Dixon Named Student-Athlete of the Week

Photo by: Megan Crain

February 28, 2022 03:39 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 Communications

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – After earning gold in the men's 200-yard butterfly at the 2022 Big 12 Swimming & Diving Championship, fifth-year senior 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 went into the finals as the No. 2 seed, with a time of 1:46.54. After a neck-to-neck race against Texas' Coby Carroza, the Richmond, Virginia, native was able to pull ahead and win gold, with a time of 1:43.64.

This marks his second career Big 12 title in the men's 200 fly, as well as his third conference title overall. Additionally, Dixon tallied two bronze medals as a member of the men's 200 yard and 400 yard medley relay.

The men's team earned a third-place finish, overall, while the women's team finished in fourth place at the 2022 Big 12 Swimming and Diving Championship.

This Week in Women's Basketball: West Virginia caps its Big 12 Conference regular season with a pair of games … WVU begins the week with a Wednesday, March 2, contest at Kansas State … tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET, inside Bramlage Coliseum in Manhattan, Kansas … the Mountaineers then return to Morgantown to conclude the regular season on Saturday, March 5, when they play host to No. 8 Iowa State … tipoff is set for 7 p.m., inside the WVU Coliseum … Saturday's contest against the Cyclones is Senior Day, as the Mountaineers will honor its 2022 class prior to tipoff … both games will be broadcast on Big 12 Now on ESPN+.

Last Week in Women's Basketball: West Virginia (13-13, 6-10 Big 12) picked up a pair of Big 12 victories last week … WVU began the week with a 73-62 win over Texas Tech on Feb. 23, inside United Supermarkets Arena in Lubbock, Texas … senior guard Madisen Smith scored a season-high 21 points and played all 40 minutes in the game … she was joined in double figures by junior forward Esmery Martinez (13), freshman JJ Quinerly (13) and fifth-year senior center Yemiyah Morris (12) … Martinez also hauled in a team-high eight rebounds in the victory … the Mountaineers capped last week with a 60-56 victory over Oklahoma State on Feb. 27, in Morgantown … West Virginia's offense was powered by senior forward Kari Niblack, who finished with a game-high 15 points, and was one of three Mountaineers to finish the game in double figures … the Leesburg, Florida, native was joined in the double-figure scoring column by Martinez and Quinerly, who tallied 12 points apiece … Martinez hauled in a game-high 14 rebounds to lead WVU on the glass and tally her eighth double-double of the season.

Notes: Martinez now has 23 double-doubles in her career and is tied with Maria Tchobanova (1996-99) for No. 6 in all-time program history in the category … she needs one more to tie Teana Muldrow (24, 2014-18) for No. 5 in program history … in the Mike Carey era, Martinez ranks No. 2 in double-doubles … West Virginia is a combined 27-15 all-time against Kansas State and Iowa State, but is 0-2 against the two teams this season … WVU holds a 15-7 all-time advantage over K-State and is 6-3 against the Wildcats when playing in Manhattan … the Mountaineers are 12-8 against Iowa State, including 7-2 when squaring off against the Cyclones in Morgantown … over the last seven games, Smith has served as West Virginia's leading scorer and is averaging a team-best 13.4 points per game … the Greenville, South Carolina, native has tallied 10 points or more in six of those games, including 18 points or more four times … additionally, Quinerly (12.8) and Niblack (11.3) also are averaging double figures during that span.
This Week in Wrestling: WVU heads to Tulsa, Oklahoma, to compete at the 2022 Big 12 Championship on March 5-6 … the event will take place at the BOK Center for the sixth consecutive year … day one will begin with the prelims and quarterfinals at 12 p.m. ET., followed by the semifinals and consolation quarterfinal matches at 6 p.m. … day two starts off with the consolation semifinals, along with the third-, fifth-, and seventh-place bouts at 12 p.m. … the championship matches at each weight class get underway at 8 p.m.

Last Week in Wrestling: The Mountaineers were off.

