Coliseum … fans are encouraged to wear gold in support of Pediatric Cancer Awareness … the 2018-19 season marks the 11th meeting between the two teams, with WVU owning a 10-0 record … on Sunday, West Virginia will host NJIT in a 2 p.m. tip at the WVU Coliseum … it will be just the second meeting between the two programs.

Last Week in Women's Basketball: West Virginia unofficially opened the season with an exhibition against West Liberty as part of Haunted Hoops … the Mountaineers downed the Lady Hilltoppers, 88-53, on Tuesday … senior guard/forward Naomi Davenport led the way with 18 points and eight rebounds … redshirt junior guard Tynice Martin had 15 points, while sophomore guard Kysre Gondrezick and senior center Theresa Ekhelar each had 12 … WVU shot 58.1 percent from the field as a team and had 54 points in the paint in the win.

Notes: Martin returned to game action for the first time since March of 2017, as she sat out the 2017-18 season with an injury … Gondrezick made her career debut with the Mountaineers after sitting out last season due to NCAA transfer rules … a trio of freshman saw their first collegiate action against West Liberty in forward Kari Niblack, guard Madisen Smith and forward Jala Jordan … Niblack had nine points, two steals and a team-best two blocks in 22 minutes of action … Smith also had nine points in 22 minutes, adding five assists … Jordan saw six minutes of action and made a pair of field goals.

This Week in Wrestling: West Virginia (1-0) will head to its final open tournament of the season, traveling to Troy, New York, for the 2018 Journeymen Collegiate Classic on Sunday, Nov. 11 ... it will mark the first time since 2016 that WVU will compete at the event.

Last Week in Wrestling: West Virginia topped Big 12 foe Northern Colorado, 22-14, in its 2018-19 season opener, on Thursday, at the WVU Coliseum ... WVU won six of 10 bouts against UNC, including a win by fall at 285 pounds … West Virginia then sent 16 wrestlers to compete in the 2018 Hokie Open on Sunday, at Berglund Arena, in Roanoke, Virginia, wrapping up the one-day event with 10 top-five finishes … redshirt sophomore Matthew Schmitt went 5-0 in his pool to claim his first tournament win of his career at 133 pounds … redshirt junior Zachary Moore (157) and sophomore Nick Kiussis (165) also earned third-place finishes in their respective weight classes in the open division, while redshirt junior David Smith placed fifth in the heavyweight bracket ... in the freshman/sophomore division, WVU placed six Mountaineers on the podium, as redshirt freshman Noah Adams went 4-0 to capture the 197-pound title ... redshirt freshman KJ Fenstermacher (125) and freshman Josh Ramirez (174) also collected third-place finishes in their respective weight classes, while sophomore Hunter DeLong placed fourth at 184 pounds ... additionally, redshirt freshmen Joey Thomas and Sean Mullican each claimed a fifth-place finish in the 125-pound and 285-pound pool, respectively.

Notes: The 2018-19 campaign marks the program's 95th season … twenty-five newcomers joined 10 letterwinners from last year's squad … Schmitt is the lone Mountaineer to check-in to this year's preseason rankings, at 133 pounds … the 2018 NCAA qualifier sits at No. 18 by the Open Mat, No. 19 by FloWrestling and No. 20 by FloWrestling … Schmitt leads the team with six wins on the year … Smith has a team-high four pins, while Schmitt and Adams are tied for the team lead in major decisions, with three … West Virginia will face seven opponents that finished in the top 25 at the 2018 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships.

This Week in Volleyball: The Mountaineers (10-14, 2-9) return home to cap their nonconference slate with a match against in-state rival Marshall (10-17, 3-10 Conference USA) on Wednesday, Nov. 7 ... first serve is set 6 p.m., at the WVU Coliseum … Wednesday's match will be a Gold Rush, where all fans are encouraged to wear gold … the first 500 fans in attendance will receive a foam finger, courtesy of WVU Medicine ... it also is the Mountaineers' last Dollar Day of the season, with tickets and select concessions available for $1 each ... fans can purchase tickets by visiting WVUGAME.com, calling 1-800-WVUGAME or at the Mountaineer Ticket Office, located at the Gold Gate of the WVU Coliseum … all tickets are general admission … West Virginia will then travel to Ames, Iowa, on Saturday, Nov. 10, for a Big 12 match against the Cyclones inside the Hilton Coliseum … first serve is set for 9 p.m. ET.

