Photo by: Todd Drexler
Sharpstene Named Student-Athlete of the Week
April 29, 2019 03:24 PM | Baseball, General, Golf, Rowing, Track & Field
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Following a top-15 finish at the 2019 Big 12 Men's Golf Championship, sophomore Matthew Sharpstene of the West Virginia University golf team has been named the WVU Student-Athlete of the Week, presented by University Apartments.
Sharpstene led the West Virginia University golf team at the 2019 Big 12 Men's Golf Championship last week. The sophomore from Charlotte, North Carolina, posted a team-best 13th-place finish at the event, marking the third-best finish by a Mountaineer in program history.
Sharpstene carded five birdies across the first 36 holes to shoot 73-71 for four-over par on the first day of action. He went on to fire a 66 in the final round, using five birdies to tie for the lowest round of the day at four-under par. Sharpstene jumped 15 spots in the standings to take 13th place with a 54-hole total of 73-71-66=210 for even par. Ranked No. 64 in the nation, he defeated 11 nationally ranked golfers and finished one stroke behind the nation's top-ranked collegiate golfer.
This Week in Baseball: The Mountaineers host four games at Monongalia County Ballpark this week, with a midweek contest against in-state foe Marshall and a weekend series against TCU … WVU hosts Marshall on Tuesday, April 30, at 6:30 p.m. ET … West Virginia begins its final home Big 12 series against TCU on Friday, May 30, at 6:30 p.m. … the series continues on Saturday, at 4 p.m., before the finale on Sunday, at 1 p.m. … Saturday's contest against TCU will air locally on AT&T SportsNet … tickets for all four home games this week are available at WVUGAME.com, by calling 1-800-WVU GAME, at the Mountaineer Ticket Office at the WVU Coliseum or on game day at Monongalia County Ballpark … the first 500 fans to Tuesday's game will receive a foam finger, and all fans can play Baseball Bingo to win prizes … Friday is Friday Night Happy Hour, with half-off beverages available from 5:30-6:30 p.m., and all fans can play Baseball Bingo … Saturday is the final Family Day of the season, where fans can purchase four tickets and receive a $10 concession voucher for just $25 … there will be a bobblehead giveaway to the first 500 fans to Saturday's game, courtesy of United Bank … the weekend concludes on Sunday with the final trading card giveaway, courtesy of United Bank, to the first 250 kids, 16 and under … Sunday also is the final Kids Day of the year, presented by WVU Medicine, which features a Kids Zone, inflatables and Mr. Twister's Balloon Art and Face Painting, and kids can run the bases after the game.
Last Week in Baseball: WVU won its fifth consecutive series with a pair of come-from-behind victories at Texas, as the Mountaineers outscored the Longhorns 6-1 in the final two innings in the first two games of the series … two late home runs and another quality start by junior right-hander Alek Manoah powered West Virginia to a 3-2, comeback win in the series opener on April 26 … the Mountaineers were held hitless for 6.2 innings before junior pinch hitter TJ Lake hit a go-ahead home run with two outs in the eighth inning to take a 2-1 lead … after the Longhorns rallied to tie it at 2-2 in the bottom of the eighth, junior first baseman Marques Inman launched a mammoth home run in the top of the ninth to regain a 3-2 advantage … UT's only run off Manoah came in the third inning … West Virginia clinched the series with a 9-8 win on April 27, thanks to a run in the eighth inning and two in the ninth after trailing 8-6 in the seventh … six of WVU's nine runs, including its first five, were all unearned … the Mountaineers trailed 8-7 in the ninth, but Inman doubled home the tying run after a balk put freshman pinch runner Austin Davis on third ... Lake then executed a safety squeeze to score Davis, the go-ahead run … Texas took an 8-6 lead in the seventh, but senior lefty Zach Reid came in and allowed just one hit in 1.2 innings to earn the win, as he got the final two outs of the seventh and pitched a scoreless eighth … WVU lost the finale on April 28, 10-2, as Texas avoided the sweep … West Virginia scored first for the first time in the series, but UT responded to lead 3-1 after three … the Mountaineers cut the deficit to one in the top of the fourth, but Texas scored seven unanswered, with three in the bottom of the fourth and four in the sixth … Lake led the squad with two hits and an RBI.
