Deans Named WVU Student-Athlete of the Week

Photo by: All Pro Photography/Dale Sparks

March 15, 2021 06:03 PM | Baseball, General, Golf, Men's Soccer, Men's Swimming & Diving, Rifle, Women's Basketball, Cross Country, Gymnastics, Women's Soccer, Women's Swimming & Diving, Tennis, Track & Field, Volleyball, Wrestling

Varsity Sports Report

By: Lindsay Auld

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – After a notching three, double-figure scoring performances in the 2021 Phillips 66 Big 12 Women's Basketball Championship last week, sophomore guard Kirsten Deans of the women's basketball team has been named the WVU Student-Athlete of the Week, presented by University Apartments.

Deans averaged 12.3 points, 3.7 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game across WVU's three tournament games a week ago. In the quarterfinals against No. 10-seed Kansas State on March 12, the Greensboro, North Carolina, native tallied 11 points for the No. 2-seed Mountaineers. With less than a minute to go in the quarterfinals, Deans scored seven unanswered points for West Virginia, including the breakaway, game-winning bucket at the buzzer to help WVU advance to the semifinals against No. 3-seed Oklahoma State.

In the semifinals, the sophomore guard sealed the game for the Mountaineers with a step back 3-pointer that put WVU up by 11 with 3:20 to go in the game. Deans finished the contest with 11 points, as West Virginia advanced to the Big 12 Championship title game for the first time since 2017. In the tournament finale against No. 1-seed Baylor, Deans tallied a team-high 15 points and hauled in four rebounds, while shooting 42.9% from 3-point range and went 6-for-6 at the free-throw line.

This Week in Gymnastics: The Mountaineers' postseason slate starts with the 2021 Big 12 Gymnastics Championship, set for March 20, at the WVU Coliseum, in Morgantown … Denver, Iowa State, Oklahoma and the Mountaineers will battle for the conference crown live on ESPN2, starting at 2 p.m. ET … due to ongoing COVID-19 protocols, and for the overall safety of spectators at indoor events, attendance will be capped at approximately 2,700 spectators … fans can purchase tickets by visiting WVUGAME.com, calling 1-800-WVU-GAME or at the Mountaineer Ticket Office, located at the Gold Gate of the WVU Coliseum … tickets are $8 each, while WVU students are admitted for free with a valid Student I.D.

Last Week in Gymnastics: West Virginia suffered a 195.1-194.675 setback at Pitt on March 12, before earning a 196.1-193.4 victory over the Panthers at the WVU Coliseum on March 14 … the Mountaineers posted a season-best total of 196.1 in their regular-season finale … WVU also tallied season highs on vault (48.925) and the uneven bars (49.075) … additionally, West Virginia has posted a 49.0 or higher on floor exercise in seven of the last eight meets … in all, the Mountaineers capped the weekend with 21 podium finishes, including six event titles.

Notes: WVU was set to host last year's Big 12 Gymnastics Championship, but its season was cut short just before the event due to the COVID-19 pandemic … the Mountaineers scored 195.6 and finished fourth at the 2019 conference championship held at OU's Lloyd Noble Center … this week's Road to Nationals Rankings are the third of the season based on National Qualifying Score (NQS) … WVU comes in at No. 38 with an NQS of 195.688 … WVU ranks as high as No. 24 on floor thanks to an NQS of 49.225 … the Mountaineers also sit at No. 33 on balance beam (49.088 NQS) and No. 39 on bars (48.856 NQS) … WVU also is tied at No. 42 on vault (48.825 NQS) … sophomore Kianna Yancey paces the team with 272.25 season points, followed by junior Rachel Hornung with 271.575 … additionally, sophomore Abbie Pierson and Yancey surpassed the 500 career-point mark on Sunday … juniors Esperanza Abarca, Kendra Combs and Hornung also reached the 500 career-point mark this season … fourteen Mountaineers have competed in at least one meet this season, with 11 gymnasts reaching the podium … WVU boasts 65 podium finishes on the year.

This Week in Rifle: The Mountaineers closed out their season at the NCAA Championships on Mar. 12-13, in Columbus, Ohio.

