Tucker and McCabe Named Student-Athletes of the Week

March 13, 2023 05:09 PM | Baseball, General, Golf, Men's Swimming & Diving, Rifle, Women's Basketball, Gymnastics, Women's Swimming & Diving, Tennis, Track & Field, Wrestling

By: WVU Athletics Communications

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Senior Mary Tucker of the WVU rifle team and junior Ceili McCabe of the WVU track and field team have been named the WVU student-athletes of the week presented by University Apartments after showing an aggregate score of 1190 at the NCAA Rifle Championship and earning All-America honors at the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships, respectively.

Tucker posted the highest qualifying score in smallbore and qualified fourth in air rifle at the NCAA Rifle Championship on March 11, before claiming third place in smallbore (592) and second place in air rifle (598). Tying for the best mark in the championship field, Tucker showed an aggregate score of 1190.

McCabe crossed the finish line in the 3,000-meter at the NCAA Indoor Championships inside the Albuquerque Convention Center on March 11, with a time of 9:19.26. In her second appearance at the NCAA Indoor Championships, McCabe earned All-America honors for the second straight year.

This Week in Women's Basketball: WVU (19-11) opens play in the NCAA Tournament on Friday when they compete against No. 7 seed Arizona… WVU is seeded No. 10 in the tournament… WVU is headed to College Park, Maryland, and the Greenville1 Region of this year's 64-team bracket… the contest will be played at the XFINITY Center on the campus of the University of Maryland… Tipoff is set for 12 p.m. ET… with a win, WVU will advance to the round of 32 to face the winner of No. 2 Maryland and No. 15 Holy Cross.

Last Week in Women's Basketball: West Virginia competed at the Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship … WVU fell to Oklahoma State, 62-61, in the quarterfinals… fifth-year senior guard Madison Smith recorded her fourth straight 20-point scoring performance, with 23 points on 5-of-8 from three … sophomore guard JJ Quinerly finished with 18 points and added three steals.

Notes: Smith played 38 minutes against OSU to move into first in the program's all-time minutes played list with 4580 … the Greenville, South Carolina, native passed Yolanda Paige (2002-05), who finished her career with 4556 minutes played … WVU is making its 14th appearance in the NCAA Tournament since 1989 and its first since the 2020-21 season … Plitzuweit becomes the first coach in WVU history to guide the Mountaineer women to the NCAA Tournament in her first season.

This Week in Wrestling: Six members of the West Virginia University wrestling team return to Tulsa, Oklahoma, to compete at the 2023 Division I Wrestling National Championships on March 16-18 … the opening session of the three-day event is set to begin at 12 p.m. ET … each morning session will be broadcast on ESPNU, before the coverage switches over to ESPN for the night caps.

Last Week in Wrestling: The Mountaineers were off after competing at the Big 12 Championship in Tulsa.

Notes: WVU sends six wrestlers to the NCAA Championships for the first time since 2012, as well as four or more in every season of coach Tim Flynn's tenure since taking over the program in 2019 … fifth-year senior Killian Cardinale (No. 28) at 125 pounds, redshirt juniors Anthony Carman (No. 33) at 184 pounds and Michael Wolfgram (No. 25) at heavyweight, junior Peyton Hall (No. 14) at 165 pounds, redshirt sophomore Austin Cooley (No. 31) and redshirt freshman Jordan Titus (No. 29) at 141 pounds will represent the Mountaineers in their return to Tulsa … Hall, Wolfgram and Titus earned automatic bids, while Cardinale, Carman and Cooley were awarded three of 47 at-large berths granted to the Big 12 by the NCAA committee last Tuesday … West Virginia has had at least one All-American in the last three championships under Flynn … after becoming an All-American at last year's event, Hall could become the first Mountaineer to earn All-America status in back-to-back seasons since Brandon Radar finished sixth in 2006 and 2007 at 141 pounds … additionally, Hall could turn into the first two-time All-American since Zeke Moisey registered All-America performances in 2015 and 2018 at 125 pounds … Hall and Cardinale, who earned All-America honors in 2021, could be the first WVU duo to reach the podium in the same year since Greg Jones (184) and Matt Lebe (157) did in 2005 … both also would join Mark Banks, Whitey Chlebove, Mike Mason, Brandon Rader and Moisey as the sixth and seventh Mountaineers to claim the honor twice in program history, with the sibling duo of Greg and Vertus Jones leading the way by each earning All-America status three times.

This Week in Swimming & Diving: The Mountaineers are off this week.

Last Week in Swimming & Diving: The West Virginia University men's and women's diving teams hosted the 2023 NCAA Zone A Diving Championship on March 6-8 at the Aquatic Center at Mylan Park in Morgantown … senior Owen Johns represented the men on 1-meter finishing 15th overall, with a total score of 582.05 … senior Marian Tiemeier led the way for the women on 1-meter finishing 18th overall, with a total score of 491.15 … on the final day of competition, sophomore Sarah Krusinski finished 15th (420.30) and freshman Abigial Sullivan finished 18th (403.75) … sophomore Glenn Eloriaga finished 15th overall (547.40) for the men … the men's and women's swimming teams traveled to Elkhart, Indiana, to compete in the 2023 CSCAA National Invitational Championships from March 9-11 … the Mountaineers had six top-ten finishes over the weekend … junior Justin Heimes led the way for the men with three top-five finishes, including the 50 back (3rd – 22.18), 100 back (3rd – 46.85) and 200 back (5th – 1:44.50) … freshman Mia Cheatwood added a first-place finish on day three, as well as a second-place finish on day two, in the 200 breaststroke (2:12.27) and 100 back (1:00.82), respectively … the Mountaineer men finished 12th overall, tallying a score of 241, while the women's squad took 17th with a score of 177.5.

