Dixon Named Student-Athlete of the Week

March 04, 2019 03:17 PM | Baseball, General, Golf, Men's Swimming & Diving, Rifle, Women's Basketball, Gymnastics, Women's Swimming & Diving, Tennis, Track & Field, Wrestling

Varsity Sports Report

By: WVU Athletics Communications

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – After winning a pair of events at the 2019 Big 12 Swimming and Diving Championship, from Feb. 27-March 2, in Austin, Texas, sophomore David Dixon of the West Virginia University men's swimming and diving team has been named the WVU Student-Athlete of the Week, presented by University Apartments.

Dixon won the men's 100 butterfly on Friday, in a time of 46.73, the second-best mark in program history. On Saturday, the Richmond, Virginia, native won his second title, the men's 200 butterfly, with a school-record time of 1:42.15.

Dixon won WVU's 13th and 14th Big 12 individual championships, and he became the first Mountaineer to win multiple Big 12 titles in one season since 2014. Additionally, he helped the men's 400 medley relay team earn a school record with a time of 3:07.95 on Thursday.

Following the conference meet, Dixon ranks No. 25 nationally in the 200 fly.

This Week in Women's Basketball: West Virginia (20-8, 11-6) will wrap up the regular season at home before heading to the 2019 Phillips 66 Big 12 Women's Basketball Championship … the Mountaineers host No. 1 Baylor on Monday as part of Senior Day at the WVU Coliseum … prior to the 7 p.m. tipoff, WVU will honor seniors Noami Davenport, Theresa Ekhelar, Katrina Pardee and Anja Martin … Ron Thulin and Brenda Van Lengen will call the game on FS1 … this year's Big 12 tournament will run Friday through Monday at Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

Last Week in Women's Basketball: WVU came away from a road trip in Kansas with a 1-1 record … on Wednesday, West Virginia suffered a 90-79 setback to K-State at Bramlage Coliseum in Manhattan … redshirt junior Tynice Martin tied her season high with a 27-point effort, hitting five 3-pointers … Davenport had 19 points to reach a career milestone … freshman forward Kari Niblack also hit double figures in the loss, finishing with 10 points … the Mountaineers rebounded with a 75-61 win over Kansas on Saturday at Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence … Davenport netted a team-best 19 points in the win … Martin added 13, while Niblack and Pardee had 11 each.

Notes: With 19 points at K-State, Davenport became the 36th Mountaineer to reach 1,000 career points … she is just the second junior college transfer in WVU program history to achieve the feat in a two-year career … J.D. Drummonds (1979-81) is the only other JUCO player to hit the 1,000-point plateau for the Mountaineers … WVU picked up its 20th win of the season with the triumph of Kansas … it marks the sixth-straight 20-win season for West Virginia and the 13th under coach Mike Carey … on Monday, WVU will face the nation's top-ranked team for the 17th time in program history … Monday's game vs. Baylor marks the seventh time this season WVU has faced a ranked opponent … the Mountaineers boasts wins over No. 18 Iowa State and No. 12 Texas this season … West Virginia has 50 wins over ranked opponents in program history, with 40 of those coming during the Mike Carey era.

This Week in Gymnastics: The Mountaineers (16-7, 0-4) do not compete this week.

Last Week in Gymnastics: WVU tallied a season-best road score in a second place, 196.1 showing at No. 23 Ohio State on March 2 … the Buckeyes finished first (196.85) and Temple placed third (194.0) … WVU hit 24-for-24 routines and tied for first on vault with a 49.05 mark, its third-best score of the season … the Mountaineers also finished second on uneven bars (48.975), balance beam (48.975) and floor exercise (49.1) … senior Kirah Koshinski finished second in the all-around with a career-high 39.35 showing … she also finished a team-best second on floor (9.875) and vault (9.85) … senior Jaquie Tun finished fourth on bars with a 9.825 mark … Koshinski, junior Abby Kaufman and freshman Taylor Sell placed fifth on balance beam with 9.825s, a career best for Sell and a season high for Kaufman.

Notes: WVU's score was 0.025 points short of its season high … Kaufman finished fourth in the all-around with a 39.175 showing … the Mountaineers' beam score of 48.975 was a season high, while their bars score of 48.975 was their top road score of the year … WVU entered the meet ranked No. 24 nationally, its first ranking since Jan. 7.

