Detroit's Parker, UW-Milwaukee's Meier earn Horizon League Scholar-Athlete of the Week honors
Oct. 10, 2006
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INDIANAPOLIS -- University of Detroit Mercy senior Mary Parker (women's soccer) and University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee senior Billy Meier (men's soccer) have been named the Horizon League Scholar-Athletes of the Week, League commissioner Jonathan B. LeCrone announced Tuesday (Oct. 10).
Parker scored four goals, including two match-winners, leading the Titans to a pair of victories last week. She recorded her second hat trick of the season with all three Detroit goals in a 3-2, come-from-behind victory over Butler University. In the process, she moved into third place in school history with her 40th career goal, and also stands fourth on the all-time UDM charts with 95 career points. Parker needs five more to become only the 12th player in loop history to reach the 100-point plateau.
In the classroom, Parker owns a 3.793 grade-point average as a biology/pre-med major. She is a two-time Academic All-District selection by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) and a four-time member of the Horizon League Academic Honor Roll. The three-time First-Team All-League performer plans to enroll in medical school next fall.
Meier played a major role in leading the Panthers to a 1-1-1 record last week, anchoring a defense which allowed only three goals in the three contests. He helped UW-Milwaukee post its third shutout of the season with a 4-0 victory over Wright State University on Friday (Oct. 6), and also helped set up the eventual match-winning goal in that contest. The senior defender also helped preserve a 2-2 tie with Butler on Sunday (Oct. 8), heading a ball off the goal line to prevent a goal midway through the second half.
The veteran defender was a Second-Team Scholar All-Region selection by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) last fall, and also garnered Horizon League Academic All-League recognition in 2005 after helping the Panthers to their fourth consecutive NCAA Tournament. In the classroom, Meier owns a 3.795 GPA and is currently pursuing a master's degree in business from UWM's Graduate School.
The Horizon League instituted the Scholar-Athlete of the Week awards for this academic year as a way to recognize outstanding academic and athletic achievement by its student-athletes. To be eligible for the honor, a student-athlete must maintain a cumulative grade-point average of 3.20 or better (on a 4.00 scale), have completed at least one year at the member institution and passed 24 semester or 36 quarter hours, and perform well during the week's competition. Winners are selected by a group of League faculty athletic representatives, from nominations provided by sports information directors.
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OTHER MALE NOMINEES:
Tom Sadd, Cleveland State (soccer, junior, 3.83, international business) bolstered a Viking defense that held nationally-ranked University of Illinois at Chicago to two goals on Sunday (Oct. 8). The team co-captain has moved from his defender role to the midfield to help continue the team's success this season.
Derek Kosek, UIC (soccer, senior, 3.53, elementary education) made key defensive plays during shutout victories over the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (Oct. 3) and Cleveland State University (Oct. 6), keeping UIC unbeaten in League play. He also set up the match-winner versus the Panthers and anchored a defense that has allowed only four goals in 12 matches this year.
Javier Lopez, Loyola (soccer, senior, 3.30, marketing) has been a major contributor to the Rambler team which has won eight of its last nine outings, including all four League matches. He helped LU post matching 1-0 victories over Butler University (Oct. 3) and the University of Detroit Mercy (Oct. 6) last week.
OTHER FEMALE NOMINEES:
Mel Snyder, Cleveland State (volleyball, junior, 3.72, middle childhood education) averaged 14.33 assists and 2.50 digs per game in two matches last week. She dished out 43 assists in a three-game sweep at Butler on Friday, and added 43 set-ups, eight digs and two blocks versus Wright State University on Saturday (Oct. 7). She currently leads the League with a rate of 12.33 assists per game.
Courtney Ashley, Loyola (volleyball, senior, 3.29, history) registered 15 kills and 19 digs in a five-game victory at Bradley University on Tuesday (Oct. 3) and added 18 kills plus 14 digs and three blocks as the Ramblers defeated UW-Milwaukee on Friday. She wrapped up the week with eight kills and six digs in a three-game sweep versus the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay on Saturday.
Brooke Wikgren, UW-Green Bay (soccer, senior, 3.533, environmental policy and planning) posted a career-best ten saves versus UW-Milwaukee on Wednesday (Oct. 4), stopping eight shots in the first half alone. She also turned away eight shots in a 1-0 loss at Loyola on Sunday, lowering her season goals-against average to 1.21.
Cheryl Hegemann, UW-Milwaukee (volleyball, senior, 3.757, education) averaged 4.50 kills, 2.62 digs and 1.12 blocks per game in two weekend matches. She collected 17 kills and nine digs at Loyola on Sunday, and recorded a season-high 19 kills to lead the Panthers past UIC on Saturday. She also added 12 digs at UIC for the 16th double-double of her career.
Jenny Schultz, Wright State (volleyball, senior, 3.357, middle childhood education) helped the Raiders even their season record at 10-10 with two victories last week. She posted 15 kills and a career-best 27 digs against Youngstown State University on Friday and produced a match-high 15 kills plus 14 digs versus Cleveland State on Saturday.
PREVIOUS SCHOLAR-ATHLETES OF THE WEEKAug. 29-- Aaron Thompson (Butler, soccer), Liz Fazio (Cleveland State, volleyball)Sept. 5-- Kent Wories (Butler, cross country), Genni Gardner (Butler, cross country)Sept. 12 -- Kent Wories (Butler, cross country), Stephanie Gross (UW-Green Bay, soccer)Sept. 19 -- Markian Zyga (Loyola, soccer), Ginny Graczyk (UW-Milwaukee, soccer)Sept. 26 -- Paul Mongillo (Butler, soccer), Liz Fazio (Cleveland State, volleyball)Oct. 2 -- Tom Sadd (Cleveland State, soccer), Mary Parker (Detroit, soccer)