Notes: Junior Danny Berlitz will represent the Mountaineers at the 2023 NCAA Men's Swimming and Diving Championships on March 22-25 … Minnesota will host NCAAs at the Jean K. Freeman Aquatic Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

This Week in Tennis: The West Virginia University women's tennis team (10-4, 1-1 Big 12) continues its home stint against Dayton on Saturday, March 18, at the Summit Tennis Academy in Morgantown … competition is set to begin at 10 a.m. ET.

Last Week in Tennis: The Mountaineers defeated Kansas State, 4-2, for the first time in program history on Friday, March 10, in Morgantown … during doubles play, junior/sophomore pair Momoko Nagato and Michaela Kucharova won, 6-2, before sophomore Camilla Bossi and senior Ting-Pei Chang won, 7-6(3), to clinch the doubles point … during singles play, Kucharova, Bossi and sophomore Tatiana Lipatova claimed victories, while Chang and Dodik fell to the Wildcats … sophomore Pei-Ju Hsieh was unfinished at No. 6 singles when Lipatova clinched the match for West Virginia … on Sunday, March 12, the Mountaineers fell to No. 13 Kansas, 2-5, in Morgantown … WVU went into singles play with a disadvantage, after the Jayhawks (10-2, 1-1 Big 12) claimed the doubles point … at No. 3 singles, Kucharova won, 6-1, 6-3, before Bossi, Chang, Nagato and Lipatova were defeated … redshirt freshman Maja Dodik dropped the first set, 3-6, before the match was abandoned due to injury in the second yet, 3-2, giving Dodik the victory.

Notes: Saturday's competition against Dayton marks the first matchup between the two schools since 2012 … the Mountaineers defeated the Flyers, 4-3.

This Week in Track and Field: WVU opens its 2023 outdoor season by hosting the annual Stan Romanowski Open at the Track and Field Complex at Mylan Park on March 17-18, in Morgantown, W.Va.

Last Week in Track and Field: Sophomore Ceili McCabe of the West Virginia University track and field team placed sixth in the 3,000-meter run at the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships, inside the Albuquerque Convention Center on March 11 … in her second appearance at the NCAA Indoor Championships, McCabe finished in a time of 9:16.26 to earn All-America honors for the second straight year.

Notes: McCabe is now one All-America award shy of tying Megan Metcalfe for the most in the 3000-meter at WVU with three (2002-04) … also joins Louise Asselin (2008), Jessica O'Connell (2011) and Metcalfe as the fourth runner in school history to become an All-American after completing the indoor 3000-meter run … the Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, native entered the national meet having recorded the fourth fastest 3,000-meter time in the nation, as well as setting a WVU program record with a time of 8:50.44 at the Boston University Sharon Colyear Danville Season Opener on Dec. 3, 2022 … McCabe went on to register a mile time of 4:31.57 at the Dr. Sander Invitational Columbia Challenge for the best time in the Big 12 and seventh in the nation, before claiming the Big 12 Conference 3,000-meter title in a time of 9:21.22 back in February … the Mountaineers finished 38th in the final NCAA Rankings of the 2022-23 indoor track and field season.

Last Week in Rifle: Competed at the 2023 NCAA Rifle Championship … finished in fifth place with a score of 4708 (2343 SB – 2365 AR) … Tucker showed an aggregate score of 1190 (592 SB – 598 AR), which tied for the best mark in the championship field … Tucker added two podium finishes, claiming third place in smallbore (592) and second-place in air rifle (598) … Tucker posted the highest qualifying score in smallbore and qualified fourth in air rifle … Tucker advanced to the gold medal shoot off in the air rifle finals, but took second place, falling 17-9 to Rylann Kissell of Alaska-Fairbanks … senior Malori Brown tallied WVU's second-highest aggregate score of 1175 (589 SB – 586 AR) … junior Molly McGhin scored an aggregate score of 1171 (583 SB – 588 AR) … senior Matt Sanchez totaled 1169 (578 SB – 591 AR) … junior Tal Engler shot 1167 (579 SB – 588 AR).

Notes: The Mountaineers closed out the 2022-23 season with a 16-4 overall record and an 8-1 mark in the Great America Rifle Conference … WVU claimed the program's 15th GARC Tournament Championship… NCAA All-American honors are set to come out later this week.

This Week in Gymnastics: The Mountaineers prepare to open the postseason when they play host to the 2023 Big 12 Gymnastics Championship on Saturday, March 18, in Morgantown, W.Va. … the conference championship is set for 7 p.m. ET, inside the WVU Coliseum and will be broadcast on ESPNU … tickets for the meet can be purchased at WVUGAME.com.