Notes: The Big 12 Conference earned 58 bids to the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships for second among the seven wrestling conferences … it received four spots at 149, 165, and 184, six spots at 125, 133, 157, and heavyweight, seven spots at 141 and 197, and eight spots at 174 … six returning Mountaineers placed on the podium at Big 12s last season, including redshirt senior Killian Cardinale (125) in third, sophomore Peyton Hall (165) in fourth, redshirt junior Alex Hornfeck (157) in sixth, and redshirt sophomores Michael Wolfgram (HWT) in seventh and Anthony Carman (184) in eighth … Cardinale, Hall, and Wolfgram were ranked in the third NCAA Coaches' ranking … Cardinale and Hall remain in the top 10 of their respective weight classes … both wrestlers check in at No. 8, while Wolfgram is at No. 25 … along with Hall at No. 1 and Wolfgram at No. 22, sophomore Dennis Robin (174) and Carman (184) joined the duo in the latest top-33 ratings percentage index (RPI) … Robin holds up at No. 33 and Carman sits at No. 21 … the NCAA Championships are on March 17-19, in Detroit, Michigan for the first time in NCAA history … it's also the fourth time that the Championships will be held in the state of Michigan, with the last time being in 2007 (Auburn Hills).

This Week in Rifle: West Virginia is off this week.

Last Week in Rifle: The Mountaineers shot a 4732 to finish in second place at the 2021-22 Great American Rifle Conference (GARC) Championships from Feb. 25-26, in West Point, New York … WVU turned in a 2345 in smallbore and a season-high 2387 in air rifle to finish as the runner-up … West Virginia placed three shooters inside the top-10 aggregate scores from this year's championships, including sophomore Tal Engler, who tallied an 1187 (87 center shots) to take home the best combined score for the two-day event … junior Akihito Shimizu tied for second place and also tallied an 1187 (86 center shots) … junior Calista Smoyer tallied an 1182 at this year's championships and ranked No. 10 on the overall leaderboard … additionally, Shimizu claimed third place in both the smallbore (447.5) and air rifle (227.5) finals last weekend.

Notes: West Virginia earned 25 All-GARC honors this season, the conference announced on Feb. 25 … of WVU's 25 All-GARC honors this year, eight student-athletes made the smallbore team, seven made the air rifle team and eight were a part of the combined (smallbore and air rifle) team … additionally, freshman Natalie Perrin was named the GARC Rookie of the Year, after averaging scores of 582.5 in smallbore, 593 in air rifle and 1175.5 overall in 2021-22 … the Coopersville, Michigan, native is the first Mountaineer to win GARC Rookie of the Year since Milica Babic in 2017, while she is the eighth Mountaineer to garner the award in program history … senior Verena Zaisberger represented West Virginia in the GARC's Scholar-Athlete category for the second consecutive season.

This Week in Swimming & Diving: The Mountaineers are off this week … the WVU men's and women's diving teams return to action Monday, March 7, as the two squads travel to Annapolis, Maryland, for the NCAA Zone A Diving Championships … competition takes place at the United States Naval Academy and continues through Wednesday, Mar. 9.

Last Week in Swimming & Diving: WVU hosted the 2022 Big 12 Swimming & Diving Championship, at the Aqautic Center at Mylan Park, on Feb. 23-26 … the men's team earned a third-place finish, while the women's team finished in fourth place … in total, the Mountaineers combined to earn 11 medals at the conference meet, including one gold, four silver and six bronze … of note, fifth-year David Dixon won his second career Big 12 title in the men's 200-yard butterfly … the Richmond, Virginia, native touched the wall in 1:43.64, to finish in first … the Mountaineers' four silver medals came from senior diver PJ Lenz on men's platform (373.30), the women's 400 free relay (3:20.24) and both men's (1:19.64) and women's (1:31.70) 200 free relays … sophomore William Mullen broke the men's 1650 program record, finishing in fourth with a time of 15:21.57 … the record was previously set by Craig Cooper in 1983 … sophomore Justin Heimes earned the Mountaineers their first individual bronze medal of the week … the sophomore took third (47.71) in the men's 100-yard backstroke, before going on to earn his second bronze medal in the men's 200 back (1:45.79) … junior Paige Dressel (women's 200 back – 1:57.43), freshman Mia Walters (women's 200 fly – 2:01.34), men's 800 free relay, men's 400 free relay and the men's 400 medley relay rounded out WVU's bronze medal count.