Notes: West Virginia is 26-15 on the season, 13-3 at home and 13-12 on the road … WVU is 10-8 in Big 12 play and tied for third place in the league standings, one game out of second place and 2.5 games out of first … WVU is ranked No. 16 in the RPI, and the Big 12 is the No. 2-ranked RPI conference in the country … WVU is 7-5 against top-25 teams and 14-10 against teams that made the 2018 NCAA Tournament … West Virginia is ranked nationally for the third consecutive week and is No. 17 in the D1Baseball and Baseball America rankings and No. 18 in the Perfect Game poll … the Mountaineers have won five consecutive weekend series, the first three against top-25 teams, and have won 12 of their last 16 games … WVU's five consecutive conference series wins are its most since it won six Big East series in a row in 2003 … West Virginia has won five Big 12 series in a season for the first time since it joined the league prior to the 2013 season … WVU's last five wins have all come after scoring the winning or go-ahead run in the ninth inning or later … the Mountaineers improved to 13-8 all-time against Texas and have won five of the seven all-time series … Manoah recorded his ninth quality start in 11 games this season … with the one run allowed in Friday's opener at UT, Manoah's shutout streak was snapped at 34.1 consecutive innings, and he walked his first batter in 28.1 consecutive innings, and both streaks came to an end in the third inning … Lake's pinch-hit home run in the eighth inning was his second of the season and second of his career … Inman's ninth-inning home run was his seventh of the year and team-leading 16th of his career … junior righty Sam Kessler improved to 4-2 with a win on Friday and earned his seventh save on Saturday … Reid got the win on Saturday and is 1-0 on the year and 2-0 in his career.
This Week in Track & Field: WVU concludes the outdoor regular season by hosting the Mountaineer Open, on Saturday, May 4, at the Track & Field Complex at Mylan Park.
Last Week in Track & Field: West Virginia earned eight wins and 15 top-three finishes at the State Farm Friends of Track & Field Mountaineer Showcase, from April 26-27, at the Track & Field Complex at Mylan Park … in the Mountaineers' second of three outdoor home meets this season, redshirt senior Bria Welker won a pair of events, taking the 100 meters on Friday night with a time of 12.80 before finishing first in the 400 meters in 57.67 on Saturday … also on Friday, redshirt freshman Hayley Jackson won the 1,500 meters with a time of 4:26.38 … WVU earned six more victories on Saturday … along with Welker, freshman Peter-Gay McKenzie took the 200 meters in 25.75, redshirt senior Madelin Gardner won the pole vault with a mark of 4.40 meters (14 feet, 5.25 inches), redshirt senior Shamoya McNeil topped the field in the triple jump with a mark of 12.93 meters (12 feet, 6.25 inches) and redshirt junior Faith Penny and redshirt junior Olivia Hill won the high jump (1.65 meters – 5 feet, 5 inches) and 3,000 meters (9:59.61), respectively.
Notes: WVU's eight wins at the Mountaineer Showcase marked the second-most at a meet this outdoor season … freshman Sada Wright earned a mark of 42.33 meters (138 feet, 10 inches), good for a second-place finish and the fourth-best mark in program history … the Mountaineer Open marks the squad's eighth consecutive weekend competition … entering the week, four Mountaineers rank in the top 48 of the NCAA East Region performance list … Gardner ranks No. 3 in the region (No. 6 nationally) in the pole vault, while McNeil is tied for No. 20 in the triple jump … Hill sits No. 26 in the NCAA East Region in the 10,000 meters, while Jackson ranks No. 44 in the 5,000 meters.
This Week in Rowing: West Virginia does not compete this week ... following three weeks off, the Mountaineers will travel to Oak Ridge, Tennessee, on Sunday, May 19, for the 2019 Big 12 Championship on Melton Lake.