Last Week in Gymnastics: West Virginia concluded the regular season with a pair of road meets last weekend … WVU opened the weekend at No. 6 LSU on March 10, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana … for just the second time this season, the Mountaineers scored a 49.0 or higher on all four events to earn a 196.450 team score … LSU beat West Virginia with a 198.025, topping the Mountaineers on all four events … WVU scored a season-best 49.025 on uneven bars to open the meet, before tallying a 49.075 on vault … the team earned a 49.35 on floor exercise, and finished the meet with a 49.0 on balance beam … senior Kianna Yancey competed in the all-around and tallied a 39.275 total to finish in third place … Yancey and junior Kiana Lewis tied for third on vault in the final event standings … West Virginia then wrapped up the regular season with a tri-meet at Rutgers with Penn on March 12, in Piscataway, New Jersey … the Mountaineers posted a 196.550 to finish in second place … host Rutgers finished in first place with a program-record score of 196.875, while Penn placed third with a 194.475 team score … WVU added scores of 48.95 on bars, 49.125 on beam, 49.225 on floor and 49.25 on vault … in the final event standings, senior Abbie Pierson and freshman Emma Wehry finished in a tie for second on vault with matching 9.9s … on bars, sophomore Anna Leigh and senior Emily Holmes-Hackerd tied for third place (9.85), and senior Kendra Combs also tied for third on beam with a 9.875 … Holmes-Hackerd finished atop the floor podium for the eighth time this season with a 9.925.

Notes: WVU's score at LSU was its highest at an SEC school in program history, as well as the first 196.0+ total since 2017 … the Mountaineers' total at Rutgers was its second-highest road score of the season … West Virginia posted a pair of 196.0+ road scores this weekend to improve its National Qualifying Score (NQS) to 196.515 and rank No. 29 in this week's Road to Nationals rankings, the squad's highest ranking of the season … the Mountaineers are ranked No. 22 on floor exercise in the Road to Nationals rankings … West Virginia has now been ranked in the RTN floor rankings for 28 of the last 29 weeks, dating back to Jan. 25, 2021.

This Week in Golf: Four Mountaineers are competing in the Bobby Nichols Intercollegiate in Tennessee from Sunday-Tuesday … those competing are Kurtis Grant, Trent Tipton, Kaleb Wilson and Todd Duncan … the team will return to action on Friday at the Schenkel Invitational in Statesboro, Georgia.

Last Week in Golf: The Mountaineers were idle and did not compete.

This Week in Baseball: The Mountaineers head to North Carolina for spring break, playing five games in six days … the week begins with two games against App State on Tuesday and Wednesday … Tuesday's game will be played at L.P. Frans Stadium, home of the Hickory Crawdads, in Hickory at 2 p.m. while Wednesday's game will be in Boone and will start at 11 a.m. … WVU will then head to Greensboro to take on UNCG for three games with Friday starting at 4 p.m., Saturday at 2 p.m., and Sunday at 1 p.m.

Last Week in Baseball: West Virginia went 4-0 in its first home games of the season, defeating Canisius, 8-1, on Wednesday, before sweeping Minnesota over the weekend … in the home opener against the Golden Griffins, Braden Barry and JJ Wetherholt each hit home runs while freshman Gavin Van Kempen made his first-career start and thew 5.1 innings with eight strikeouts and no walks … in a 15-7 over Minnesota on Friday, Tevin Tucker went 4-for-4 and Wetherholt hit his team-leading fifth home run … Robby Porco earned the win by allowing just one unearned run in 4.0 inning … On Saturday, Blaine Traxel threw 8.0 innings to earn his Big 12-leading third win of the season as WVU won, 7-2 … he struck out eight, walked one, and allowed just two runs … a five-run fifth inning was the difference in the win … Tucker, Barry, and Wetherholt each had two stolen bases in the game … on Sunday, the Mountaineers scored five runs in the eighth inning for a come-from-behind 7-4 win … Ellis Garcia had the game-tying hit before a passed ball gave WVU the lead.

Notes: Tevin Tucker hit .700 for the week and had an on-base percentage of .813 … he started the week by reaching base in nine straight plate appearances … Tucker also stole four bases and scored eight runs … with the win over Canisius, the Mountaineers have now won 32 of their last 34 midweek home contests dating back to 2017 … Wetherholt had a 13-game hitting streak to start the season snapped on Sunday, but still had a sacrifice fly in the win over Minnesota … Wetherholt currently leads the Big 12 in stolen bases with 14 and is second in home runs with five, the only player that is in the top five in both categories … after throwing two straight complete games, Traxel settled for 8.0 innings against the Golden Gophers … he is averaging over 7.2 innings per start and leads the Big 12 with 31.0 innings pitched, more than six ahead of the next-highest total … the sweep over Minnesota was the first for WVU since sweeping Kansas State to end the 2022 regular season … going back to last season, the Mountaineers have won nine straight games at Monongalia County Ballpark … it is also their second-straight sweep of a non-conference opponent at home having swept Youngstown State last March.