Notes: The 2022 Big 12 Swimming & Diving Championship marked the second time in program history that WVU will host the conference meet … the first time was in 2020, during the first season at the Mountaineers' new home at the Aquatic Center at Mylan Park … in 2024, Big 12s will return to Morgantown after Texas hosts the conference meet in 2023, in Austin, Texas … West Virginia had a program-best showing in the men's platform finals, sending four divers to the finals … seniors PJ Lenz (2nd – 373.30), Nick Cover (4th – 355.20), junior Owen Johns (5th – 319.65) and freshman Glenn Eloriaga (7th – 297.30) all represented WVU in the finals.

This Week in Tennis: The Mountaineers (6-4, 0-0 Big 12) continue their homestand on Saturday, March 5, against Penn and on Sunday, March, 6, against Delaware in Morgantown … both matches will take place at the Summit Tennis Academy, with first serve against Penn set for 12 p.m. ET … competition continues against the Blue Hens on Sunday at 9 a.m.

Last Week in Tennis: West Virginia welcomed George Washington and Toledo to Morgantown on Feb. 26, for a pair of dual matches … the Mountaineers split the day, going 1-1, for their second doubleheader of the season … the Mountaineers dominated in doubles play against the Colonials, sweeping GWU, 3-0 … freshman Michaela Kucharova gave WVU their first singles win over Lindsay Thompson, 6-1, 6-1, before George Washington went on a 2-0 run, to tie up the match … the Mountaineers swept the rest of singles play … including victories from freshman Camilla Bossi, and seniors Anastasiia Bovolskaia and Penny Hsieh … WVU topped GWU, 5-2, before falling short to Toledo, 3-4 … the Rockets claimed the doubles point, and went into singles play with an advantage … freshman Kendall Kovick, in the No. 2 spot, topped Julia Kuszynski, 6-1, 6-1, to put the Mountaineers on the board … UT's Sloane Teske defeated freshman Tatiana Lipatova (7-5, 6-4), before WVU won the next two matches to tie up the match, 3-3 … in the final matchup of the day, Hsieh fell in two sets, 6-7, 2-5, to Patricia Panta, to secure the match for Toledo.

Notes: Saturday's matchup against Penn marks the first time since 1996 that the two squads will meet … Sunday marks the first time in program history that WVU will face Delaware … Bovolskaia leads the squad with the most wins overall (76) and most singles wins (26) ... junior Ting-Pei Chang leads the Mountaineers with the most doubles wins (55) ... Bossi currently leads the team with a 11-4 record overall, through the last 10 matchups ... following competition on Saturday and Sunday, the Mountaineers continue their homestand on Wednesday, Mar. 9, as they welcome Michigan State to Morgantown.

This Week in Gymnastics: The Mountaineers return to Morgantown, on Sunday, March 6, to play host to Ball State on Senior Day … competition inside the WVU Coliseum is tabbed for 2 p.m. ET.

Last Week in Gymnastics: WVU competed in a pair of meets last week and earned a trio of wins over George Washington, William & Mary and North Carolina … in the first meet of the week against GW and W&M, West Virginia used a season-best score on floor exercise and a career-high night from senior Kendra Combs to finish in first place in Morgantown, on Feb. 21 ... all six gymnasts in WVU's floor lineup scored a 9.85 or better, including a trio who earned 9.9 or higher, to help the squad earn a 49.525 total, on its way to a first-place 196.100 final score ... Combs led the way for the Mountaineers, posting a huge, career-high 39.325 all-around score ... the Windsor, Connecticut, native topped every podium but beam, as she earned career-best totals on vault, floor and the all-around ... Combs rounded out the night with a near-perfect floor routine that earned a 9.95 ... five other Mountaineers also tallied podium finishes, including junior Abbie Pierson who earned three and freshman Anna Leigh with two ... senior Rachel Hornung, junior Kianna Yancey and sophomore Agatha Handono added one apiece … WVU completed the week with a dual-meet victory at No. 22 North Carolina on Feb. 24 … the Mountaineers scored a season-high 49.225 on balance beam and a 49.325 on floor exercise to conclude the meet and outlast the Tarheels. Combined, WVU earned 10 podium finishes across all events, as well as a pair of wins … West Virginia shined once again on floor exercise, as Combs led the way with her second 9.925 of the season, and Pierson and junior Emily Holmes-Hackerd followed with a pair of 9.9's … the scores helped the trio sweep the podium at the end of the night … Pierson also earned an event win on balance beam, securing a career-best 9.95 to pace the beam lineup and score the meet win.