This Week in Track & Field: Redshirt senior Madelin Gardner competes in the women's pole vault at the 2019 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships, on Saturday, March 8, in Birmingham, Alabama … the pole vault event is scheduled to begin at 5 p.m. ET, and it will air on ESPN3.

Last Week in Track & Field: WVU did not compete.

Notes: Gardner enters Saturday's competition ranked No. 1 in the Big 12 and tied for No. 9 nationally in the pole vault … it marks the third NCAA Championships of her career … Gardner placed ninth with a jump of 4.31 meters at the 2018 NCAA Indoor Championships in College Station, Texas, good for All-America Second Team honors … she also earned All-America First Team honors at the 2018 NCAA Outdoor Championships, in Eugene, Oregon, after a mark of 4.30 meters … this season, Gardner broke her own indoor school record (4.38 meters), tallied five jumps of 4.30 meters of better, won five times and registered three facility-record performances … she tied for fourth in the pole vault at the 2019 Big 12 Indoor Championships, in Lubbock, Texas, with a mark of 4.13 meters, matching the best finish at a conference meet in her career … Gardner becomes WVU's first back-to-back NCAA Indoor Championships qualifier since Keri Bland, Jessica O'Connell and Chelsea Carrier in 2010-11.

This Week in Wrestling: WVU embarks on its postseason this weekend, as the Mountaineers travel to Tulsa, Oklahoma, for the 2019 Big 12 Wrestling Championship … the two-day tournament will take place on March 9-10 at the BOK Center … action starts Saturday with preliminary and quarterfinal rounds set for a noon ET start … the semifinals and consolation quarterfinals will take place at 6 p.m. ET that evening … the consolation semifinals, as well as the third- and fifth-place matches, will start at 1 p.m. ET Sunday, with the championship matches set for 8 p.m. ET … the first three sessions will be carried by FloWrestling, with live stats on FloArena … the championship matches will be broadcast live on AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh, as well as various FOX Sports affiliates around the nation … check local listings for more information … brackets and official seeds will be announced following Friday evening's coaches' meeting … pre-seeds will be announced later today.

Last Week in Wrestling: The Mountaineers did not compete.

Notes: The NCAA announced qualifier allocations for the 2019 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships on Friday ... the most recent Coaches' Panel Rankings and Ratings Percentage Index (RPI) were released as well ... the Big 12 Conference was awarded 53 automatic qualifying spots, second most behind the Big Ten Conference with 78 ... each Division I starter was evaluated for Division I wins at his respective weight class, RPI and Coaches' Panel Rankings ... for each Big 12 wrestler who reached the threshold in two of three categories, the league was awarded a qualifying spot in that weight class ... NCAA Tournament spots will be awarded at the Big 12 Championship based solely on place-finish ... five Mountaineers rank in the top 33 of their respective weights in the most recent NCAA coaches' panel rankings ... redshirt sophomore Matthew Schmitt comes in at No. 16 at 133 pounds, while redshirt senior Christian Monserrat moves up one spot to No. 17 in his weight class of 149 pounds … sophomore Nick Kiussis and redshirt freshman Noah Adams each sit at No. 26 at 165 and 197 pounds, respectively … junior Brandon Ngati rounds out the Mountaineers in the coaches' panel, ranking at No. 30 in the heavyweight division … additionally, Schmitt, Monserrat, Kiussis and Adams each appear in the RPI rankings ... Adams is the highest-ranked Mountaineer at No. 15 at 197 pounds, while Schmitt (133) and Monserrat (149) appear at No. 17 in their respective weight classes ... Kiussis also sits at No. 28 in the 165-pound division.

This Week in Rifle: The No. 4-ranked Mountaineers play host to the 2019 NCAA Rifle Championships on March 8-9, at the WVU Coliseum … tickets are on sale now at NCAA.com/tickets.

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

Notes: This weekend's championship is the first-ever NCAA Championship final held in Morgantown … WVU is competing for its nation-best 20th NCAA title … junior Morgan Phillips is the two-time reigning NCAA smallbore champion … prior to finishing second at the 2018 NCAA Championships, WVU claimed five consecutive national championships.