Last Week in Rowing: WVU traveled to Washington, D.C., on Friday for a dual contest against George Washington on the Potomac River ... the Mountaineers competed in four races against the Colonials - first varsity eight, second varsity eight, first varsity four and third varsity eight ... West Virginia took second in every race.
Notes: The Mountaineers are set to compete at the Big 12 Championship for the seventh time since joining the Conference in 2013 ... this marks the fifth consecutive season the Big 12 Championship will be hosted on Melton Lake in Oak Ridge ... West Virginia has competed on Melton Lake every year since the 2012-13 season ... at last year's Big 12 Championship, finished fifth after collecting 47 team points ... to cap last season, then-junior Carly Ledbetter was selected to the All-Big 12 First Team.
This Week in Golf: The West Virginia golf team will learn its postseason fate on Wednesday … the NCAA Selection Show will air at 9 p.m. on Golf Channel.
Last Week in Golf: West Virginia hosted the 2019 Big 12 Men's Golf Championship on The Old White TPC at The Greenbrier … the Mountaineers posted a three-round score of 293-282-289=864 to take 10th place at 24-over par … sophomore Matthew Sharpstene carded a 66 on the final day of action to finish in 13th place … Sharpstene recorded five birdies, along with just one bogey, to shoot a four-under-par 66 in the final round … he moved up 15 spots in the standings to post his second top-15 finish at the Big 12 Championship, claiming 13th place with a score of 73-71-66=210 for even par … junior Etienne Papineau had a pair of birdies as he shot two-over par with a 72 on Sunday … his 54-hole total of 73-71-72=216 put him at six over and in a tie for 28th place at the finish.
Notes: No. 1 Oklahoma State shot 13-under par for a total of 827 to take home the team title … TCU's Hayden Springer finished eight-under par to earn medalist honors and an exemption into The Greenbrier's PGA TOUR event this fall … the Mountaineers rank at No. 48 in the nation via both Golfstat and Golfweek … Sharpstene ranks at No. 64 … Sharpstene leads the way with a 70.63 scoring average and eight top-15 finishes in 10 tournaments … senior Max Sear ranks second on the team with a 71.70 scoring average and three top-20 finishes on the year.
Sharpstene led the West Virginia University golf team at the 2019 Big 12 Men's Golf Championship last week. The sophomore from Charlotte, North Carolina, posted a team-best 13th-place finish at the event, marking the third-best finish by a Mountaineer in program history.
Sharpstene carded five birdies across the first 36 holes to shoot 73-71 for four-over par on the first day of action. He went on to fire a 66 in the final round, using five birdies to tie for the lowest round of the day at four-under par. Sharpstene jumped 15 spots in the standings to take 13th place with a 54-hole total of 73-71-66=210 for even par. Ranked No. 64 in the nation, he defeated 11 nationally ranked golfers and finished one stroke behind the nation's top-ranked collegiate golfer.
This Week in Baseball: The Mountaineers host four games at Monongalia County Ballpark this week, with a midweek contest against in-state foe Marshall and a weekend series against TCU … WVU hosts Marshall on Tuesday, April 30, at 6:30 p.m. ET … West Virginia begins its final home Big 12 series against TCU on Friday, May 30, at 6:30 p.m. … the series continues on Saturday, at 4 p.m., before the finale on Sunday, at 1 p.m. … Saturday's contest against TCU will air locally on AT&T SportsNet … tickets for all four home games this week are available at WVUGAME.com, by calling 1-800-WVU GAME, at the Mountaineer Ticket Office at the WVU Coliseum or on game day at Monongalia County Ballpark … the first 500 fans to Tuesday's game will receive a foam finger, and all fans can play Baseball Bingo to win prizes … Friday is Friday Night Happy Hour, with half-off beverages available from 5:30-6:30 p.m., and all fans can play Baseball Bingo … Saturday is the final Family Day of the season, where fans can purchase four tickets and receive a $10 concession voucher for just $25 … there will be a bobblehead giveaway to the first 500 fans to Saturday's game, courtesy of United Bank … the weekend concludes on Sunday with the final trading card giveaway, courtesy of United Bank, to the first 250 kids, 16 and under … Sunday also is the final Kids Day of the year, presented by WVU Medicine, which features a Kids Zone, inflatables and Mr. Twister's Balloon Art and Face Painting, and kids can run the bases after the game.
