Williamson Named Student-Athlete of the Week

January 17, 2023 04:13 PM | General, Men's Swimming & Diving, Rifle, Women's Basketball, Gymnastics, Women's Swimming & Diving, Tennis, Track & Field, Wrestling

By: WVU Athletics Communications

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – After setting the program record in the 600-meter with a time of 1:32.02, sophomore Cassandra Williamson of the West Virginia University track and field team has been named the WVU Student-Athlete of the Week, presented by University Apartments.

Williamson took first place in the 600-meter at the Nittany Lion Challenge hosted by Penn State University. The record was previously held by Keri Bland. Blaned earned 11 All-America honors during her WVU career and the record with a time of 1:33.32 in 2010.

The Ajax, Ontario, Canada, native's time is good enough for fourth-best in the Big 12 Conference this season. Additionally, Williamson holds the outdoor 800-meter record with a time of 2:04.84. She earned the 800-meter record at the 2022 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field East Regional Championship.

This Week in Women's Basketball: West Virginia returns to the road for a mid-week matchup at Kansas on Wednesday, Jan. 18 … tipoff against the Jayhawks is set for 8 p.m. ET, inside the Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence, Kansas … Wednesday's contest will be broadcast on Big 12 Now on ESPN+ and the Mountaineer Sports Network.

Last Week in Women's Basketball: The Mountaineers tallied a pair of conference victories last week, earning a win over TCU, 77-45, on Tuesday, Jan. 10, before upsetting then-No. 18 Baylor, 74-65, on Sunday, Jan. 15 … against TCU, fifth-year senior guard Madisen Smith led the team in scoring for the fifth time this season, recording 18 points and shooting 5-of-9 from the field (55.5%) … junior guard Savannah Samuel and sophomore guard JJ Quinerly joined Smith in double figures, adding 13 and 11 points, respectively … as a team, West Virginia shot 45.3% (29-of-64) from the field, as well as 36.4% (8-of-22) from 3-point range to top the Horned Frogs … concluding the week with the team's annual "I Belong" Diversity & Inclusion game, four different Mountaineers scored 15+ points to lead WVU to the upset win … Quinerly (18), Smith (16), junior forward Kylee Blacksten (16) and senior guard Jayla Hemingway (15) accounted for 65 of West Virginia's 74 points in the victory … the Mountaineer defense forced 15 Baylor turnovers and converted those turnovers into 22 points.

Notes: Samuel's 13 points and seven rebounds against TCU marked a pair of career bests for the Woodstock, Georgia, native … the victory over Baylor marked the Mountaineers' first over the Bears since March 6, 2017, when WVU claimed the 2017 Big 12 Tournament title … additionally, it was West Virginia's first win over Baylor at home in program history, as well as first-year coach Dawn Plitzuweit's first win over a ranked team … Hemingway recorded the second double-double of her career against Baylor, tallying 16 points and a career-best 14 rebounds … the win also marked the Mountaineers' first win over a ranked team since Jan. 9, 2021, when they topped No. 17 Texas, 92-58, inside the WVU Coliseum … also of note, WVU's 74 points against the Bears Sunday afternoon marked the second-most points scored against Baylor in the series, just behind the 77 the Mountaineers posted over Baylor to claim the 2017 Big 12 title … West Virginia's defense leads the Big 12 Conference and ranks No. 32 nationally in scoring defense, as it is holding opponents to an average of 56.3 points per game … the squad also sits No. 1 in the league and No. 6 nationally in turnover margin (8.12), as well as No. 1 in the Big 12 and No. 27 in the NCAA in steals per game (10.7).

This Week in Wrestling: West Virginia concludes the road trip with a pair of dual meets this weekend in Oklahoma … they start off at Oklahoma on Friday, Jan. 20, at 8 p.m. ET, before clashing with No. 12 Oklahoma State on Sunday, Jan. 22, at 3 p.m. … both duals will be streamed on Big 12 Now on ESPN+ and live stats will be available on Trackwrestling … additionally, the NCAA prepares to release its first coaches' ranking of the top-33 rated wrestlers at each weight class on Thursday, Jan. 19.

