Washington University Has Eight Named UAA Athlete of the Week

St. Louis, Mo., March 8, 2011 — Washington University in St. Louis had eight student-athletes earn University Athletic Association (UAA) Athlete of the Week honors, as announced by the Association.

Senior guard Alex Hoover of the No. 12 ranked women’s basketball team, freshman Shannon Howell, junior Erica Jackey, senior Jessica Londeree and junior Elizabeth Phillips of the women’s indoor track and field team, senior Chris Malaya of the men’s indoor track and field team, sophomore Taylor Berman of the baseball team and junior Alyssa Abramoski of the No. 19 ranked softball team each earned the accolade.

Hoover scored in double figures in back-to-back games to lead the Bears to a pair of wins in the 2011 NCAA Division III Tournament last weekend in Holland, Mich. She scored 11 points with four rebounds and three assists in WUSTL’s 71-55 opening round win over No. 10 Denison University on Friday night. She followed that up by scoring a team-high 16 points on 6-of-10 shooting, including 3-of-5 from long distance, in a 56-52 upset at fourth-ranked Hope College. For the week she averaged 13.5 points, three assists and 2.5 three-point field goals per game.

The women’s distance medley relay team broke the school record and automatically qualified for the 2011 NCAA Division III Indoor Championships on Friday, March 4, at the North Central College Last Chance Qualifier in Naperville, Ill. The team of Howell, Jackey, Londeree and Phillips posted a time of 11:48.98 in the DMR, which breaks the old Washington University record of 11:51.31, and ranks them first in Division III headed into this weeks national championship meet.

Malaya broke the school record and automatically qualified for the 2011 NCAA Division III Indoor Championships in the 400-meter on Friday at the North Central Last Chance Qualifier. He posted a 400-meter time of 48.68 on Friday, shaving an incredible 2.1 seconds off his previous season-best time and eclipsing the old school record of 49.45. Malay’s time ranks fifth in Division III headed into this week’s national championship meet.

Berman tossed a complete-game one-hit shutout in a 2-0 victory over Westminster College on Wednesday, March 2, in St. Louis, Mo. He threw seven scoreless innings, recording eight strikeouts against just one hit and one walk in the first start of his collegiate career.

Abramoski batted .545 (6-11) with eight runs scored and three triples in four games as Washington University captured the Warrior Spring Fling held at Hendrix College in Conway, Ark. She also drove in five runs and had a slugging percentage of 1.182. Abramoski was 3-for-4 with a career-high four RBIs and four runs scored in a 21-6 win over the University of Dallas on Saturday.