Last Week in Volleyball: West Virginia dropped a pair of Big 12 matches last week, suffering a 3-1 loss to Kansas at home on Wednesday and falling in three sets at Kansas State on Saturday … West Virginia finished the week hitting .192 with 90 kills and six total blocks … five Mountaineers tallied double-digit kills on the week, as junior outside hitter Katelyn Evans led the team with 24, averaging 3.43 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 18 digs to average 2.57 per set … additionally, sophomore middle blocker Katie DeMeo led WVU's blocking efforts with four, averaging 0.57 per set last week.

Notes: The Mountaineers are two wins away from collecting their 700th win in program history ... West Virginia currently holds a 698-737 all-time record since its inaugural season in 1974 … the Mountaineers swept the Thundering Herd last season to bring the Golden Ball Trophy back to Morgantown for the second time in three years … it marked WVU's first sweep of the Thundering Herd since 2010, as the Mountaineers claimed their last win in five sets back in 2015 … it also was West Virginia's first win in Huntington since 2000 … WVU will meet Iowa State for the second time this season, with the Mountaineers dropping a 3-1 decision to the Cyclones in their last meeting held on Sept. 19, at the WVU Coliseum … DeMeo currently ranks third in the Big 12 Conference in blocks per set, totaling 108 blocks on the season to average 1.38 per set … as of Nov. 1, the Troy, Ohio, native also ranks 18th among all NCAA Division I players in blocks per set … the Mountaineers also rank fifth in the Big 12, averaging 2.39 blocks per set … WVU is outblocking its opponents, 215.5-181.5 … Evans leads the team with 3.20 kills per set to rank ninth in the Big 12, while Zerwas paces WVU in assists, with 9.08 per set, to rank eighth in the league.

This Week in Cross Country: The Mountaineers travel to University Park, Pennsylvania, for the 2018 NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional on Friday, Nov. 9 ... the women's 6k race is set to begin at 12 p.m. ET.

Last Week in Cross Country: West Virginia did not compete.

Notes: Friday marks West Virginia's third trip to University Park this season, as WVU finished fifth at the Harry Groves Spiked Shoe Invitational on Sept. 7, before it placed sixth at the Penn State National Open on Oct. 12 … since 2014, WVU has competed at Penn State's Blue-White Course 11 times … WVU finished seventh at the Mid-Atlantic Regional last year in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania … Amy Cashin (18th) and Maggie Drazba (19th) earned All-Mid-Atlantic Region honors for their top-25 finishes … WVU has earned 18 all-region honors since 2012 … a total of 31 teams advance to the NCAA Championships, with 18 automatic bids (top-two teams in each of the nine regions) and 13 at-large bids up for grabs ... additionally, a total of 38 individual runners are selected to compete at nationals following team qualifications ... the top-four finishers at each regional from non-qualifying teams receive an automatic bid to the NCAA Championships, as long as they finished in the top 25 at the regional meet ... two at-large bids for remaining runners in a national pool of top-25 regional finishers also will be selected ... WVU earned a fourth-place finish at the 2018 Big 12 Championship on Oct. 26, in Ames, Iowa … sophomore Hayley Jackson placed eighth, earning All-Big 12 honors … it was WVU's second consecutive fourth-place finish at the conference meet … WVU moved up one spot to No. 3 in last week's United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Mid-Atlantic Regional rankings … the team also received votes in the national poll for the first time this season.

This Week in Rifle: The No. 1-ranked Mountaineers (8-0, 4-0 GARC) compete at No. 2 TCU on Saturday, Nov. 10, with action set to begin at 9 a.m. EST.

Last Week in Rifle: WVU did not compete last week.

Notes: The Mountaineers last competed on Oct. 27-28, against Army West Point and Coast Guard, in West Point, New York ... WVU's score against Army matched its season best … junior Milica Babic's winning air rifle mark against Army West Point matched her season high for the fifth time this year … junior Morgan Phillips shot a program-record-matching 200 prone against the Black Knights … before winning air rifle against Coast Guard, freshman Jared Eddy shot a then-season-high 593 against Army West Point … senior Ginny Thrasher totaled a program-record matching 200 prone against Coast Guard … Eddy's air rifle win against the Bears was his first collegiate victory.

This Week in Golf: West Virginia has finished fall play … the Mountaineers will return to the links on Feb. 3 in a head-to-head match against Penn State in Orlando, Florida.

Last Week in Golf: West Virginia capped fall play at the Ka'anapali Classic Collegiate Invitational at the Royal Ka'anapali Course in Lahaina, Hawaii … the Mountaineers shot 835 as a team to finish tied with Boise State for eighth place … sophomore Matthew Sharpstene and senior Max Sear both posted top-20 finishes … Sharpstene shot seven-under-par, finishing in a tie for 15th place with a three-round total of 206 … Sear was six under with a 207 to tie for 18th place … No. 39 West Virginia finished with a three-round total of 271-280-284=835 for 17-under-par … No. 26 Cal finished 47 under with an 805 to take home the team title, while No. 27 North Florida was the runner-up at 36-under-par with a 54-hole total of 816.