Last Week in Baseball: WVU won its fifth consecutive series with a pair of come-from-behind victories at Texas, as the Mountaineers outscored the Longhorns 6-1 in the final two innings in the first two games of the series … two late home runs and another quality start by junior right-hander Alek Manoah powered West Virginia to a 3-2, comeback win in the series opener on April 26 … the Mountaineers were held hitless for 6.2 innings before junior pinch hitter TJ Lake hit a go-ahead home run with two outs in the eighth inning to take a 2-1 lead … after the Longhorns rallied to tie it at 2-2 in the bottom of the eighth, junior first baseman Marques Inman launched a mammoth home run in the top of the ninth to regain a 3-2 advantage … UT's only run off Manoah came in the third inning … West Virginia clinched the series with a 9-8 win on April 27, thanks to a run in the eighth inning and two in the ninth after trailing 8-6 in the seventh … six of WVU's nine runs, including its first five, were all unearned … the Mountaineers trailed 8-7 in the ninth, but Inman doubled home the tying run after a balk put freshman pinch runner Austin Davis on third ... Lake then executed a safety squeeze to score Davis, the go-ahead run … Texas took an 8-6 lead in the seventh, but senior lefty Zach Reid came in and allowed just one hit in 1.2 innings to earn the win, as he got the final two outs of the seventh and pitched a scoreless eighth … WVU lost the finale on April 28, 10-2, as Texas avoided the sweep … West Virginia scored first for the first time in the series, but UT responded to lead 3-1 after three … the Mountaineers cut the deficit to one in the top of the fourth, but Texas scored seven unanswered, with three in the bottom of the fourth and four in the sixth … Lake led the squad with two hits and an RBI.
Notes: West Virginia is 26-15 on the season, 13-3 at home and 13-12 on the road … WVU is 10-8 in Big 12 play and tied for third place in the league standings, one game out of second place and 2.5 games out of first … WVU is ranked No. 16 in the RPI, and the Big 12 is the No. 2-ranked RPI conference in the country … WVU is 7-5 against top-25 teams and 14-10 against teams that made the 2018 NCAA Tournament … West Virginia is ranked nationally for the third consecutive week and is No. 17 in the D1Baseball and Baseball America rankings and No. 18 in the Perfect Game poll … the Mountaineers have won five consecutive weekend series, the first three against top-25 teams, and have won 12 of their last 16 games … WVU's five consecutive conference series wins are its most since it won six Big East series in a row in 2003 … West Virginia has won five Big 12 series in a season for the first time since it joined the league prior to the 2013 season … WVU's last five wins have all come after scoring the winning or go-ahead run in the ninth inning or later … the Mountaineers improved to 13-8 all-time against Texas and have won five of the seven all-time series … Manoah recorded his ninth quality start in 11 games this season … with the one run allowed in Friday's opener at UT, Manoah's shutout streak was snapped at 34.1 consecutive innings, and he walked his first batter in 28.1 consecutive innings, and both streaks came to an end in the third inning … Lake's pinch-hit home run in the eighth inning was his second of the season and second of his career … Inman's ninth-inning home run was his seventh of the year and team-leading 16th of his career … junior righty Sam Kessler improved to 4-2 with a win on Friday and earned his seventh save on Saturday … Reid got the win on Saturday and is 1-0 on the year and 2-0 in his career.
This Week in Track & Field: WVU concludes the outdoor regular season by hosting the Mountaineer Open, on Saturday, May 4, at the Track & Field Complex at Mylan Park.