This Week in Swimming & Diving: Freshman Fausto Huerta will compete at the TYR Pro Swim Series at Des Moines, from March 7-9, in Des Moines, Iowa … other select members of the team will begin preparations for the NCAA Championships, which are set for March 20-23 (women) and March 27-30 (men).

Last Week in Swimming & Diving: WVU competed at the 2019 Big 12 Championship, from Feb. 27-March 2, in Austin, Texas … the men's team earned a second-place team finish with 849.5 points, while the women's team took third with 533 points … sophomore David Dixon won a pair of Big 12 individual championships, taking first place in the men's 100 butterfly (46.73) on Friday and men's 200 butterfly (1:42.15) on Saturday … the Mountaineers combined to break eight school records at the four-day championship meet: senior Emma Harris (women's 100 breaststroke – 1:01.18, and women's 200 breaststroke – 2:09.93), men's 200 medley relay (1:24.94), men's 400 medley relay (3:07.95), women's 200 freestyle relay (1:31.45), junior Julia Nilton (women's 50 freestyle – 22.38), redshirt senior Tristen Di Sibio (men's 200 breaststroke – 1:54.70) and Dixon (men's 200 butterfly – 1:42.15) … WVU finished with two gold, nine silver and 10 bronze medals … the two teams combined to place nine on the All-Big 12 First Team and 11 more on the second team.

Notes: Dixon won WVU's 13th and 14th Big 12 individual championships … he became the fifth Mountaineer to win multiple Big 12 titles and the first two-time champion in the same season since Tim Squires (50 and 100 freestyles) in 2014 … the men's team placed second for the fourth consecutive season … following the conference meet, senior Jake Armstrong ranks No. 21 nationally in the men's 100 breaststroke (52.35), junior Morgan Bullock ranks No. 24 in the women's 200 butterfly (1:55.25), Dixon sits No. 25 nationally in the men's 200 butterfly (1:42.15), Di Sibio is slotted No. 34 in the men's 200 breaststroke (1:54.70) and Harris sits No. 31 nationally in the women's 200 breaststroke (2:09.93).

This Week in Tennis: WVU (6-3, 0-1 Big 12) returns to Morgantown to host its Pink Weekend against Binghamton on Saturday, March 9, and in-state rival Marshall on Sunday, March 10 ... Saturday's action against the Bearcats is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. ET ... Sunday's action against the Thundering Herd is set for 10 a.m. ET ... the Mountaineers will be collecting donations for the Rosenbaum Family House during this weekend's matches.

Last Week in Tennis: The Mountaineers lost two road matches in Virginia last week ... on Saturday, WVU was defeated by VCU, 5-2, at the Thalhimer Tennis Center in Richmond... on Sunday, West Virginia was defeated by No. 29 Old Dominion, 6-1, at the Folkes-Stevens Tennis Center in Norfolk ... Sunday's match against the Monarchs was the first match against a ranked opponent this season.

Notes: The Mountaineers own a 117-110 record over 2019 opponents, including a 1-0 record against Binghamton and a 23-17 record against Marshall ... in 2002, the first and only meeting between the two teams, West Virginia defeated Binghamton, 4-3 ... in last year's regular-season meeting against Marshall, WVU won, 4-3, on the road ... West Virginia owns a 34-20 record in singles play and a 12-13 record in doubles play ... sophomore Anne-Sophie Courteau leads the team with an 12-5 record (7-2 in singles, 5-3 in doubles) ... freshman Anastasiia Bovolskaia is second on the team with a 10-5 record (6-2 in singles, 4-3 in doubles).

This Week in Golf: West Virginia is off until March 23-25, when the team travels to Charleston, South Carolina, for the Hootie at Bulls Bay.

Last Week in Golf: The Mountaineers did not compete last week.