Notes: Sharpstene's total of 206 ties the lowest 54-hole total on record at WVU … Alan Cooke originally shot a 206 in the spring of 2017 … freshman Kurtis Grant matched that record earlier this fall … Sharpstene now owns or has a share of two program records, as his 64 at last season's Martin Downs Collegiate remains the lowest round on record at WVU … the Mountaineers first-round score of 271 was also a program-low team round … it bested the previous program record by three strokes, as the team shot a 274 at last year's Ka'anapali Collegiate Classic … WVU was ranked No. 39 via Golfstat and comes in at No. 41 in the Golfweek rankings ... Sear finishes the fall with three top-20 finishes, including one tournament win … Sharpstene also boasts three top-20 finishes, including a pair of top-10 finishes.

This Week in Tennis: West Virginia travels to Tallahassee, Florida, to finish the fall season at the Florida State All-Conference Showdown from Nov. 9-11 … the tournament will be held at the Scott Speicher Memorial Tennis Center … it marks the fifth tournament the Mountaineers have competed in this fall.

Last Week in Tennis: West Virginia traveled to Louisville, Kentucky, to compete in the Louisville Tennis Classic, at the Bass-Rudd Tennis Center, from Nov. 2-3 … junior Sofia Duran made her 2018 debut over the weekend, claiming two singles wins and four doubles wins alongside senior Abigail Rosiello … Duran and Rosiello led the team in doubles victories (4) … Duran, sophomore Anne-Sophie Courteau and sophomore Giovanna Caputo all tied for the team lead in singles wins with two.

Notes: Courteau leads the team in total wins this fall with 15 … Courteau also leads the team this fall with eight doubles wins … Bovolskaia leads the Mountaineers in singles wins this fall with 10 … Senior Paula Goetz has won a team-high 29 singles matches and 34 doubles matches in her career … Goetz also leads the team in total career wins (63).

This Week in Swimming and Diving: The Mountaineers are off this week ... the teams return to action when swimmers head to the Ohio State Invitational in Columbus, Ohio, and divers travel to the Navy Diving Invitational in Annapolis, Maryland, from Nov. 15-17.

Last Week in Swimming and Diving: West Virginia did not compete.

Notes: WVU last competed at Villanova on Oct. 27, when the men's team took down the Wildcats, 236-64, while the women fell, 154-146 … the two teams combined to break nine Villanova Swim Complex records at the meet ... sophomore David Dixon, who was named the Big 12 Men's Swimmer of the Week on Oct. 31, led WVU with three individual wins, two (200 butterfly, 200 individual medley) in pool-record times, and a relay win ... junior Morgan Bullock also secured three individual wins, including two in pool-record times (100 butterfly, 200 IM) ... redshirt senior Tristen Di Sibio and junior Julia Nilton secured pool records in the 100 breaststroke and 50 freestyle, respectively, while three relay teams - men's and women's 200 medley and men's 400 freestyle - also had Villanova Swim Complex bests … the men's team has now won 11 consecutive dual meets, dating back to the 2016-17 campaign … WVU will compete at the Ohio State Invitational for the second consecutive season ... the divers will get a first-look at the site for the 2019 Zone A Diving Championships, which is slated for Mar. 11-13, in Annapolis.

This Week in Rowing: West Virginia will host Duquesne in Morgantown, West Virginia, on the Monongahela River for a team scrimmage on Friday, Nov. 9 … both WVU's varsity and novice squad will compete in Friday's fall finale.

Last Week in Rowing: WVU rowing's novice squad traveled to Fairfax Station, Virginia, to compete in the 34th annual Head of the Occoquan on Saturday, Nov. 3 … this year's competition took place on the Occoquan Reservoir … the Mountaineers secured two top-three finishes in the novice women's 4+ race … WVU's 'A' boat finished the race in 21:26.82 for second place, while the 'B' boat posted a time of 21:31.12 to finish in third … in the novice women's 8+ race, West Virginia's 'A' boat posted a time of 20:13.70 to finish in fifth … it marked the first intercollegiate competition for 22 student-athletes, who were named to the novice squad on Sept. 13.

Notes: Friday's scrimmage marks the second time the Mountaineers have competed against the Dukes this fall … this season marks the sixth consecutive season WVU has competed against Duquesne.