Last Week in Wrestling: Tied at 16-6 with two matches to go, No. 24 WVU claimed back-to-back decisions to secure a 22-16 victory over Chattanooga on Friday, Jan. 13 … the dual started at 157 pounds, where redshirt senior Alex Hornfeck pulled off an escape late in the third period and held on for a 3-2 decision … junior Peyton Hall, ranked No. 8 in the country at 165 pounds, followed with a pin to push WVU's lead to nine (9-0) … UTC responded with three straight wins, including a major decision and a pin, to hold a 13-9 lead at the midway point of the dual … West Virginia proceeded to win four of the next five matches to get out of Chattanooga with the six-point victory.

Notes: the Mountaineers sit at 7-1 overall and 1-1 against the Big 12 … they match West Virginia's 1950, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1963, 1972, and 1990 squads for the best start through eight duals … according to the TakeDown Report and a variety of media guides, head coach Tim Flynn is currently sixth among winningest active coaches in Division I wrestling with 251 wins … the mark also ranks him 38th on the all-time list of Division I wrestling coaches … two more wins moves Flynn into a tie for 37th alongside Ron Gray, who coached at Kent State and Franklin & Marshall from 1968-1996 and is a distinguished member of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame … following a 3-1 decision over No. 1 Cole Matthews of Pitt, redshirt freshman Jordan Titus became the 14th Big 12 Wrestler of the Week in program history and first since Noah Adams garnered it twice as a sophomore in 2020 … in the polls, West Virginia moves up to No. 23 in this week's NWCA Division I Wrestling Coaches Poll … the program made its debut in the poll last week at No. 24, which was its first appearance in the NWCA Top 25 since the midway point of the 2015-16 season (January 12, 2016) … seven Mountaineers remain ranked in the 13th edition of this season's FloWrestling rankings - No. 7 Killian Cardinale (125), honorable mention Jordan Titus (141), No. 22 Sam Hillegas (149), No. 8 Peyton Hall (165), honorable mentions Anthony Carman (184) and Austin Cooley (197) and No. 20 Michael Wolfgram (HWT), while senior Alex Hornfeck (157) checks in InterMat's rankings at No. 28.

This Week in Gymnastics: West Virginia returns to the road for a quad meet at Towson on Friday, Jan. 20 … the Mountaineers will be joined in Towson, Maryland, by New Hampshire and West Chester, with action inside SECU Arena tabbed for 6 p.m. ET.

Last Week in Gymnastics: WVU earned a second-place finish in its 2023 home opener against Kent State and Maryland, inside the WVU Coliseum in Morgantown on Jan. 13 … the Mountaineers (3-2) earned a season-best 195.1 to finish the night in second place … Maryland earned the top spot, posting a 195.425 for first place, while Kent State took third place with a score of 194.475 … senior Kianna Yancey was the lone all-around competitor for West Virginia, as she tallied a career-best 39.25 total on all four events to earn first place in the all-around … rotating in Olympic order for the first time this season, West Virginia earned a season-best 48.9 team total on vault … the squad was led by a pair of season-high 9.825s from Yancey and junior Kiana Lewis … the Mountaineers posted a 48.425 total on the uneven bars, while Yancey again led the way with a season-best 9.8 … WVU began to gain momentum in the third rotation, securing a season-best 48.675 on balance beam … a trio of 9.775 scores from Yancey, senior Kendra Combs and junior Chloe Asper led the way … floor exercise was once again the best event of the night for the Mountaineers, as they earned their lone 49.0+ score of the night with a 49.1 total … senior Emily Holmes-Hackerd and Yancey earned a pair of 9.85s for the second straight meet, as well as a tie for first place to pace the lineup.

Notes: WVU's 195.1 total in its home opener marked the team's first score of 195.0+ this season … Yancey earned at least a tie for first place in every event but vault, while her win on the all-around was just her second career all-around victory … of note, WVU's crowd of 1,276 marked its highest attendance at a home opener since 2019 … freshman Carlee Nelson made her collegiate debut on balance beam on Jan. 13 … the Mountaineers sit at No. 19 on floor exercise in this week's Road to Nationals rankings … West Virginia has now been ranked in the Road to Nationals floor rankings for 21 consecutive weeks, dating back to Jan. 25, 2021.

This Week in Swimming & Diving: The West Virginia University women's swimming and diving team travels to Ames, Iowa, for a Big 12 dual meet at Iowa State on Saturday, Jan. 21 … action from ISU's Beyer Pool is set to begin at 12 p.m. ET.