Last Week in Rifle: The fourth-ranked Mountaineer rifle team finished fourth overall at the 2021 NCAA Rifle Championships with a two-day total of 4704, shot at Converse Hall, in Columbus, Ohio, from March 12-13 … after a 2332 showing in smallbore on Friday, WVU (7-1, 5-1) shot 2372 in air rifle, the fourth-best total earned and good enough for fourth place overall … junior Jared Eddy qualified for the eight-person smallbore final with a 590 showing on Friday … sophomore Akihito Shimizu represented WVU in the eight-person air rifle final on Saturday and finished seventh overall with a score 141.5.

Notes: West Virginia University took the 2021 Great America Rifle Conference (GARC) Championship crown with a two-day score of 4727, on Feb. 28 … nine shooters earned a combined 21 All-GARC honors ... the Mountaineers last saw action at the NCAA's in 2019 and placed second overall ... WVU has won 19 championships with their last championship in 2017 … Shimizu (190 kneeling, 197 prone, 195 standing) entered the NCAA Championships smallbore final in a three-way tie for 10th place, as each athlete shot 582 in the open relay … freshman Tal Engler (195 kneeling, 199 prone, 189 standing) and sophomore Calista Smoyer (192 kneeling, 197 prone, 191 standing ) finished in a four-way tie with a 580 smallbore mark to place 12th … freshman Molly McGhin was the fifth Mountaineer to count toward the team's smallbore total and finished in a three-way tie for 13th place with a 579 (193 kneeling, 199 prone, 187 standing) total … Shimizu qualified for the air rifle final in a tie for fourth place, shooting a team-best 595 (99-99-100-99-99-99) in the day's second relay … Smoyer also shot in the second relay and finished in a tie for fifth with a 591 (100-99-99-99-98-99) total. McGhin (98-98-99-98-100-99) shot 592 in the day's second relay to tie for sixth place ... Engler (96-100-99-98-99-99) and Eddy (96-100-98-99-99-98) also shot in the second relay and both finished in ties for seventh (591) and eighth 590), respectively.

This Week in Swimming and Diving: West Virginia is off this week … five Mountaineers from the men's team now prepare to compete at the 2021 NCAA Men's Swimming and Diving Championships from March 24-27, at the Greensboro Aquatic Center in Greensboro, North Carolina.

Last Week in Swimming and Diving: Four Mountaineer divers earned a spot at the NCAA Championships during last week's NCAA Zone A Diving Championships in Greensboro, North Carolina … redshirt juniors Jacob Cardinal Tremblay and Jake Lowe, junior PJ Lenz and sophomore Owen Johns earned bids to the national meet, placing inside the top of the leaderboard on various events … Lowe was the first qualifier for WVU, as he finished in fifth place on 3-meter with a total score of 580.35 … on the second day of competition, Tremblay and Lenz earned a bid on platform … Lenz notched a winning score of 689.35 to finish in the top spot, while Tremblay followed in third with a score of 568.50 … on the third and final day of Zones, Johns became the fourth Mountaineer to qualify for the national championships, finishing in fifth place on 1-meter with a 523.35 total … for the women, sophomores Holly Darling and Marian Tiemeier paced the Mountaineers … Tiemeier reached the finals on 1- and 3-meter, while Darling competed in the 3-meter and platform finals.

Notes: With four divers set to compete at the NCAA Championships, it marks the first time in program history that multiple divers will compete at the championship, after the 2020 NCAA Championships were canceled last year … senior swimmer David Dixon also earned a bid to the national meet, moving the men's team's total number of competitors to five … WVU's five NCAA competitors are the most for the men at a single championship since 2007 when eight Mountaineers competed at the meet … Tremblay is set to compete on all three diving events … Lenz will compete on 1-meter and platform … Lowe and Johns are set to appear in the 1- and 3-meter springboard events … Dixon earned a bid to compete in the 100- and 200-yard butterfly events, as well as the 200 individual medley … this year's bid marks Dixon's fourth consecutive NCAA qualification, as he becomes the first Mountaineer from the men's team to qualify four straight seasons.