Notes: Combs' event-winning, career-best total on floor on Feb. 21, was the first 9.95 on floor exercise since Chloe Cluchey on March 1, 2020 … additionally, Combs' score on the all-around against GW and W&M was the first 39.325 all-around total since now-assistant coach Zaakira Muhammad earned the mark at the NCAA Morgantown Regional Championships on April 1, 2017 … at North Carolina, Pierson's career-high 9.95 also was the first for the Mountaineers on the event since Muhammad scored a 9.95 on beam at Towson on March 18, 2018 … West Virginia continues to rank No. 11 on floor exercise in this week's Road to Nationals rankings, with a 49.330 National Qualifying Score (NQS) on the event … the squad ranks No. 34 on vault (48.965 NWS), No. 35 on uneven bars (48.900 NQS) and No. 29 on beam (48.895 NQS) … individually, Combs ranks No. 23 nationally on floor with a season NQS of 9.9, followed by Pierson at No. 27 (9.895 NQS).

This Week in Track and Field: West Virginia awaits its postseason fate, as the NCAA Selection Show takes place on Tuesday, March 1 … the 2022 NCAA Indoor Championships are tabbed for March 11-12, in Birmingham, Alabama, at Birmingham CrossPlex.

Last Week in Track and Field: WVU concluded competition at the 2022 Big 12 Indoor Track and Field Championships on Feb. 25-26, in Ames, Iowa … on Saturday, sophomore Jo-Lauren Keane set a WVU school record in the 800-meter run after she finished fourth in a time of 11:21.26 … on Friday, the Mountaineers opened competition with the distance medley relay team placing third … the team of redshirt junior Charlotte Wood, senior Tessa Constantine, redshirt senior Mikaela Lucki and redshirt sophomore Ceili McCabe finished in a time of 11:21.26 … on Saturday, McCabe led the way placing third in the mile run in a time of 4:38.99 … Jackson placed fifth in the 1,000-meter in a time of 2:50.42 to earn All-Big 12 Honors.

Notes: The Mountaineers concluded the Championship with seven Big 12 honors … WVU last saw action at the NCAA Indoor Championship in 2019, when Madeline Gardner earned a ninth-place finish in the women's pole vault in Birmingham, Alabama ... Gardner recorded a mark of 4.26 meters (13 feet, 11.75 inches) at the Birmingham CrossPlex, garnering All-America Second Team honors … the performance marked Gardner's third career All-America accolade, and it matched her ninth-place finish in the pole vault at the 2018 NCAA Indoor Championships … Gardner became WVU's first back-to-back NCAA Indoor Championships qualifier since Keri Bland, Jessica O'Connell and Chelsea Carrier in 2010-11... additionally, she became the Mountaineers' 15th women's track and field athlete to earn at least three All-America honors and the first since Amy Cashin (2013-18).