Notes: WVU last competed at the Seminole Intercollegiate in Tallahassee, Florida, from Feb. 23-24 … the Mountaineers tied for third and shot 284-285-285=854 as a team, finishing 10-under-par … junior Etienne Papineau tied for sixth place to lead the way … he carded a 54-hole total of 66-73-74=213 to finish the tournament three-under-par … teammates Matthew Sharpstene fired a 67 in the final round to finish tied for 12th place at two-under with a 214 ... in addition to the No. 41 Mountaineers, three other ranked teams competed in the tournament … No. 5 Wake Forest took home top honors at 13-under-par … No. 30 Florida State was second at 12 under … WVU tied with Jacksonville and finished ahead of No. 29 Louisville, which was fifth at nine-under-par … Papineau's first-round score of 66 was a career low … he finished ahead of three of the field's six nationally ranked golfers, including No. 10 Eric Bae (Wake Forest) and No. 12 Kengo Aoshima (Wake Forest).

This Week in Baseball: West Virginia returns home this weekend for a series against Kent State from March 8-10, at Monongalia County Ballpark … the series begins on Friday, March 8, at 3 p.m. ET, and continues on Saturday, March 9, at 2 p.m. … Sunday's first pitch is at 1 p.m. ET … tickets are available at WVUGAME.com, 1-800-WVU GAME or at the Mountaineer Ticket Office at the WVU Coliseum or on game day at Monongalia County Ballpark … Friday's contest is a Dollar Day, with tickets and select concession items available for just $1 ... all fans also can play Baseball Bingo during Friday's game.

Last Week in Baseball: West Virginia went 2-2 last week with an 8-3 home win over Towson and a 2-1 series loss at No. 3 Oregon State … in the win over Towson on Feb. 27, WVU took a 3-0 lead in the first inning and led 6-0 after five, as 19 Mountaineers saw action and all but one pitcher allowed no runs on one or fewer hits … left-hander Nick Snyder earned his first career win and did not allow a hit in 3.0 innings with a career-best six strikeouts and no walks … WVU stole six bases in the win, three by center fielder Brandon White … West Virginia opened the series at No. 3 Oregon State with a 9-2 loss on March 1, as the Mountaineers were held to two runs on two hits as OSU benefited from a seven-run second inning to win its 16th consecutive home opener … the Beavers won Saturday's contest, 4-2, behind three home runs … WVU took a 2-1 lead in the top of the fourth, but OSU answered with two in the bottom half and added a run in the sixth … left-handed starter Jackson Wolf held Oregon State to four runs on five hits in 7.0 innings and suffered his first loss of the season … left fielder TJ Lake had two hits and drove in both runs with a two-out double in the fourth … a strong start by right-hander Kade Strowd and second-inning home runs by first baseman Kevin Brophy and left fielder Paul McIntosh fueled WVU to a 2-0 win over OSU in Sunday's finale … Strowd took a no hitter into the seventh inning and held Oregon State to one hit with five strikeouts … In 6.1 innings, struck out five with nine walks, but five double plays, including four inning-enders, helped him escape each jam.

Notes: West Virginia is 6-5 on the season and 1-2 against top-25 teams … WVU is coming off a 2-0 win at No. 3 Oregon State on March 3, which is tied for the highest-ranked win in program history … the Mountaineers also beat No. 3 TCU twice at home on April 14-16, 2017 … West Virginia faced the defending national champions for the second time in program history and is 3-2 all-time against teams the year after they won the NCAA title … in 2017, WVU went 2-0 at Coastal Carolina, the reigning champions … left-hander Nick Snyder earned his first career win against Towson and righty Dillon Meadows collected his first save as a Mountaineer … right fielder Darius Hill homered in the win, his first of the season and 12th of his career … first baseman Andrew Zitel added a career-best three RBIs with two hits … the matchup, a late addition to the schedule, was the second February home game in program history, after West Virginia also added a contest against Canisius last week, a 5-4 WVU victory on Feb. 19 … catcher Ivan Gonzalez homered in the opening game at Oregon State, his second of the year and eighth of his career … first baseman Kevin Brophy and left fielder Paul McIntosh homered in WVU's win at OSU on March 3, it was Brophy's first of the year and seventh of his career, while the home run was McIntosh's first as a Mountaineer … Kade Strowd's 6.0 no-hit innings at Oregon State came a week after he held Georgia Southern hitless into the fifth inning … Strowd earned the win and righty Sam Kessler collected his second save of the year with 2.0 shutout innings … in Sunday's win, second baseman Tyler Doanes extended his on-base streak to a career-long 16 games, a streak that began last season, but Gonzalez's 21-game reached-base streak was snapped.