This Week in Women's Basketball: West Virginia awaits its NCAA Tournament fate, as the 2021 tournament bracket will be unveiled on Monday, March 15, at 7 p.m. ET … WVU's seeding, matchup and tip time will be announced following tonight's show … this year's NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament will be held in San Antonio, Texas, and its surrounding areas … West Virginia currently ranks No. 17 in the Associated Press Poll, No. 20 in the USA Today Coaches Poll and is No. 24 in the NCAA Evaluation Tool (NET) Rankings.

Last Week in Women's Basketball: West Virginia played four games and went 2-2 a week ago … on March 8, WVU concluded its 2020-21 regular season with a 96-73 loss to No. 6/6 Baylor at the Ferrell Center in Waco, Texas … sophomore guard Kirsten Deans led the Mountaineers with 22 points in the regular-season finale, while sophomore forward Esmery Martinez tallied a team-best six rebounds … West Virginia then traveled to Kansas City, Missouri, from March 11-14, to compete in the 2021 Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship at Municipal Auditorium … in the quarterfinals, No. 2-seed WVU made a fourth-quarter comeback to defeat No. 10-seed Kansas State, 58-56, on Friday, March 12, to advance to the semifinals … Deans played hero in the win, scoring the last seven points of the ballgame for the Mountaineers, including the game-winning buzzer beater … redshirt senior guard Kysre Gondrezick led the team in scoring against K-State, with 26 points … in the semifinals, West Virginia defeated No. 3-seed Oklahoma State, 59-50, on Saturday, March 13, to advance to its first Big 12 Championship title game since 2017 … it also marked the Mountaineers' third appearance since joining the Big 12 in 2012-13 … Martinez led WVU in scoring (19) and rebounding (15) against the Cowgirls to tally her 14th double-double of the season … in the finals, West Virginia fell to No. 1-seed Baylor, 76-50, on Sunday, March 14, to conclude its tournament run … Deans once again led the Mountaineers in scoring, with 15 points, while Martinez finished with a team-best 11 rebounds … of note, Gondrezick was named to the 2021 All-Big 12 Tournament Team after averaging 18.7 points, 3.0 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game for WVU … the Benton Harbor, Michigan, native also shot 13-of-15 (86.7%) at the free-throw line during the tournament.

Notes: West Virginia has now won 21 or more games for the first time since 2018-19 … thirteen of those wins have come in the Big 12 this year, WVU's most conference victories since the 2013-14 season, when the Mountaineers won 16 games to claim a share of the Big 12 regular-season title … West Virginia have only allowed two opponents to score 80 or more points this season … the Mountaineers are one of 23 teams nationally and two teams in the Big 12 who has 19 or more wins this season … this year, WVU is shooting 43.9% from the floor, which is up 5.4 points from last year's shooting percentage (38.5%) … the Mountaineers also are shooting 5.7 points better from 3-point range this year (35%; 2019-20 – 29.3%) … West Virginia is outrebounding opponents by 5.9 rebounds per game this season, up four rebounds from a season ago … Gondrezick currently leads the Mountaineers in scoring, with a total of 517 points and an average of 19.9 per game … she is the first Mountaineer since Tynice Martin (575) in 2019-20 to total 500 or more points in a season … Gondrezick also is the first Mountaineer to score 500 or more points and dish out 100 or more assists in a season since Bria Holmes in 2014-15 (716 points, 105 assists) … Martinez is pacing WVU in the rebounding department this season, with 315 rebounds and 11.7 boards per game … she also has tallied a double-double in 14 games this season, including a streak of seven consecutive games between Dec. 13-Jan. 16 … Martinez's 315 rebounds this season are good for No. 7 in single-season program history … Martinez and Deans also are averaging double figures for WVU this season and each are averaging 13.6 points per game … junior forward Kari Niblack leads the team in shooting percentage (min. 190 att.), at 48.4%, and also holds the lead in blocks (42) … Niblack is tied for No. 5 in WVU program history in blocked shots (143).