This Week in Golf: WVU returns to action Monday at the Lake Las Vegas Intercollegiate in Henderson, Nevada … the three-day event will be played at the par 72, 7,204-yard Reflection Bay Golf Club ... golfers will play 18 holes on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday … No. 75 West Virginia will be joined No. 37 UAB, No. 39 Utah, No. 53 Little Rock, No. 61 Oregon State, No. 68 Kentucky, No. 81 St. Mary's (Calif.), No. 92 Arkansas State, No. 94 Wisconsin, No. 105 Louisiana, No. 123 Michigan, No. 126 High Point, No. 136 Coastal Carolina, No. 165 Georgia State, No. 175 Kansas City and Rocky Mountain College … WVU's lineup will consist of fifth-year senior Mark Goetz, currently ranked No. 26 in the latest PGA Tour University rankings, No. 142-ranked senior Kurtis Grant, No. 153-ranked fifth-year senior Logan Perkins, junior Trent Tipton and sophomore Jackson Davenport … freshman Max Green will compete as an individual.

Last Week in Golf: The Mountaineers were idle.

Quote: "We are looking forward to participating in the Lake Las Vegas intercollegiate at Reflection Bay," coach Sean Covich said. "This will be an opportunity for our guys to bounce back from a disappointing finish at Florida. I am interested to see how the guys respond. We played better in our qualifying leading into this event, and I believe the guys will keep it rolling."

This Week in Baseball: The Mountaineers play four games against four different opponents … WVU plays host to Canisius on Tuesday in the 2022 home opener … first pitch at Wagener Field at Monongalia County Ballpark is set for 3 p.m. ET … from there, WVU travels to Minneapolis, Minnesota, for the Cambria College Classic … the Mountaineers take on event host Minnesota on Friday at 8 p.m., before matching up with Illinois on Saturday at 4 p.m., and Michigan State on Sunday at 11 a.m. … all three games will take place at U.S. Bank Stadium, home of the NFL's Minnesota Vikings.

Last Week in Baseball: WVU (5-2) went 2-2 last week … the Mountaineers wrapped up competition at the Baseball at the Beach event with a 9-7 loss to Coastal Carolina on Feb. 21, in Conway, South Carolina … then, West Virginia took two of three games at Charlotte from Feb. 25-26, winning, 5-4, on Feb. 25, and 9-2 on Feb. 26 … WVU dropped the series finale, 5-4, on Feb. 26, in Game 2 of a doubleheader … junior right-handed pitcher Jacob Watters earned the win over the 49ers in the series opener, while sophomore left-handed pitcher Ben Hampton also secured a victory on the mound against Charlotte, good for his second of the season … the De Pere, Wisconsin, native logged 5.2 innings in Feb. 26's opener, allowing just one run on three hits with seven strikeouts … the Mountaineers were led offensively by junior outfielder Victor Scott II, who went 5-for-11 with four runs, two doubles, four RBI, four stolen bases and two sacrifice flies for the week … Scott II also made a game-saving, over-the-wall catch in center on Feb. 25, good for No. 5 on SportsCenter's Top 10 Plays … additionally, sophomore catcher McGwire Holbrook finished 5-for-8 with two doubles and four RBI in the Charlotte series.

Notes: West Virginia is set to open its eighth season at Monongalia County Ballpark … all time, the club is 93-55 at the Mon … the Mountaineers have won 19 consecutive mid-week home games, dating back to a 9-6 win over Niagara on April 3, 2017 … WVU leads the all-time series over Canisius, 10-5 … WVU also is 0-3 against Minnesota, 3-9 against Illinois and 3-7 against Michigan State … last week, freshman infielder JJ Wetherholt was named the Big 12 Newcomer of the Week … the Mars, Pennsylvania, native became the first WVU player to receive the honor since Tyler Doanes in 2018 … West Virginia is 5-2 to begin the season for the second time in the last three years … the Mountaineers have played winning baseball (above .500) in the month of February in six of the last seven seasons … WVU combined to steal 16 bases in the Charlotte series, including nine on Feb. 25 … the Mountaineers trailed, 4-1, at one point against Charlotte in the series opener, before scoring one run in the seventh, two in the eighth and one in the nine to complete the comeback … redshirt junior catcher/infielder Dayne Leonard paces the club with a .471 (8-for-17) at the plate … senior outfielder Austin Davis, freshman first baseman Grant Hussey and Scott II all share the team lead in RBI (9).