Washington University Has Five Named UAA Athlete of the Week
St. Louis, Mo., October 11, 2010 – Washington University in St. Louis had five student-athletes earn UAA Athlete of the Week honors, as announced Monday by the Association.
Junior linebacker Nick Hillard and senior quarterback Stephen Sherman of the football team, senior David Chao and freshman Paige VanTassell of the men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams and freshman Jessica Johnson of the women’s soccer team each earned the honor.
Hillard recorded a career-high 15 tackles in the Bears’ 24-20 win over No. 19 ranked and previously unbeaten Wabash College on Saturday, Oct. 9. He also added three tackles for loss, a sack and a break-up in the victory. Hillard leads the team and is third in the UAA with 52 tackles.
Sherman, who earned the honor for the second time this year, completed 18-of-28 passes for a career-high 266 yards and two touchdowns in the win over Wabash. He found junior wide receiver Easton Knott for a game-winning 18-yard touchdown pass with 1:10 remaining on the clock.
Chao turned in three first-place swims as the men’s swimming and diving team fell to NCAA Division I Saint Louis University, 124-118 on Oct. 9, in St. Louis, Mo. He won the 50-yard freestyle (21.72) and the 100-yard freestyle (48.10) in addition to swimming the final leg of the Bears’ first-place 400-medley relay victory (3:34.77).
VanTassell turned in a number of strong performances as the women’s swimming and diving team fell to NCAA Division I Saint Louis University, 124-115 on Oct. 9. She won the 500-freestyle with a time of 5:19.36 and finished third in the 1,000-yard freestyle (11:00.41) and swam the second leg on the Bears’ second-place 400-freestyle relay team (3:42.97).
Johnson scored a total of four goals in Washington University’s two victories last week. She scored the first two goals of her career in the 3-2 victory at Webster University on Oct. 7, including the-game winner at the 88:46 mark. Johnson followed that up with a pair of goals in a 4-0 win at Carnegie Mellon University on Oct. 10. She is now tied for the team lead with four goals.