This Week in Wrestling: Four Mountaineers will compete at the 2021 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships from March 18-20, at the Enterprise Center, in St. Louis, Missouri … redshirt juniors Killian Cardinale (125) and Noah Adams (197), redshirt freshman Ryan Sullivan (133) and freshman Peyton Hall (165) will compete at this year's tournament … Cardinale, Adams and Hall each earned automatic bids based on their performances at the 2021 Big 12 Wrestling Championship, while Sullivan received an at-large selection to punch his ticket … the three-day event will start on Thursday at 11 a.m. ET … medal rounds will take place at 11 a.m. ET on Saturday, with the championship finals set for 7 p.m. ET Saturday night.

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

Notes: The brackets and seeding for the three-day tournament were announced by the NCAA on March 10 … WVU sends four or more Mountaineer grapplers to the national tournament for the first time since coach Tim Flynn's inaugural season in 2019, when the squad sent a total of five qualifiers to Pittsburgh … Sullivan and Hall are set to make their first appearance on the national stage … additionally, Adams punched his third ticket to nationals after earning the No. 2 seed at his respective weight last season, while Cardinale qualified for the national tournament for the second time in his career … for more information on the Mountaineers' seedings, visit WVUsports.com.

This Week in Track and Field: The Mountaineers closed out their indoor season at the Big 12 Championship on Feb. 26-27 ... West Virginia now prepares to open the outdoor season later this month.

Last Week in Track and Field: The Mountaineers were off last week.

Notes: After finishing in eighth place with 34 points, the Mountaineers brought home eight All-Big 12 performances at the Big 12 Championship … redshirt freshman Ceili McCabe's second-place finish in the 3,000-meter race with a time of 9:25.32 ranked second in the Big 12 and No. 33 in the NCAA in the event this indoor season … the distance medley relay team led the way with a first-place finish, as the team of redshirt junior Hayley Jackson, junior Tessa Constantine, freshman Jo-Lauren Keane and McCabe crossed the finish line in a time of 11:21.35 to claim the Mountaineers' first Big 12 title since joining the conference in 2012-13.

This Week in Baseball: The Mountaineers are set to play five games at home this week … WVU plays host to Morehead State from March 16-17, at Monongalia County Ballpark, before welcoming Coastal Carolina for a three-game, weekend series from March 19-21 … first pitch on Tuesday and Wednesday are set for 3 p.m. ET … Friday's start time is slated for 6:30 p.m., while Saturday and Sunday's first pitch times are set for 3 p.m., and 12 p.m., respectively.

Last Week in Baseball: WVU (5-5) returned to action with a three-game series against Central Michigan on home-opening weekend at Monongalia County Ballpark, from March 12-13 … CMU took Friday's opener, 5-3, before winning Game 1 of Saturday's doubleheader, 12-4 … freshman infielder Mikey Kluska hit a two-run, walk-off homer in the bottom of the 10th to help the Mountaineers take Game 2 of the twin bill, 8-7 … in all, Kluska went 7-for-14 with a homer and five RBIs in the series, tallying multiple-hit efforts in all three games … senior left-handed pitcher Jackson Wolf and sophomore left-hander Jake Carr took losses on the mound for WVU, while junior right-hander Madison Jeffrey earned the win in the walk-off victory.

Notes: Kluska's heroics on Saturday marked WVU's first walk-off home run since Darius Hill on May 5, 2019, against TCU … West Virginia is 11-6 all-time against Morehead State, as well as 4-10 against Coastal Carolina … WVU last met the Eagles in 2019, splitting a two-game series on the road … the Mountaineers and Chanticleers met earlier this season, a 10-5 CCU win on Feb. 27, in Conway, South Carolina … this weekend marks Coastal Carolina's first-ever trip to Morgantown … WVU enters the week ranked in the top-50 nationally in triples (No. 46 – 4) and home runs (No. 48 – 15) … individually, junior outfielder Austin Davis ranks No. 21 nationally in stolen bases per game (0.67), while sophomore infielder/outfielder Dominic Ragazzo sits at No. 15 nationally in triples (2) … West Virginia was ranked in a pair of polls last week: No. 23 by D1Baseball.com and No. 30 by the NCBWA … West Virginia is 79-45 all-time at Monongalia County Ballpark and has won 14 consecutive midweek home games, dating back to a 9-6 win over Niagara on April 3, 2017.