Last Week in Swimming & Diving: The West Virginia University men's and women's swimming and diving teams fell to Pitt in the 2023 edition of the Backyard Brawl at Trees Pool in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania … junior William Mullen earned first-place in the 1,000-yard freestyle with a time of 9:22.76 … sophomore Conner McBeth added a pair of wins in the 50 (20.31) and 100 free (44.40) … sophomore Danny Berlitz also added a victory in the 400-yard IM, finishing in 3:52.71 … freshman Mia Cheatwood added a pair of wins in the 100-yard breaststroke (1:02.15) and the 200-yard breaststroke (2:17.88) … junior Abby Reardon earned first-place in the 200 free, touching the wall at 1:51.87 … senior Jacqueline McCutchan led the charge in the 100-yard freestyle, earning a first-place, 50.70 finish … additionally, the men's and women's relay teams grabbed a pair of first-place victories, competing in the 400-yard freestyle relay … for the women, Cheatwood, Reardon, McCutchan, and Szwabinska finished in 3:25.65 … on the men's side, freshman Max Nielsen, sophomore Braden Osborn, junior Roanoke Shirk, and McBeth finished in 3:00.98.

Notes: The men's swimming and diving team will be back in action for the first home meet of the season on Friday, Jan. 27, against Villanova.

This Week in Tennis: The West Virginia University women's tennis team travels to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to take on Penn and Temple on Saturday, Jan. 21… competition is set to begin at 1 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. ET.

Last Week in Tennis: The West Virginia University Tennis team did not compete last week.

Notes: The Mountaineers fell to Penn 1-6 in 2022.

This Week in Track and Field: The West Virginia University track and field team travels to Youngstown, Ohio, to compete at the Youngstown Invitational presented by Southwoods Health.

Last Week in Track and Field: The West Virginia University track and field team competed at the Nittany Lion Challenge hosted by Penn State University in University Park, Pennsylvania … sophomore Cassandra Williamson set a program record in the 600-meter with a time of 1:32.02, earning first place in the process … junior Mikenna Vanderheyden also took home first for the Mountaineers … Vanderheyden crossed the finish line in the 800-meter at 2:11.80, securing a personal best … redshirt senior Hayley Jackson also earned a personal best in the 1,000-meter run with a time of 2:48.26 … senior Sada Wright took home second for West Virginia in weight throw, registering a distance of 16.84 meters … Saturday marked Wright's fifth-longest weight throw distance in her career … additionally, senior Tessa Constantine claimed first in her heat in the 200-meter sprint with a time of 25.82.

Notes: The 600-meter record was previously held by Keri Bland … Bland earned 11 All-America honors during her WVU career and set the 600-meter record with a time of 1:33.32 in 2010.

This Week in Rifle: The No. 3 West Virginia University rifle team has two matches this week … the season continues, as the Mountaineers travel to Columbus, Ohio, to take on No. 11 Ohio State … West Virginia wraps up the weekend at No. 10 Akron.

Last Week in Rifle: The rifle squad traveled to Fairbanks, Alaska, for a pair of meets on Jan. 13-14 … WVU squared off against No. 2 Alaska-Fairbanks on Jan. 13, falling to the Nanooks 4,744-4,736 at E.F. Horton Rifle Range … West Virginia fell by five points in each discipline to UAF, notching a 2,353 in smallbore and a 2,383 in air rifle … the Mountaineers claimed five of the top 10 spots on the individual match leaderboard … senior Mary Tucker led the match with a 1,191 aggregate score … WVU participated in a four-team match on Jan. 14 against UAF, then-ranked No. 3 Kentucky and No. 16 Georgia Southern … West Virginia claimed second, shooting a 4,751 … the Mountaineers shot a 2,371 in smallbore and 2,380 in air rifle, falling to Alaska-Fairbanks by just one point … senior Mary Tucker led West Virginia with a 1,193 aggregate score … the Sarasota, Florida, native shot a 594 in smallbore and a 599 in air rifle.

Notes: West Virginia's 2,371 in smallbore tied a national record, while the 4,751 tied a school record that was set against then-ranked No. 11 NC State in Morgantown … Tucker's aggregate score was good enough to earn first days … senior Malori Brown shot a 595 in smallbore and earned an aggregate score of 1,189 on Jan. 14, both good for personal bests … the Mountaineers own the third highest aggregate score average with a mark of 4,728.889.