Last Week in Track & Field: West Virginia earned eight wins and 15 top-three finishes at the State Farm Friends of Track & Field Mountaineer Showcase, from April 26-27, at the Track & Field Complex at Mylan Park … in the Mountaineers' second of three outdoor home meets this season, redshirt senior Bria Welker won a pair of events, taking the 100 meters on Friday night with a time of 12.80 before finishing first in the 400 meters in 57.67 on Saturday … also on Friday, redshirt freshman Hayley Jackson won the 1,500 meters with a time of 4:26.38 … WVU earned six more victories on Saturday … along with Welker, freshman Peter-Gay McKenzie took the 200 meters in 25.75, redshirt senior Madelin Gardner won the pole vault with a mark of 4.40 meters (14 feet, 5.25 inches), redshirt senior Shamoya McNeil topped the field in the triple jump with a mark of 12.93 meters (12 feet, 6.25 inches) and redshirt junior Faith Penny and redshirt junior Olivia Hill won the high jump (1.65 meters – 5 feet, 5 inches) and 3,000 meters (9:59.61), respectively.
Notes: WVU's eight wins at the Mountaineer Showcase marked the second-most at a meet this outdoor season … freshman Sada Wright earned a mark of 42.33 meters (138 feet, 10 inches), good for a second-place finish and the fourth-best mark in program history … the Mountaineer Open marks the squad's eighth consecutive weekend competition … entering the week, four Mountaineers rank in the top 48 of the NCAA East Region performance list … Gardner ranks No. 3 in the region (No. 6 nationally) in the pole vault, while McNeil is tied for No. 20 in the triple jump … Hill sits No. 26 in the NCAA East Region in the 10,000 meters, while Jackson ranks No. 44 in the 5,000 meters.
This Week in Rowing: West Virginia does not compete this week ... following three weeks off, the Mountaineers will travel to Oak Ridge, Tennessee, on Sunday, May 19, for the 2019 Big 12 Championship on Melton Lake.
Last Week in Rowing: WVU traveled to Washington, D.C., on Friday for a dual contest against George Washington on the Potomac River ... the Mountaineers competed in four races against the Colonials - first varsity eight, second varsity eight, first varsity four and third varsity eight ... West Virginia took second in every race.
Notes: The Mountaineers are set to compete at the Big 12 Championship for the seventh time since joining the Conference in 2013 ... this marks the fifth consecutive season the Big 12 Championship will be hosted on Melton Lake in Oak Ridge ... West Virginia has competed on Melton Lake every year since the 2012-13 season ... at last year's Big 12 Championship, finished fifth after collecting 47 team points ... to cap last season, then-junior Carly Ledbetter was selected to the All-Big 12 First Team.
This Week in Golf: The West Virginia golf team will learn its postseason fate on Wednesday … the NCAA Selection Show will air at 9 p.m. on Golf Channel.
Last Week in Golf: West Virginia hosted the 2019 Big 12 Men's Golf Championship on The Old White TPC at The Greenbrier … the Mountaineers posted a three-round score of 293-282-289=864 to take 10th place at 24-over par … sophomore Matthew Sharpstene carded a 66 on the final day of action to finish in 13th place … Sharpstene recorded five birdies, along with just one bogey, to shoot a four-under-par 66 in the final round … he moved up 15 spots in the standings to post his second top-15 finish at the Big 12 Championship, claiming 13th place with a score of 73-71-66=210 for even par … junior Etienne Papineau had a pair of birdies as he shot two-over par with a 72 on Sunday … his 54-hole total of 73-71-72=216 put him at six over and in a tie for 28th place at the finish.
Notes: No. 1 Oklahoma State shot 13-under par for a total of 827 to take home the team title … TCU's Hayden Springer finished eight-under par to earn medalist honors and an exemption into The Greenbrier's PGA TOUR event this fall … the Mountaineers rank at No. 48 in the nation via both Golfstat and Golfweek … Sharpstene ranks at No. 64 … Sharpstene leads the way with a 70.63 scoring average and eight top-15 finishes in 10 tournaments … senior Max Sear ranks second on the team with a 71.70 scoring average and three top-20 finishes on the year.
Players Mentioned
INF/OF
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Pole Vault
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Distance
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INF
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Mid-Distance
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RHP
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RHP/1B
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Multi
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Jumps
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High Jump
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Hurdles/Sprints
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Throws
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