This Week in Men's Soccer: West Virginia has a pair of matches on tap this week … first, Bowling Green comes to town on Wednesday, March 17, for a 3 p.m. ET, matchup at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium in Morgantown … WVU then travels to Edwardsville, Illinois, on Sunday, March 21, for a 1 p.m., match at SIU Edwardsville.

Last Week in Men's Soccer: The Mountaineers suffered their first loss of the season on March 14, falling to Western Michigan, 1-0, in Kalamazoo … WVU moved to 2-1-0 this season and 1-1-0 in the MAC with the loss, as the squad conceded its first goal of the season to the Broncos … the Mountaineer attack created plenty of opportunities for an equalizer as the match went on, but the offense couldn't manage to find the back of the net … despite the loss, WVU outshot an opponent for the first time this season, holding a 10-5 advantage in shots, as well as a 6-2 advantage in corner kicks … junior forward Tony Pineda and freshman defender Jesus De Vicente led the team with a pair of shots, including one shot on goal in the match … senior goalkeeper Steven Tekesky tallied one save for WVU in the loss, surrendering the game-winning goal to the Broncos in the 32nd minute.

Notes: Following the loss, Western Michigan now takes a 5-4-2 lead in the all-time series between the two teams, including a 3-2-1 advantage all-time in Kalamazoo … WMU's 32nd-minute goal on Sunday marked the first goal for a WVU opponent this season, after the Mountaineers opened the season with a pair of shutouts … WVU and Bowling Green square off for the 15th time on Wednesday, while the Mountaineers meet SIUE for the just the fifth time in program history … BGSU leads the all-time series, 7-5-2, while West Virginia holds a 3-0-1 advantage over SIUE … West Virginia is first in the Mid-American Conference in goals allowed (1), shutouts (2) and goals against average (0.33) … Pineda and redshirt freshman Bjarne Thiesen are tied for first in the league in goals per game (0.67) and tied for third in goals (2) … Tekesky leads the conference in shutouts (2) and shutouts per game (0.67).

This Week in Golf: WVU will return to action Monday and Tuesday to compete at the George Hannon Intercollegiate in Austin, Texas … the two-day event will take place at the par-71, 7,412-yard University of Texas Golf Club … seniors Mark Goetz and Logan Perkins, junior Kurtis Grant, sophomore Trent Tipton and freshman Jackson Davenport will represent WVU for the third straight tournament … the top four scores will count towards West Virginia's overall team score.

Last Week in Golf: This is WVU's first action since competing at the Seminole Intercollegiate in Tallahassee, Florida, on Feb. 19-21.

Notes: Once again, the Mountaineers will compete against the best teams in the country, including seven other teams from the Big 12 Conference. Joining No. 84-ranked WVU will be No. 1 Oklahoma, No. 11 Texas, No. 14 Oklahoma State, No. 19 Texas Tech, No. 27 New Mexico, No. 29 Baylor, No. 45 TCU, No. 56 Arkansas-Little Rock, No. 59 Kansas State, No. 93 Florida Atlantic, No. 110 Texas-Arlington and No. 111 New Mexico State.

This Week in Tennis: The Mountaineers return to Morgantown from March 19-21, to play host to two Big 12 Conference opponents … West Virginia opens its two-match weekend on Friday, March 19, against TCU … Friday's contest against the Horned Frogs is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. ET … WVU then welcomes Texas Tech on Sunday, March 21 … first serve against the Red Raiders is set for 10 a.m. … both of this weekend's contests will be held at the Summit Tennis Academy in Morgantown.

Last Week in Tennis: West Virginia traveled to Texas last week to open Big 12 Conference play … the Mountaineers began their two-match trip on March 12, as the team suffered its first loss of the season against No. 2 Texas, 7-0, at the Texas Tennis Center in Austin … WVU then traveled to Waco, on March 14, to square off against No. 12 Baylor … the Bears claimed the match victory after defeating West Virginia, 7-0.

Notes: WVU coach Miha Lisac is in his eighth season as the Mountaineers' head coach … during his time in Morgantown, Lisac has amassed 49 victories and has 111 career wins … the 2020-21 squad is made of up of two seniors, two juniors and three freshmen … Hunter Bleser, a graduate transfer from Virginia, and Anne-Sophie Courteau make up the senior class for West Virginia … Courteau leads the team in career wins (88), singles wins (45) and doubles wins (42) … this season, Maslova leads the Mountaineers in singles victories, with three … the duo of Bovolskaia and Maslova currently lead the team in doubles play, with a record of 2-2.

This Week in Cross Country: The Mountaineers returned to action on March 15, for the 2020 NCAA Championships, in Stillwater, Oklahoma, finishing in 29th place in the team standings … sophomore Ceili McCabe was the first Mountaineers to cross the finish line, placing 42nd overall with a time of 21:01.2 … redshirt sophomore Katherine Dowie was the Mountaineers' second finisher on the day … Dowie finished in 150th place in 21:51.7, just ahead of senior Hayley Jackson, who took 183rd in 22:12.4 … redshirt senior Antigone Archer finished 208th in 22:34.8, while redshirt sophomore Mikenna Vanderheyden earned a 228th-place finish in 22.51.9 … additionally, freshman Petal Palmer (23.20.0) and redshirt junior Marianne Abdalah (23:38.2) took 245th and 247th place, respectively.

Notes: The Mountaineers returned to the NCAA Championships as a team for the first time since 2014 … most recently, Maggie Drazba and Jillian Forsey represented WVU at the 2016 NCAA Championships … WVU earned 668 team points at the NCAA Championships … BYU won the race with 96 points, while NC State (161) and Stanford (207) finished second and third, respectively … Michigan State (212) and Minnesota (239) rounded out the top five.

This Week in Volleyball: The Mountaineers (8-9, 8-8 Big 12) are off this week … the match between West Virginia and George Washington set for Wednesday, March 17, was canceled due to COVID-19 protocols inside the Colonial program … up next, the Mountaineers travel to Pittsburgh for a match against former Big East foe Pitt on Wednesday, March 24, at 7 p.m. ET.

Last Week in Volleyball: WVU opened its spring season with a 3-1 loss at No. 21 Western Kentucky on March 12, at the E.A. Diddle Arena, in Bowling Green, Kentucky … the Hilltoppers took the match from the Mountaineers in set scores of 23-25, 25-23, 25-22 and 25-19 … junior outside hitter Kristin Lux had a career night, as she finished the match with a team-high 18 kills, good for a personal best, to hit .209 … the North Bend, Nebraska, native also registered a season-best nine digs to go along with a career-high four service aces and a trio of blocks … in all, she scored 24 points in the match … WVU ended the night hitting .220 with 57 kills and eight team blocks.

Notes: Friday's match at Western Kentucky marked WVU's nonconference opener for the 2020-21 season … last fall, West Virginia earned a program-best, 8-8 mark in its conference-only slate … senior outside hitter Athena Ardila, who transferred from Northeastern in January, made her Mountaineer debut last week … WVU is 3-38 all-time against Pitt and 2-10 against Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) opponents … the two squads last met on Oct. 15, 2011, when the Mountaineers captured a five-set victory over the Panthers at the WVU Coliseum … West Virginia last played an ACC foe on Sept. 15, 2018, when the Mountaineers defeated Wake Forest, 3-1, at the WVU Coliseum, in Morgantown.

This Week in Women's Soccer: The No. 7-ranked Mountaineers are off this week … the squad returns to the pitch on Saturday, March 27, for a match against No. 5 Duke at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium in Morgantown.

Last Week in Women's Soccer: WVU (8-2) played an exhibition match against Racing Louisville FC of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) on March 13, in Louisville, Kentucky, marking the final exhibition of the 2020-21 campaign.

Notes: Saturday marked WVU's first exhibition match against a professional franchise since playing the NWSL's Sky Blue FC in March 2019 … West Virginia enters the week ranked No. 1 in the Big 12 in total assists (17) and No. 2 in goals (19) and points (55) … redshirt junior forward Lauren Segalla and junior midfielder Isabella Sibley are tied for No. 1 in the league in assists, with three … senior midfielder Stefany Ferrer-van Ginkel sits No. 2 in the Big 12 in goals (6) and points (14) … WVU stayed put at No. 7 in last week's United Soccer Coaches National Poll and moved up one spot to No. 9 in the TopDrawerSoccer.com poll.